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Professional animal trainers, who should know as well as anyone how to use sound to communicate to their animals, distinguish themselves from dog owners in one consistent way. They are able to separate their own emotional states from the sounds that they make, making sounds that elicit the response that they want rather than sounds that represent how they are feeling inside.
The general rule is to use short, repeated notes to encourage activity and one single note to discourage it.
If Fido ignores your sweet signals to come, switch to a low, growly “No” and then call “Come” again, just as sweetly as before.
The solution here is simple, although not necessarily easy. If you have a young, healthy dog, especially one who sleeps in a crate all day long, then either get yourself outside and exercise with your dog or find someone else to do it for you. I say this because a large number of the behavioral problems that I see have their origin in boredom.
These suggestions are not substitutes for a complete dog training manual or good video, or better yet, a good dog training class where you’ll have a coach to help you out. But if you can get into the habit of interrupting your dog from doing what you don’t want and simply redirecting him to what you do want him to do, both you and your dog will be much happier.
Every dog owner whom I know will argue that his or her own dog has a distinct personality, but paradoxically many people seem to think of all dogs within a breed as behavioral clones.
It’s important not to let others demean your love for your dog. Like many people, I used to be embarrassed if I got emotional about my dogs or my cat, anticipating at least the thought, if not the comment, “Geezzz, it’s just a pet; get hold of yourself.” I’m over that now, because although I adore logic and rigorous analysis, I treasure honest emotion just as highly. The scientist in me is perfectly comfortable with the animal lover in me, and we are both happy to celebrate together the miracle of our relationship with dogs.
