Desperate Times Call for Sensible Measures
Lots of things “work” in dog training. Throwing a can of coins at a dog who is barking at the door might get the dog to stop barking. However, it might be a good idea to stand in the dog’s fur and ask what you’ve just learned.
You’ve learned that your owner might throw scary things at you. You’ve learned that barking at the door makes scary or unpleasant things happen. You might decide that your owner is scary and unpredictable, or that the door is a dangerous place.
If you are that same dog barking at the door and your owner teaches you to sit, then gives you liver when you sit at the door, what have you learned? You’ve learned that your owner might give you liver. You’ve learned that sitting at the door makes good things happen. You’ve learned that your owner is awesome and that barking at the door means no liver!
How would you prefer to learn? I would actually prefer a combination of the two, with some slight adjustment. Most of us learn well when we have feedback on both what we’re doing right and what we’re doing wrong. However, how the message is given is just as important as the message.
Let’s say you and I are driving somewhere and you take a wrong turn. I scream, “You idiot! You went the wrong way! Now we’ll never get there!”
Now, imagine that I instead decide to politely tell you that you’ve gone the wrong way and offer suggestions on how we could get back on track. When we’re going the right way, I say, “Nice job, we’ll be there in no time.”
Same message, really. In both cases I’m telling you that you’ve taken a wrong turn. Your feelings about me are quite different, though, aren’t they?
Why would we choose to go overboard when telling our dogs that they’ve taken a wrong turn? If liver = right choice, and no liver + a gentle “uh uh” = wrong choice, then what does scary noise from a can full of coins being thrown at you equal? In my opinion, it equals overkill.
Dogs are experts at reading body language and paying attention to verbal tones. They’re senses are much keener and quicker than ours. We are huge, fumbling cave people compared to the subtle, highly perceptive canine. While our frustration often causes us to turn up the volume on our training, our dogs will respond just as easily and quickly if we would speak a bit more softly.
Try this experiment. The next time your dog is participating in some out of control behavior like barking at the door or jumping up on you, do nothing. Not the nothing that most owners do, but a real, purposeful nothing that sends the message, “I am actively not responding to you.”
That means, don’t look at the dog; don’t talk to the dog; don’t move. Just stand there, arms folded and looking away. Give it a good couple of minutes if need be. I’d love to hear what happens. (When you do this, please be mindful of any wonderful thing your dog might do. If he sits, is quite, or both...please remember to tell him he’s wonderful! Rinse and repeat.)
