The Dog Whisperer

If I had read this article four years ago, I would have known where Caesar was coming from, but I wouldn’t have fully understood. When my family bought our yellow lab Zoe, she was like all rambunctious puppies. She loved to chew on EVERYTHING. Once, she chewed right threw the television cord, while it was plugged in. After that, we decided we needed help if we didn’t want our dog to be the annoying untrained dog that constantly jumps up on people. I learned many things from the trainer who came over to help us. One time was all we needed. I learned to be consistent, stern, and rewarding. He told us to only stay angry for seven seconds, and to never yell. Now, whenever people come over they’re amazed when she sits in front of her food for a couple seconds before we give her the cue to eat it. How she will sit and wait when a door is open without running away. I completely understand what Caesar meant when he told Lynda that she wasn’t” loving” her dog. She was being unfair. She was angry that he would do something wrong, when he didn’t even know what that meant.

Gladwell is arguing that body language is crucial between human-dog interactions. Dogs are unable to communicate in ways other than body language. They can’t tell you what they’re thinking. Yes, they can learn many commands, but that’s based on body language. “Exercise, Discipline, and Affection” are key for understanding the essay because they are the three things that are critical when training a dog. Exercise means exercising the different ways of interaction. If you decide that you’re dog isn’t allowed on the couch, don’t let it go once in a while. If you don’t want your dog begging, never give food from the table. It’s simple. Discipline is important because it shows the dog that they’re submissive which is incredibly important. Finally, affection is really important if you want your dog to be friendly, and nice to be around. Zoe loves people. When she sees you, she wants to love you. She definitely wouldn’t be like that if it weren’t for the affection my family gives her.