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Rose's Recent Article in "Paw Prints"

How Human Emotions Affect Their Dogs

People are often unaware of how their own emotional states affect their dog's behavior. Like any best friend, "human's best friend" pays great attention to his owner's actions and moods.

I worked with a family who had three powerful, abused, rescue dogs. I really respect these clients, because they rescue animals literally at death's door. The third dog was scheduled to be put down at a shelter that night when my clients adopted him. Because the dog was so stressed, I was called in to help.

When arriving at a client's house, the first thing I do is assess the interactive energies between owners and their pets. My twenty-three years of working with the South Beach Police Force investigating human abuse taught me to pay close attention to the interactions between individuals in the household. Dogs are individual members of a household too.

My assessment was that this dog had been used as a stud to breed puppies or as a research animal. All three dogs were highly stressed and distrustful of people and other dogs. They were kept in separate living spaces, and fed and walked individually. This made my clients very anxious and kept them on edge.

My goal was to create a household where the animals and their owners could live harmoniously together. So teaching my clients to become aware of their emotional states when dealing with their pets was an integral part of the solution. 

The dogs were taught to walk together, eat together, and socialize with the family in the living room. The more the humans relaxed the more relaxed and safe the dogs felt. Of course, imposing a schedule the dogs can depend upon is part of the solution as well. They came to understand they would be fed and walked in the morning and evening, and this orderliness helped relieve their some of their stress.

This is an extreme example, but even in less intense situations, an animal's ability to pick up on and image his owner’s emotional state makes emotional awareness essential to good dog training success. Neither humans nor dogs learn well when they are in a bad emotional state. 

The emotions do not have to be negative to adversely affect dog training. Some dog owners have the best intentions when they shower their animals with love, but if that is not balanced with calm, firm commands and a dependable walking and feeding schedule, a dog will not take instruction seriously.

A lack of emotional awareness can lead an owner to such a frustration level that punitive measures appear to be "the last straw" in trying to train an out-of-control dog. This is unfortunate, because punishing animals is very different from disciplining animals. A dog should not fear his owner. 

You do have to correct a dog when the dog is learning good behavior, but screaming, yanking on a pain-causing collar, and hitting only increases the dog's nervous energy. One of the goals of positive training is to create a calm energy environment in which both you and your dog can cooperate peacefully.

A gentle touch or a firm word like "Uh-uh!" or "Hey!" lets the dog know it is not behaving correctly. When the dog learns to understand these words, it gets the dog's attention and changes the energy. The firm sound of your voice let's the dog know he is not on the right path.

Punitive measures include screaming at a dog, hitting a dog, or using collars that cause the dog pain. It also means you are acting out of anger and not out of love.

These punitive methods are not as productive as being patient with a dog during training with positive methods. The dog might behave out of fear, but if you care for your pet, the goal is to have the dog obey because it wishes to please. This is what a harmonious relationship with your furry family member looks like. 
I advise my clients to center themselves, take some deep breaths, and get relaxed before attempting to practice my homework assignments. When a dog doesn't spend his energy reacting to over-excited emotions, he can pay more attention to the training. This makes for a happier household for everyone.

Rose Lesniak is a top dog and puppy trainer / behaviorist in the Miami / Dade County area. She is also an ABC Mentor. She can be reached by phone at 305.868.8109, emailing Rose@RoseLesniakDogTrainer.com, or by filling out the confidential form on her website, RoseLesniakDogTrainer.com.

Association of Pet Dog Trainers

Rose is Proud to be Inducted into the Association of Pet Dog Trainers

Rose Lesniak is proud to be  a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. APDT is a professional organization of individual trainers who are committed to becoming better trainers through education.

The Association of Pet Dog Trainers was founded in 1993 by Ian Dunbar DVM, Ph.D. as a forum for trainers to associate with one another and to discuss topics of mutual interest. They have since become a member-driven organization producing educational conferences in locations throughout the United States. Their annual conference has grown from 250 participants to 1,500 participants.

APDT membership has grown at a similar rate to almost 6,000 members worldwide. APDT's organization is a voice for pet dog trainers. They offer a unique opportunity for professional networking and sharing of ideas through their conferences, membership directory, newsletter and seminars. 

APDT members include world renowned speakers and authors, veterinarians, dog trainers, dog club members, humane society personnel and service dog trainers.

The APDT offers individual pet dog trainers a respected and concerted voice in the dog world. They continue to promote professional trainers to the veterinary profession and to increase public awareness of dog friendly training techniques.

Rose is very proud to have become one of the latest members.

Sunshine State Service Dogs

Rose Inducted as a New Member

Rose is proud to be part of Sunshine State Service Dogs, Inc., a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to place fully trained Service Dogs to those who need aid with Disabled individuals. The training of their own Service Dog to assist them is a unique idea. They provide technical and hands-on assistance, public education, social opportunities, and advocacy to Service Dog teams across the state of Florida.

Their teams are held to the highest standard of professionalism. The organization is required to understand the laws surrounding the disabled under Federal law. In addition, they have strict regulations regarding the behavior and conduct of their teams in public. We believe every dog and handler team is an ambassador for all Service Dogs and must represent the best image of a working team.

Rose is proud to be the latest ambassador for Service Dogs. For more information, email Rose@RoseLesniakDogTrainer.com or call 305.868.8109.

Rose Launches RoseLesniakDogTrainer.com

April 10, 2010