No one intends on creating their dog's training/behavior problems. In fact, most owners do not even realize they are a part of their dog's behavior equation. However, its been my experience that there are many traits of human nature that work against us when we are interacting with our puppies that can lead to the very problems we dislike. This week we will explore some human traits that may need to be put aside while working with our dogs.
Trait # 1 Humans are Verbal beings, Dogs are not- On a daily basis I see dog owners trying to interact with their dogs verbally when physically would be more effective , not a "make them do it" physical sense but a "help them understand" physical sense (more on this in a moment in the "Less focus on verbal commands" section). When we begin training our dog, in a way, we are teaching them a new language. Not only a new language, but a language that couldn’t be further from their native language. Imagine trying to learn Hieroglyphics. Not only are all the words different, they come in a different form than what you are used to communicating in (pictures instead of words). Dogs naturally communicate mostly through body language which means teaching a dog English is like trying to get you to speak in pictures! So what can we do to accommodate this in our training? I'm glad you asked!
Less focus on verbal commands initially- In my classes, we teach the behavior to our dog with physical cues and luring before we ever introduce a word to the behavior. When a dog is learning how to Sit, saying the word "sit" does not help him figure out what behavior is getting him rewarded, as a matter of fact, you run the risk of associating the verbal command with the wrong behavior if you introduce the verbal command too early. (Ex. You say "sit" and try to lure your dog into a sit position with a treat, instead of sitting he keeps jumping up at the treat. By introducing the word early, you are associating the jumping up behavior with the command for sit!). We definitely want to make sure our dog is proficient at his verbal commands eventually but that will come once he knows the behavior you are asking of him.
Don't Repeat Commands!- This is probably the issue I deal with the most universally with owners. Commands should not be repeated. As humans talking to another human, if we say something and it doesn't happen our instinct is to repeat it until it does. Unfortunately with dogs, this is NOT a good idea. When dogs begin training, usually when they do not respond to a command, it is because they is not convinced that they knows the right answer. We then tend to repeat the command, thinking that repeating the word will somehow give him a clue as to what is expected of him. However, all we end up accomplishing is a dog who thinks we are a broken record that is not worth listening to. Remember: The less you talk, the more your dog listens. Another instance where we end up repeating commands: when dogs who are very efficient in their verbal commands think they have better things to do than those silly commands. It is even more important to fight the urge to repeat your commands at this point because your dog is very good at this game. They will figure out exactly how many times you are willing to say the command before you "mean it" and will always hold out for that time instead of responding the first time.
Trait #2 Negative focus- Unfortunately, no matter which way you slice it, the majority of owners are "glass half empty" kind of dog owners. Most of this is completely unintentional but owners tend to focus more on the negative than the positive.
Saying their name negatively- Have you seen that cartoon where the two dogs are talking on the sidewalk and one dog says to the other "Hi! My name is NoNoBadDog, whats yours?!" While this cartoon is designed to be humorous, there is truth to it. Several years ago, I went to a dog training summer camp and met a wonderful albeit boisterous little puppy named "Nell", her owner was heard saying "Nell, NO!" so many times over the course of that week that it became a running joke that her name had turned into "Nellno". The problem we face in this instance is they begin building a negative association with their name. It is no wonder they are reluctant to respond to it eventually. Imagine that every time you heard your name it meant you were in trouble, eventually you would cringe when you heard your own name! So my clients are told to use their dog's name only in conjunction with their positive word (i.e. "Good Girl, Nell!") and stay away from using their name with the negative word.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease- I cannot tell you how many times I have heard an owner say the following words: " When my puppy actually calms down and lays quietly, I don't dare say anything for fear they will stop!" Unfortunately, we tend to ignore when our dog is good and address them only when they are being naughty. Even though we may give them praise once they correct a bad behavior, that is not enough. As a matter of fact, praising them for good behavior only after having exhibited bad behavior teaches them the bad behavior is a necessary part of the chain of events. For example, your dog sits quietly next to you hoping to get a pat on the head, you don't respond (either because you don't notice, or you don't want to interrupt this wonderful behavior). Now the dog decides to be naughty by jumping up on you. You scold him so he stops jumping and sits quietly. Once he is sitting, you praise him and pet him. The lesson your dog just learned is this: "Just being good in the first place is not enough to gain rewards. You must first be bad, then be good, to get my attention". Ooops! Make sure you capitalize on when your dog chooses to be good without being bad first.
Not enough verbal/physical praise- Most owners that come into my classes are ready from day one to have their dog listen to them without having to use treats. I do agree that this is an important transition to make eventually. However, what I usually have to encourage is increasing the owners verbal and physical praise for their dog as part of this transition. Without realizing it, we expect our dog to go from working for 70% treats and 30% praise to just 30% praise when we stop using the treats. How would you react if your boss walked in on Monday morning and cut your pay by 70%? My guess is you would be looking for a different job! So when we wean them off the treats, we must increase verbal and physical praise!
Trait #3 Expecting Doggie Mind Readers- Are dogs Psychic? Of course not, but we expect them to be. Dogs are one of the few non-human animals that we allow to share our house. Because we are used to cohabitating with other humans, I think we sometimes forget how complicated (and confusing) living with a human can be.
For instance, when we bring our new puppy home, we buy him some plush toys and a dog bed. We are horrified when we find him chewing on his dog bed! Doesn’t he know that’s for sleeping on? No, he doesn’t as a matter of fact. What are those plush toys you bought him? (Stuffing covered with fabric) What is that bed you bought him? (Stuffing covered with fabric). How is he supposed to tell the difference? We must teach him what is to be chewed on and what is not. I also get owners who are at their wit's end with a puppy who seems to grab everything they "know" they are not supposed to have. Most of the time, your puppy does NOT know they are not supposed to play with your kitchen towels, they DO know getting those "toys" is the best way to engage you in their playtime. Think of it this way: you buy 2 different types of toys for your puppy. You pick up one and get no reaction from your pup ("Well that one is a dud!", you think), You pick up another and he runs toward you excitedly, trying to take it from you ("Here's the winner!" you think). Now, imagine your puppy picks up one of his toys and looks at you expectantly but gets no reaction ("Well this toy is a dud!" , he thinks), so he finds a kitchen towel and you run toward him excitedly, trying to take it from him ("Here's the winner!", you think). Unfortunately, he is wrong, you don't want him to steal things that are not his toys but he sees it as a way to engage you! So next time you are "certain" your dog knows better, stop and think, are we expecting them to read our minds and know how we want them to behave without being taught?
The examples above are just a few of the many human traits that can work against us when training our dogs. So next time your dog training session isn't going in the direction you want it to, consider the fact that YOUR behavior just might be the speed bump!
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