Training Tip: The Willa-Whisperer

A few days ago I went out with a friend (hi Lara!) to Petsmart.

I worked Frankie, and she wanted to take Willie, my retired Service Dog. It was kind of cute to see Willie just lay on the couch and basically ignore Lara when she called him over to put his collar on. He's so used to being retired now that he just thought he'd stay home as usual and relax.

One of the comments Lara had while I was dressing Frankie was how she enjoyed the way I whisper commands to my dogs. As a Service Dog handler, whispering commands is much more desirable than yelling them.

I find that whispering commands tends to make the dog calm down and really listen to what you are saying.

Plus, it's very impressive as a handler to have other folks see your dogs respond to a whisper when they have to yell at their dogs all the time.

So, for your next training session, give whispering a try. See how your dogs respond and post here with your results.

Hey, you might as well save your voice for something more important.

Like yelling at your kids.
Or your spouse.
Or yourself.

Depends on the day.