The 6 Essential Questions to Ask Any Dog

In dog training as in life, the questions we ask shape the answers we get! The Elemental QuestionsTM are six questions whose answers can profoundly shift a relationship and open your eyes to a new way of interacting. 2 CPDT/CBCC CEUs.

Suzanne’s simple but powerful Elemental QuestionsTM are:

  1. HELLO? Looks at the dog’s social interactions
  2. WHO ARE YOU? Asks about how the dog perceives and responds to his world
  3. HOW IS THIS FOR YOU? Asks about the immediate situation and the dog’s mental, physical & emotional balance
  4. CAN YOU. . .? Looks at the dog’s physical abilities & limitations
  5. MAY I. . .? Seeks ways to gain the dog’s cooperation and permission
  6. CAN WE. . .? Balancing the dog/handler team’s abilities and limitations against goals


puppy sitting on slippery surface

How Can You Really Understand Your Dog?

Suzanne Clothier is one of my heroes because of her empathetic perspective on dogs. I first heard her Elemental QuestionsTM many years ago at an APDT conference (incidentally, the first time I spoke there about BAT) and they continue to have a profound effect on the way I interact with dogs and even my own species.

Stating Suzanne's 6 questions is simple, but really 'hearing' the answers takes training, and helping people do that is the passion of her life. Watch the video above to learn a bit more about the questions (turn volume on in the upper right of the video).

The questions we hold determine what we can see. I invite you to learn more about how to hear dogs' answers to make your experience with dogs more empathetic, richer, and deeper.

Recorded live September, 2021.

  • Suitable for professional dog trainers and veterinarians, as well as families with dogs.

  • Learn to modify and adapt your dog handling and goals for enhanced relationships and better performance.

  • Understand how to truly “see the dog” and provide detailed information about each animal (or person!).

  • On-demand streaming video recording of live session with Q&A.

  • Earn 2 CEUs for dog trainer and dog behaviorist recertification with the CCPDT. We are an Approved Education Provider for the CCPDT.

Deepen your understanding...

and open your eyes to a new way of interacting.

  • Video & More

    Includes a video of the presentation and a PDF of the slides to assist your learning.

    2 CEUs for CPDT, and CBCC.

  • Learn in Community

    Course students are also invited to continue the conversation in the Grisha Stewart Learner Support Facebook Group.

    Diamond members can also always post in the special group for Diamonds.

About the Instructor