August 2023
The Difference Your Energy Makes
August 3, 2023
For the last 20 years I’ve been studying, training, and learning to “talk” to dogs in their own language. Dogs are not humans. They catch a word now and then — they can associate 165 to 300 words with objects or commands — but that is not what I mean by talk.
I mean energy and body language. That is truly their language. They do not know what you are saying about your boss. They know how you feel. They can read people better than most people can. Their eyes were built to catch a twitch of a tail at a distance. They know you from far off by how you move, plus sound and smell.
Your energy is what they pick up on most. They interpret what that feeling means for them, and they act. We tend to act how we feel. A dog can feel insecure and still project confidence. It takes a professional to see the bluff.
When I say “patience brings peace,” I mean staying calm and patient is how you conquer bad behavior. When I say “frustration leads to chaos,” I mean frustration only makes it worse. How you feel determines your actions. To change the dog, you have to overcome the feeling and project a calm, firm picture — and follow through to the end. The end is when you are satisfied with the result. Too many people quit and say Fido isn’t in the mood. Dogs don’t have moods that way. They see a leader or a follower. No in between.
The energy you project affects the result that you get. That is the most important lesson I have to teach. Weak energy, weak result. Unbalanced energy, unbalanced result. Anxious energy, anxious result. Strong, balanced, confident energy is a different dog.
The hard part is projecting an energy you may not feel. Hold yourself in a way that contradicts the negative feeling, and you can change the energy. There is no magic. Cesar Millan is not a magician. Those dogs know he will follow through.
Dogs will test you when you change. They need to see if you mean it. Answer that for yourself before you start.