Cat Herding

The expression, "like herding cats" didn't come
from nowhere. Training pets can be a huge
undertaking. In many ways, it may even seem more
challenging than training children. Of course, a
big part of the challenge is that dogs and cats
(and other domesticated animals that have become
popular as house pets) don't speak English. So,
you literally are unable to tell your dog or cat
what you expect of them and when they have
strayed from that expectation. Hence, you have
the concept of training. Many pet owners spend a
lot of time and money on conditioning their dog
or cat, although dogs are probably the number
one most trained domestic animal, to do what
they want them to do. Training, when it comes to
animals, refers to the cues that an animal
receives which then elicits a desired response.
The formal term for this is "conditioning".
These cues usually consist of verbal and/or
visual signals.

Just as someone who desires to learn how to
become a famous singer, cues from the body and
the voice must be learned through training of
your pet. Singing tips include best practices
for keeping the diaphragm strong and active. In
fact, there is a lot of overlap between the tips
you get from learning how to sing and learning
how to train your pet. Training then consists of
a practiced exercise that becomes more and more
precise over time. A lot of the verbal cues that
you give to your pet will be based in your
diaphragm. This is because dogs, especially,
respond best to deep and steady sounds. These
vibrations resonate more powerfully, and,
therefore, with more authority than other less
deep sounds.

Nonverbally, the body of the person training
the pet must match the command. Indeed, training
a pet is also a training that the owner must
undergo. One cannot tell a dog "no" very firmly
but have a lax posture and be smiling. The dog
may or may not recognize a smile, but the dog
will recognize the overall posturing of the
owner's body as not conveying the same authority
as the verbal command. So, for example, the body
must be upright and confident, and the
expression should be firm in the same way that
the tone of the voice is firm. At the end of the
day, it is good practice in communication for
both parties. The owner learns more about
presentation, and hopefully the pet learns more
about what to do and what not to do!

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Lizbeth White writes about trainging pets and
intricacies of other species as well as on many
inspiring and empowering subjects such as on
learning how to sing -
http://www.TheSingingZone.com

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