I’m sure you love your dog; but, you could be getting more out of your dog interaction. If you are more attuned to each other, any walk becomes much more interesting.

Seriously, have you talked with your dog? spent quality time with your dog? or do you just drag it around by its throat waiting for it to perform some biological function then drop if off back home?

Walking your dog is an exercise in companionship & sharing… if you’ve got your headphones on & you’re ignoring what’s going on with the dog... then you’re not doing it together

I mean, they learn words from you taking an interest in THEIR lives & interests & giving them context. They’re desperate to communicate with their pack leader. The latest National Geographic has a feature on profiled research subjects & Animal Cognition (problem-solving, language acquisition… ) You’d be stunned how much your dog knows & picks up from ‘mime’, “surprise sounds” like sniffing/gasping/ooohs, facial expressions… & your interest.

you can teach words to your dog to identify dog interests. If it isn’t something the dog cares about, it might simply something you can ‘sell’ as interesting… Its about ‘pantomime’ & conveying expectation... You know:

- sniff
- squirrel
- toy, names of specific toy, stick, pinecone, ball…
- foods
- bird
- snack
- good snack
- yuck (meaning, ‘you might think that’s edible or perfuming but I think its disgusting, don’t touch that or I’ll think you’re disgusting, too.‘)
- run
- wait
- careful (easy one: say it in a careful way, put a candle on the floor, get the dog interested, say “careful” a few times & act carefully… light the candle… & let the dog get up to the candle & act… cautious & concerned, repeating ‘careful’... its a handy word to teach for situations)
- up
- under
- drink
- swim
- bus
- taxi
- counting (start with ONE cookie, show ONE finger… TWO cookies… TWO fingers… then one day, show two fingers, SAY TWO & give ONE… if the dog waits for a SECOND cookie, you know you’re getting somewhere. Then go on to THREE… I mean, a female dog can count how many puppies she has…, right?)
- ‘stalk squirrel’ My terrier was frantic to chase squirrels or jump & catch pigeons… until one day I whispered & showed her how to “stalk”. Now, she’ll spend hours in a park under high-tension stalking mode with lightening bursts of activity…
which has made our formerly waddling sleek squirrels a hell of a lot smarter, faster & twitchier…

You’ll know you’re getting somewhere when the dog meets something new… & looks directly & immediately to you to understand what your opinion might be…

My husband commented the other day that my dog lies on the back of the couch & entertains herself by staring into my face & reading my facial expressions as I read books…