Treat Everyone Like a Dog: How a Dog Trainer's World View Can Improve Your Life

Written by Karen B. London PhD

They’re hiding in plain sight. People who are really good at influencing the behavior of those around them walk among us.

The people in question are dog trainers, and they know how to get others to do what they want them to do and how to get them to stop doing things that bother them. Most importantly, they know how to do it in a kind, loving way that can improve the relationships they have with those other individuals.

What dog trainers do is based on principles, ideas, and techniques that are well-known in their field, but not so well-known outside of it. Dog trainers know how to teach dogs to turn around and come running to them even if the dog was chasing a squirrel, to drop a bone on request, and to greet people at the door politely instead of jumping up on every visitor. If they can successfully teach these skills and many more to another species, don’t you want to know what they know about influencing behavior?

Dr. Karen London has been a dog trainer and canine behaviorist for nearly 25 years, and applying the lessons from her professional experience to the rest of her life has made her interactions with people better and more effective. The suggestion to treat everyone like a dog is a result of the love and respect she feels for people. Treating people as good dog trainers treat dogs is a thoughtful, kind approach to influencing behavior whether you call it teaching or training.

What if you could influence people as well as dog trainers influence dogs? You can, and Treat Everyone Like a Dog tells you how.