Calming Signals

Amazon periodically emails me recommended items based on items that I have purchased from them in the past. On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals is one of them (recommended because I bought a used copy of Don't Shoot The Dog).

It gets a lot of enthusiastic reviews. Even Lee Charles Kelley gives it three stars. Three stars from him is like five stars from anybody else. I don't remember him giving any book more than three stars other than Natural Dog Training and Playtraining Your Dog.

I think I do a little of it now. I learned from Cesar to approach from the side rather than from head on. That's what I do with Kimo and how I am sometimes able to get close to Koa when he's loose. Yawning I believe was mentioned by McConnell though she said it could mean one of several things. I don't see it in The Other End of the Leash, so maybe it's in For The Love of a Dog. I notice Kimo often yawns after I call him back after he's been barking from the side of the house and have him sit. I interpret as him trying to relieve his tension. Maybe I should try it myself. Like taking a deep breath.

The author, Turid Rugaas, has a website, and an article called Calming Signals - The Art of Survival. I don't know because I don't have the book. But it sure looks like a lot of the material in the book is in this article. I might get the book for more details. And for the author to get her $1 cut or whatever if I buy the book.

Reading the article, I see that one of the signals is Walking Slowly. I notice this with Keith. If I walk briskly, I notice that Keith tends to bark more. And if I walk slowly and carefully, Keith sometimes doesn't bark at all. Like trying not to trip the motion sensor in the movie Sneakers (one of my favorite movies).

[4/28] Today while doing the slow walk past Keith, I notice that he licked his tongue. I guess that's a good sign. That was the second try. The first try going up, Keith barked and Kimo acted up.

[5/9/08] Here's another article on calming signals

[6/5/20] Lee Charles Kelley with his take (psychobabble?) on calming signals