Two-month-old Scottish Highland steer Owen struggled against the lead rope. He pulled back, then leaped forward and followed with a flop. As he lay on the ground, his left eye peered balefully at me from between his shaggy bangs as if to say, “I don’t want to do this.” Minutes later, his tantrum over, he stood up. I untied his lead rope and led him, untethered, around the enclosed pen. He hesitated initially, then walked behind me like he’d done it his whole life.

Owen is now 18 months old and is willing to carry a small child on his back. Owen is a sweet boy and does everything he's asked. Last weekend, I put a pony harness on him and attached him to a small cart. He confidently walked off once he understood that he was supposed to pull the empty cart. He weighs about 500 pounds now, but someday, he’ll be able to carry full-size adults on his back or pull a loaded cart.

Just as 2-month-old Owen threw a tantrum, dogs do the same thing. A dog might pull and snap when corrected, but within seconds, he’ll get the idea and do what you want — if you know Dog-speak, an essentially non-verbal language.

For instance, if your dog pulls on the leash, it’s because he’s walking in front of you. In Dog-speak, the one in front is in charge, so he'll do what he wants: pull on his leash and bark at other dogs. He’ll become calm and submissive when you get him to walk behind you. It’s that simple. But how do you get him to walk behind you? With a harness or some other device?

Those might work for a while, but the root cause remains: Your dog doesn’t regard you as his leader.

Owen is amazing. But what if I’d given in to his 2-month-old tantrum? Could I control a 500-pound steer that was pulling on a lead rope? No way. I had to unlock his calm nature. He does everything I ask because I “speak cow.” If I’d given up, he’d be in the “meat program.”

Now, he’ll have a delightful life, bringing joy to children and adults.

Domesticated animals, especially pets, must function effectively among people, so to live their best lives, they must be trained. Unruliness does not serve them, but fortunately, animals, especially dogs, innately know what to do. Your job is to unlock their dog secrets.

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I unlocked Owen’s bovine potential, and he responded. Think of your dog as a 500-pound beast pulling on the leash and dragging you down the road. Not a pretty thought. Now, think of a 500-pound animal walking calmly with you, turning left or right with a single voice command. Which do you want?

If your dog pulls on the leash, please know that pulling can be corrected as soon as you learn to be your dog’s leader. You achieve that by learning how to communicate with your pooch. If you don’t know how I can help. Check out my next column for tips and exercises to get you speaking “dog.” Your dog will love you for it.

Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm (www.milessmithfarm.com), where she raisesand sells beef, pork, eggs, and other local products. She can be reached atcarole@soulecoaching.com. Carole is also now a certified Life Coach who helps humans andK-9s achieve the impossible a little at a time.