The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs

by Patricia B. McConnell

hanging out in the lobby of the vet’s office isn’t all that relaxing for an owner or a dog. Is that 165-pound Saint Bernard over there friendly, or was that a growl you heard? Will Chief break away and try to chase the cat that just came in? Here’s your chance to use one long, continuous note to calm your dog, just as handlers all around the world would do. This is when you want to say, “Goooooooood boy, Captain, goooooooooood boy. What a goooooooooood boy you are.” What won’t help is what I see a lot—slightly anxious owners repeating short, choppy versions of “Good boy, good boy, good boy” while their retriever strains wild-eyed at the end of the leash. The words are often accompanied by equally choppy petting actions, which arouse the dog even more. Here’s where you need to learn to separate your own emotional state from the one you want in your dog. If you want to soothe or slow your dog, replicate the “Eeeeeeeeeeasy” of the dressage trainer that I recorded when slowing an anxious horse. Mimic the “Whoooooooooooaaaaaaa, son” of a racehorse jockey calming his horse before the race. Remember the “Steeeeeaaaaady” of a sled dog driver as his dog enters a tricky turn. This is exactly the way that parents all over the world speak when trying to soothe their babies, but it’s harder to do when you’re feeling agitated yourself. It can take a conscious effort to make sounds that reflect what you want your dog to do rather than how you’re feeling inside. There’s a bonus, though: s...