profile

Positive Dog

The Real Magic Behind Training 🔑

Published about 1 year ago • 1 min read

🌟Sept 24 Free Training

Every so often, someone calls me a dog whisperer. Or they compare me to Cesar Millan (😬 yikes).

But here’s the truth: there’s nothing magical or mystical about what I do, and you can learn to do it too!

It can look invisible.

I remember leashing up some anxious stray dogs one day and the friend I was with commented "You're so brave! You just grabbed those dogs!"

But I didn't. I had full conversations with them both. "How do you feel about my hands?" "How do you feel about me reaching for your collar?" My body language told them I was listening, that I heard what they had to say, so they trusted me.

The reason I can step in and help a dog calm down, redirect, or succeed with even the toughest dogs isn’t because I’m whispering in their ear—it’s because I’m reading them. 👀

🐕 I’ve studied dog body language for decades.

📖 I've studied learning theory and how beings learn for even longer.

And here’s the exciting part: you can learn to read and communicate with your dog too.

When you start paying attention to what your dog is telling you and communicate that you hear them—before the “big” behavior happens—you suddenly unlock a whole new level of training. It’s not about force, dominance, or tricks. It’s about partnership.

So no… I’m not a dog whisperer. And you don’t need one either. There's no magic, just communication.

You just need the skills (and a little practice).

On Wednesday, September 24th at 6pm PST, I’m teaching my new workshop "ENJOY EVERY WALK - 3 Keys to Stress-Free Walks!"

​➡️ Register here ​

During the workshop, I will be opening the doors to my signature 8 week reactivity training & coaching program, Leash Reactivity Deep Dive with a special limited time bonus.

I’ll see you SOON,

– Christina

Other Free Resources

FB Reactivity Group

FB Puppy Group

Relaxation Protocol

Podcast

Podcast

Blog

2738 Holden Corso Rd, Nanaimo, BC v9x 1n5
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​

Positive Dog

Christina Young, BSc, CDBC, PCBC-A

Subscribe if you'd like to receive my somewhat regular emails including training tips and concepts as well as info about my upcoming freebies and programs!

Read more from Positive Dog

I'm a lazy trainer. Runa wanted to visit a person on the beach. I wanted her to stay with me. Recall training is pretty important right now. I also would like to build enthusiastic heeling foundations. As always, we are practicing the skill increasing and lowering arousal. I can do all of this at once! When we understand how and when arousal helps or hinders, and we have the skills to increase or decrease arousal, a single training session can work on many things at once. In the above...

about 3 hours ago • 1 min read

Every week I hear from someone who feels crushed because their dog had a reaction. Maybe they barked at a neighbour, lost their cool at a dog on the street, or had a really hard time with a visitor. “Did we undo all our training? Are we back at square one?” It's OK. Reactions are not the end of the world. Occasional failures are a part of growth. The trap many of us fall into is playing it too safe. When we stay too deep in the comfort zone, progress slows. When we don't push boundaries, you...

3 days ago • 1 min read

Does your dog stiffen over a bone, growl from the couch, or guard a stolen sock? You're not alone. Resource guarding is normal dog communication. It's how dogs evolved to survive, sometimes it is what we bred them for. But sometimes resource guarding strays away from what's just normal, healthy communication and becomes something that's dangerous and problematic for the dog and for the people or the other animals that the dog lives with In this week's episode of Dogs with Big Feelings, I...

4 days ago • 1 min read