The Human Whisperer by Chris Robinson

Good morning to all of you. For those who have not attended any of my previous seminars designed to help you turn your naughty, ill-mannered human into a wonderful, loving companion, my name is Bob.

I won’t try to kid you. Training a human can be a long and exhausting job. They have minds of their own and they can be stubborn as all get-out. They’ll try to dominate you at every turn and they can turn aggressive at the drop of a hat if they don’t get their way. But, they can also be tender, loving and generous and this is the side of their brain, the “thinking” side, that you have to work with in order to properly train a human. The “thinking” side of a human’s brain is generally small but with patient, calm, consistent and positive-reinforcement training, the “thinking” part becomes larger and that is how your human will become a willing, trusting partner and companion.

Most of the conflicts between us and humans arise because humans have these instinctive “flight or fight,” “subjugate or be subjugated” reflexes. These are things you need to know to help you understand what has been called human nature. In situations humans perceive to be dangerous, stressful or threatening to their status in the pack, they have a biological trigger that determines for them whether to stay and fight or get the hell out of there. But the reflex that is really difficult for us to deal with is “subjugate or be subjugated.” When this reflex is triggered, humans tend to become quite aggressive.

Why humans do what they do never changes. They do what they do because it is in their best interests. The primary reason we have to train humans is to stop them from doing things that come naturally to them. This can only be done by creating a partnership with your human using gentle persuasion combined with a flexible yet uncompromising attitude based on kindness, respect and compassion.

Every human deserves respect and that respect includes being considerate. You need to do your best to find out why a human is doing what they are doing before you respond. Otherwise you may lose your temper and react in a way that may actually harm the human thus compounding the behavioral problem. You have to remember that every human learns at their own rate. I’m often asked how long it takes to train a human and the answer is “It takes as long as it takes.” In many ways, training a human is like training a puppy. You can’t expect them to behave perfectly with just a few days training. For example, it took years to train my human to only carry two spare pair of gloves, a spare set of socks and some foul-weather gear in the hunting packsack. The rest of the space is required for things I need on the hunt like plenty of spring water, a dish from which to drink the spring water, a neoprene jacket in case I have to go in cold water, at least two towels to dry me off when I’ve been in the water, a bumper or two for me to fetch in order to warm up if I have to sit in a cold duck or goose blind for any length of time and enough meatloaf sandwiches for both of us. It also took years to teach my human that both of us would be much more comfortable in a haybale blind with a carpeted floor but I consider all of these to be part of my legacy to my two grandnieces, Genny and TT.

There are several things to remember on the path to establishing a great relationship with humans: First, you need to practice deferential behavior. Second, do not use physical punishment when your human misbehaves. Third, teach your human that you are not a threat. Fourth, always reward good behavior with kisses and tail-wagging even when that behavior seems to be spontaneous. Finally, be reliable and trustworthy.

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Posted by admin on Mar 13 2011. Filed under Current Articles, Editorial, Health & Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.