GOOD DOG!
Training tips to bring more fun and better communication to your furry friendships.

OPTIMIZE TRAINING WITH INTUITUVE COMMUNICATION
by Marta Williams

We all know that dogs take to training quite readily, responding well to a wide range of techniques and tools. What you probably haven’t heard about is the use of intuitive communication to train dogs and other animals.

The intuitive training techniques I discuss here are easy to implement, can be a great adjunct to a traditional training program, and will often work in lieu of other methods. I developed them over the past ten years in my work as an animal communicator, because people often call me in despair over misbehaving animals for whom nothing seems to work.

A Case in Point
To illustrate what I mean by intuitive training, here’s a story about my dog, Bear. I recently started riding my horse with a friend on her property where it is safe to let the dogs accompany us off leash. My friend’s dogs are well-behaved and though they sometimes run off to explore the underbrush, they came back right away.

I was worried about bringing Bear along because he has a bad habit of becoming temporarily deaf when the leash comes off. I could have spent a few weeks teaching him perfect recall, but I decided to try the intuitive approach instead. I talked to Bear out loud about going riding and told him what he would have to do if he wanted to be able to go on horse outings with me. I explained this to him in detail and also told him how much I wanted this to work.

I spoke with Bear as if he could completely understand my every word, just as a person would. Then I closed my eyes and imagined a scene of Bear going riding with us. I had the sensation of watching a movie in my mind that I was producing and directing. In the movie, Bear mostly stayed with us as we rode. He would occasionally run off, but he always came back right away, just as a yo-yo always returns. I used that image as the catch phrase, explaining to Bear, again out loud, that he would have to be like a yo-yo and come right back if he wanted to be invited on future horse outings.

Then we did the test run. Before we took off on the trail, my friend and I explained the process once again to Bear and the other dogs. We asked the other dogs to help Bear stay with the pack. I reminded Bear out loud, “Remember Bear, stay with us and be like a yo-yo.”

Bear did very well on that fi rst outing. He ran off a bit too long for my taste a few times, but he did always come back. And on subsequent trips he has done better and better.

Intuitive training did the trick. I know Bear loves going with the horses and he understands what he has to do to have that pleasure in his life. Using a reliable recall method would have been safer for this training problem, and that is what I would generally recommend. But if you are dealing with a dog who won’t recall you might try a reliable recall method (there are lots of them available via the Internet) and add in these intuitive techniques to enhance the training.

Tuning In
The premise behind intuitive communication with dogs and other animals is that they can read our thoughts, understand what we say, comprehend our feelings, and even mentally “see” the images we form in our minds. This may sound strange, but I know it works because I have spent many years doing experiments to prove it. I am convinced that this form of intuitive connection is the way people and animals have always communicated, but that it has been all but lost to us in the modern world.

The best way for you to become convinced yourself is to try it out. You can read one of my books for in-depth training in intuitive communication, but here are two easy tips on how to use it for modifying your animal’s behavior. Because these techniques are so easy to implement, I recommend always adding them into your training regime to enhance your results.

Tip #1: Intuitive Talking
Try talking to your dog out loud, as if he or she understands you just as a person would. Tell her everything you are feeling and thinking about a certain training issue. Be as detailed and specifi c, as you would be with a person. State what you want and what the consequences will be if she doesn’t comply or succeed.

Carry this type of discourse over into the actual training sessions, as well. If you are in a public situation and don’t want to talk out loud, you can form the words and images in your mind and your animal will intuitively pick up what you want her to know.

Tip #2 : Imagine It
Use visualization to enhance what you are telling your animal. Close your eyes and imagine a movie in your head, as I did with Bear, of your animal behaving exactly the way you would like. Don’t let your inner critic sabotage you with doubts; believe that what you have imagined is possible and do everything you can to support your animal in achieving your training goals.

Marta Williams (www.martawilliams. com) worked for many years as a wildlife biologist and environmental scientist before becoming an animal communicator. Her most recent book is Ask Your Animal: Resolving Behavioral Issues through Intuitive Communication.

This column is written by a different trainer each month. If you'd like to contribute, contact mindy@baywoof.com