Dont blame the dog

It’s not the dog - It’s YOU !!!!!!!

I frequently attend follow up sessions where people claim “It’s not working - the dog wont do what it’s told”.

I walk into the house and do my thing and the dog responds immediately to my requests. I enquire about the events that have occurred in the period since my last visit. Invariably when I delve deep I uncover “kinks in the armour”.

Although my methods are really simple and straightforward to implement, some owners have difficulty accepting them or choose to revert to their old ways after a few days. The dog usually assumes his previous pack status very quickly and can be very reluctant to relinquish his position for a second time.

Another scenario I see frequently is when a dog gets one up on the owner and interprets the “one-upmanship” as a promotional signal. This can be as simple as the dog continuously winning a game of tug or running away with a ball or even failing to stop barking at a stranger passing the gate.

I’ve listed the most common behaviours that break down positive behaviour.

Inconsistency

• Assigning dominance then offering equality just confuses the dog.


• Acknowledging the dog when you enter the home after being away for some time.


• Sharing food with the dog


• Permitting the dog to share your resting or sleeping area (e.g. the sofa or the bed)


• Inconsistent control and correction of misdemeanours (e.g. correcting a bad behaviour inconsistently)


• Allowing the dog to pull you through doorways and gates


• Allowing the dog to constantly steal and run off with household items.
  

Increase consistency by incorporating training tasks into a daily routine. Read my article on consistency here

Lack of awareness

• The dog offers the handler behaviour like walking to heel and looking up but the handler isn’t paying attention and fails to recognise the dogs efforts.


• The dog constantly pushes the boundaries and is not being corrected because the owner does not notice the dogs deterioration.


• The dog constantly tries to edge in front while walking.


• The dog is always wanting the final yelp or growl when he has been instructed to be calm.

Here are a few tips to help maintain focus and increase awareness:

1. Learn how to stimulate your dog mentally.


2. Invent games that will tax his instincts.


3. Invent jobs for him to do like putting his toys in a box or lay out his toys in a row and ask him to fetch his ball or his kong or his teddy.


4. Build drive and focus with high activity ball games and tug o war.

Most dogs start their training at an early age. Owners should realise that they have a lifetime to perfect their training and exercise more patience.

In the case of rescue dogs Owners have to tread carefully. Most of these dogs have been at the mercy of inexperienced handlers and their memories of training are less than favourable. Rescue dogs often need special help to build confidence or to desensitize their fear or dislike of real world objects.

Sometimes you have to regress to absolute basics before you can move on. This is particularly relevant in nervous dogs where instilling confidence is the key to bringing them out of their shell.

If the dog is not responding as well as I would like, I always examine my training methods and adjust accordingly.

I believe training to be mostly translation and interpretation. The trainer translates his request to enable the dog to interpret and execute the command.

See my other post on daily training routines for more info.