Many people I meet fail to put into perspective just how smart dogs are. A lot of what I see in terms of clients with dog problems is misinterpretation and lack of communication between owner and pet. We have to remember that because dogs don't speak our language, we must sometimes try to speak theirs. After all, it's only fair. Dogs spend a majority of their life learning our words, our voice tones, and our commands but have you ever tried to speak their language? Well, I'm here to say that as crazy as it seems, it works better than any words in the English dictionary you can think of.
A good example of this is my German Shepherd, Elvis. He's still a puppy- almost a year old and he has incredible ball drive. He loves his Planet Dog golf balls but he can be quite a pain with them. He insists that whenever I sit on my couch, I must throw the ball for him and he's become quite persistent at it. Instead of sending him off to his bed and teaching him something more complicated to resolve the problem, I give him a good sharp look and a growl, just like his older German Shepherd buddies do. That one growl will send him away for the rest of the night so I can enjoy some peace and quiet. The trick with the growl is you have to take it seriously or it won't work. You have to speak like a dog and when you do it right, it will put any pet into their place unless of course you're not the one in charge. In that case, your furry friend may get a big kick out of what you're trying to do. I use this for other things such as begging at the table, etc. At first people think I'm nuts but when their dog understands they mean business and they aren't messing around, they can't thank me enough for it.
Another useful technique I've developed is getting your dog to submit to you with out using your voice, your hands or a leash and collar. This technique is a great way to see if you're the one in charge. It will also help you understand that if we try to communicate with dogs the human way, it doesn't always work. To understand dogs, you must think like a dog.
When your best friend is standing up, place your arm over his withers just like a paw on the back. Hover over him to assert your dominance (anytime you stand over a dog you are dominating him.) Now tap into his sixth sense by using your energy. Dogs can feel energy just like they can feel fear. Think to yourself that you are the leader; you're the boss, etc. Now slowly watch as he sits, goes down and rolls over on his back… Congratulations! You just spoke the secret language of the dog. If this technique was easy, that means you have a submissive dog and you're in charge. If this was hard, your dog is more dominant and you may not be the leader of your pack. Keep practicing and pay attention to what your best friend is trying to say to you! After all, dogs can teach us more about themselves than any human can.