Dog training can be a frustrating experience for pet owners. You're focused on sit, stay, come, (and your pup is doing great with that) but you've made zero progress on recall or leash walking. Or maybe your dog is a champ at absolutely everything else but still struggles with housebreaking. Learn how the simple method of Piloting your dog, rather than merely training your dog, can improve your dog's behavior, and build that trust-based bond you're looking for with your dog.
After 2 decades of training dogs, I've seen just about every struggle a dog owner can face with their dog's behavior. From the typical dog training issues involving leash walking, begging, aggression, and dog reactivity, to a Maltese who had an intense hatred of their owner's oven (yes, he would attack it if it was turned on).
I've trained many puppies, watched them grow into wonderful adult dogs, seen their beautiful faces become gray and grizzled, and eventually received the news that the Rainbow Bridge has a new traveler.
After all these years of working through dog behaviors, there has always been a pattern that I've noticed.
Most dog owners are so focused on training their puppy or dog that they neglect the basis of any well-balanced dog is behavior.
Dog Training vs. Dog Behavior
As the mother of teenagers, the parallels between kids and dogs are apparent; it shouldn't shock you that I raised my kids exactly the same way as my dogs.
I learned to understand that they weren't giving me a hard time, but rather having a hard time.
I learned the power of positive reinforcement
I learned to win 100% of the battles I'm willing to fight
Only your mother will tell you when your face is dirty
But probably the greatest bit of knowledge, fortunately, came early for me: the difference between behavior and training, both in dogs and kids.
To put it simply, behavior is typical mode of operation. Behavior typically is caused by two components: level of impulse control vs. level of anxiety.
Training (or teaching) is a little bit different. For kids, it's teaching them how to use a spoon as toddlers, or helping them learn their alphabet. With dogs, that can be basic commands like sit or come, leash walking, and tricks.
Without calm behavior, effective training is a non-starter. Can you imagine trying to teach a 4-year-old how to write the alphabet after giving them an espresso and a candy bar at 10:30 pm (on Christmas Eve)? Of course, that's not going to be a pleasant experience for anyone involved.
And that is why focusing on your dog's behavior is the first step in training your dog.
Dog Behavior Basics: The Gas and Brake
My daughter, River, is currently learning to drive. What's the first thing you should teach a teen learning to drive?
Learning how to brake.
I took River to a large, empty parking lot, and for the first 3 times she was behind the wheel, all we focused on was her stopping the car the second I said, "Brake!" and moving. The first couple of times, she accidentally hit the gas momentarily or would have to actively stop and think where the brake was, as there was no muscle memory involved yet.
No big deal, we were in an empty mall parking lot at 5 am on a Sunday going roughly 5 mph. Plenty of room for mistakes to be made and learned from.
Your dog is no different. The ability to find the gas and brake pedal (impulse control) is a learned behavior. It doesn't just happen. If your dog is still a cyclone of jumping, barking, nipping, and dragging you on a leash, do you think it's a good idea to take him to a dog event with a lot of stimuli?
That would be like taking my daughter on the highway during rush hour for her first driving lesson. Yes, it's doable...down the road. But if my daughter is still struggling to know where the gas and brake are, let alone, when to apply each, then we need to stick with parking lots at 5 a.m. on Sundays.
Help your dog manage their impulse control in situations with lower stimuli before increasing the energy. Examples include:
Walking your dog on a leash in the house, slowly walking up and down your driveway
Not letting your dog plow into you in general (going downstairs, out the door, etc.)
Not rewarding jumping or energetic behavior with attention, or trying to "calm them down", ie., petting and soothing
Dog Training Using Positives and Negatives
You were with me until I used the word "negatives", weren't you?
But when teaching River to drive, did I only teach her to use the gas? Of course not! She needed to know how to stop, to negate the car's forward momentum.
However, I didn't slap her when she moved forward, nor did I give her an electric shock when she was supposed to stop. I didn't think she was trying to disobey me if she didn't do it correctly, nor did I take it personally when she struggled.
Negatives merely mean stop. By learning to negate your dog's unsavory behaviors in a calm, gentle way, you are creating more opportunities for positive behaviors you can catch (yay!)
The rule I live by, for both my dogs and my children, is 10% negatives, 90% positives. In other words, if I have to give a negative, I find at least 9 positives I can give.
And I'll admit, some days it was a struggle.
After one particularly struggle-filled day, I remember praising one of my daughters for how well they brushed their teeth. She was 15.
Don't let your kids or your dogs live a life of "no", but not everything they do is adorable. Lack of impulse control is definitely not desirable and will be met with a negative. And then I can start to dole out the positives as my dog tries to work towards controlling those impulses.
Toggling Between Behavior and Training
Now that my dog can find the gas and brake (or, work with negatives and positives) I'm able to work with training them to specific reactions I want for specific stimuli: in other words, I can start training them.
Examples:
Sitting when I say "sit", and other basic commands
Recall ("come" command)
Teaching tricks to my dog
Communicative Dog Training: Conclusion
Helping your dog with impulse control leads to better behavior, but all the groundwork is based upon trust and communication. Learning to guide and shape your dog's behavior leads to better, positive outcomes, and fosters a healthy bond.
Just as children are not born knowing how to drive a car, your puppy or dog is not born knowing how to properly interact in a human world. As a pet parent, it's your responsibility to help your dog understand the goals you have set, and guide them towards success in those goals. This includes negating unsavory behaviors your dog gives (not merely ignoring them) as well as marking positive behaviors to encourage healthy behaviors.
Encouraging positive behaviors starts with understanding why challenging behaviors occur. Positive dog behaviors are molded through trust and respect, not domination, coercion, or persuasion.
Because every dog deserves to be the Best Dog Ever.
In the meantime
Many dog owners are unsure about their dog’s behaviors and how to establish a trust-based relationship, so we developed a dog training method focused on behavior. From in-home private training to coaching packages, we believe guiding a dog’s behavior is a journey we undertake together.
Take the next steps toward learning about our private, in-home or virtual dog and puppy training and behavioral services in Northeast Ohio/Greater Cleveland area.
