The definition of Ritual (adj.) is an action when it is done in exactly the same way...makes that person feel good . Trainer, Joel Silverman translates this to animal behavior and teaches that you can build on a dog's natural behavior. Understanding your dog's rituals gives dog owners the advantage of understanding your dog - particularly because each dog has its own natural behavior. Rituals emphasizes the importance of taking the time to recognize your dog's need for "the game." Joel Silverman demonstrates how the natural behavior a dog plays out now has the ability to escalate over time. The escalation of the behavior can both be a good thing or bad thing. Either way, that behavior becomes a Ritual .