In my last post I touched on how dogs process the information we give
to them. Basically, our praise and touch and treats say yes to
whatever behavior was just offered by or asked of the dog. On the
other side, the withholding of praise,touch,treats, or issuing a
correction, says no.
By focusing your training on not just saying yes to the behaviors that
you ask for, but also being able to say no to behaviors that you don't
want or could be unsafe for your dog you're able to have a full
spectrum conversation with your dog.
When thinking about having this sort of conversational relationship
with your dog it's important not too take the word "conversation"
literally. One of the first things that I tend to address with new
clients is the issue of "chattering". Dogs generally learn language
through association, i.e. we repeat the word sit every time they sit
on their own or by command. Before long they learn that sit means to
put their butt on the floor.
What happens when we constantly chatter at them with every thing that
flows through our stream of consciousness is they learn to disregard
our voices as having nothing important for them. We essentially turn
ourselves into the teacher from the old Peanuts cartoon spouting an
endless stream of nonsense words.
Teach your dogs yes, teach them no, and teach yourself to communicate
both to them clearly and fairly.
Posts filed under dog training
If you don't lead, they will.
Your dog needs a leader. If you don't do it, they will. In most cases, they'll do it badly. Over the thousands of years since we first started domesticating the grey wolf into all the modern variations of dogs they've only become more and more a part of our lives, homes, and families.
They now exist in a world that has rules and circumstances that are far removed from what their instincts and impulses tell them to do.
Your dog may not understand why you ask them to sit when you reach a curb, come to you when called, or wait patiently before diving in to tasty smelling meal, but we know that we do these things to keep them safe, healthy, and happy.
It should also never be discounted how much our dogs are still pack animals who thrive when there is a clear leader in their lives. If their humans don't provide consistent structure and leadership dogs will seek to fill that void themselves. This tends to lead to all sorts of behavioral issues, from anxiety to aggression and all points in between. One of the most important pieces of advice that I always pass on to new clients is that every moment we spend with our dogs is training, whether we intend it to be or not. How you respond when your dog jumps up on you, scavenges the counter, barks at the mailman, or loses their mind about another dog walking by is a little training opportunity dropped into a random part of the day. By setting rules and expectations with clear rewards and consequences we enable our dogs to make decisions that both make sense to their instincts, and work in our world.
