Energy - Hard vs Soft - SOFT DOESN'T MEAN WEAK

Here are some examples of how my "soft" energy has had a positive effect on dogs.

FOSTER
Foster is a sensitive dog. I don't look at him as a "shelter" dog, or worry about what his life was like before we adopted him at 2 years old, but I have noticed that loud, harsh voices and strong leash corrections cause him to duck his head. He doesn't respond to the command, he freezes.

I tend to speak in soft tones for most commands or "conversations" with dogs, and I use as few words as possible. I also find that pulling on a dog's leash causes him to pull against you. I encourage with "Let's go this way," and I give direction for what I want instead of giving corrections and "No!" for what I don't. Foster has responded so well to this "soft" energy that he is THIS close to passing the Canine Good Citizen Exam (http://www.akc.org/events/cgc/training_testing.cfm), and Luna has already earned this honor. She's also received recognition for being able to perform 100% of the tasks 100% correctly years after completion. My soft energy seems to work for my family. I am still a leader and a teacher.

FIREWORK
Firework was a training client's Jack Russell Terrier. The family had a few issues with Firework, but something they could not remedy was Firework's desire to take toys outside. Firework would take toys outside, but never bring them back in and they would become ruined. Family members would try to tell him to "Drop it!" before he went out, or try to remove it from his mouth. These attempts resulted in him not dropping the toy as well as a tug of war.



After walking with Firework for a little while and then returning, I asked him if he would like to go outside. Firework grabbed a toy and ran for the door. I gently held the toy while it was in his mouth and quietly said, "Can I have that? Can you drop it?" He stopped wagging his tail, but did not pull against me. I quietly said again, "Can I have that?" and waited. I counted. In 12 seconds Firework dropped the toy. I put the toy by the window by the front door and let Firework out. He went out, ran around, and came back in. He picked up his toy and lay down in his bed. It was adorable. The family witnessed that a soft voice, patience and the promise of the toy being returned helped Firework let go.

PETEY
Petey's family did not like taking him for a walk. Petey seemed to have a sense of urgency about everything. He would catch a scent and need to immediately get his nose 2 millimeters away. His family complained of strained shoulders, elbows and wrists. They also became frustrated that they could not get him to move on from the urgent spot of interest. They would pull and pull and their 97 pound dog would not budge.



After teaching the family a few techniques to reduce pulling on the walk, we stopped, and Petey became interested in something in the grass. He did not budge when the family member tried to pull him away. Instead of pulling, I held the leash loosely and said, "Petey, let's go this way!" and helped him catch the scent of a treat. I gave him the treat when he followed me. Any time he stopped to sniff, we let him sniff for a few seconds then said, "Petey, let's go this way!" and gave him a treat. Soon we were able to say, "This way," and he followed. No pulling. No straining. No yelling. Just "This way."

"Soft" doesn't mean weak.