Talking To Dogs

My dear friend Isabella is not a dog trainer.  She will be the first one to tell you that.  She is not a whisperer, a behaviorist, or a graduate of any of the endless courses that claim to teach one to understand and communicate with dogs if you follow their rules.

Isabella talks to her dogs (and sometimes dogs of others.)  But not only does she talk, she also listens.  And the results are quite amazing.  Her dogs are totally focused on her when she is talking to them and often at other times as well.  They watch her face and every movement, and you can see their minds working as they try to understand every word, and then try to do whatever they can think of to please her.  And they do understand and learn a huge variety of behaviors without any formal instruction, only with the reinforcement of praise and sometimes a biscuit when they do something correct or clever.  Should they make a mistake and do something wrong, the displeasure on her face is enough for them to understand and feel contrite.

Her Bracco Italiano, Sulpicia, has learned to roll a ball to her with her nose, to lie flat without moving, to catch a ball, and many other things, just from being talked to and encouraged.  She can sit for hours gazing into Isabella's eyes, or barking an answer when Isabella talks to her, with a focus that is not typical for this breed.  Her young Canaan Merino has learned many tricks and behaviors in the same way and his focus on her is something extraordinary for this breed.  She has often said to me that Merino is a genius, and could learn so much with a "good trainer".  I don't think so – the connection between the two is something so positive and unique that no "modern training methods" could take its place.

She has total trust and confidence in her dogs, and therefore they also have total trust in her. She can go to unfamiliar places with them, let them off leash, and because of her total connection with them and confidence in them, they respond by behaving as you would expect of a well trained dog.  They respond to strangers as she responds, and since she is an outgoing and friendly person, so are her dogs.

In our modern world, there is so much information available, so much discussion, so many methods of doing everything.  We are hard put to decide what to do and how to do it, what will be the most effective or most successful.  There are countless well educated dog trainers who have learned all the modern theories and work "by the book", following all the rules, and consulting with colleagues over every abnormality.  They are successful; they achieve results, even outstanding ones.

But for me, there is nothing that can take the place of the deep instinct, empathy, understanding, and communication of Isabella.  It is the difference between a paint-by-numbers picture and a masterpiece of art.  It is not something that can be learned, it is something that a few rare people have and the rest of us can envy.

I have been living and working with dogs for more than 50 years, but I can still learn about dog-human relationships and how wonderful they can be from Isabella and her dogs.