Training your dog can feel daunting. From non-stop pulling you on the leash to jumping on guests, it can feel like you're trying to train a highly caffeinated dinosaur rather than your beloved pup. But by focusing on your dog's behavior first, rather than traditional dog training, we can make your dog into a well-mannered, calm, and happy pet. And it all starts with impulse control.
When I was little, I was always obsessed with animals. No matter where we went, if there were animals, that's where you'd find me.
Not much has changed since I was a kid.
My parents would save up to take us to Cedar Point every year. While others enjoyed roller coasters or cotton candy, I was captivated by the dolphin show.
I loved watching the trainers work with the dolphins, and going through their routines. Of course, now I have different thoughts on captive dolphins, but cut me some slack, I was 9.
I still remember the dolphins' names: Breeze, Striker, Windy, and I can't remember the last one's name ...any Cleveland peeps out there remember the last dolphin's name?
Of course, me being intent on everything the trainers did, I couldn't help but notice that when they'd send one dolphin out to do a trick, say, jump through a hoop or flip in the air, all the dolphins got a treat.
Wait. That wasn't fair. Or was it?
Q&A time came, and I asked why they all got treats when only one dolphin did the work.
The trainer smiled as they replied, "Who said only one dolphin was working? Think about what hard work it is in school when you know the right answer, and your hand is in the air, but the teacher isn't calling on you. It's hard work to not be rude and just blurt out the answer, isn't it?"
Of course. Made perfect sense. The dolphins were being rewarded for not blurting out the answer, and letting someone else take a turn to answer. It all made perfect sense in my little mind.
As an adult, I realize that it was merely impulse control they were being rewarded for, and just like those dolphins, part of training your dog, and working through any unsavory behaviors your dog may have, all starts with impulse control.
So grab your wands, and let's work some magic.
Finding Your Dog's Threshold
So many dog training sites mention that to work through your dog's behaviors and build impulse control, you must expose them to a lot of situations. Constantly.
But there's a lot more to it than just chucking your dog into the deep end of the pool, hoping they'll swim.
Think of impulse control like a muscle. If I decided that I wanted my middle-aged flabby ass to suddenly compete in a body building competition, I wouldn't spend my first day at the gym trying to hit up the 350lb bench press.
Of course I would start much, much smaller and work up from there, gradually, to avoid overworking the muscle, but adding a bit of weight to gently build my capacity without injury or overwhelm.
Working with your dog is the same. Impulse control is something that is built upon, rather than magically created. I personally think of it as gradually building layers. Like onions. Or...
Impulse control is the main driver behind almost all of your dog's behavior.
For example, impulse control is what makes a dog come when you call them. When I was first working with my Hazel as a pup, she had the impulse control of a coked-up squirrel.
How do you work with off-leash recall with a dog who has no impulse control?
Very gradually.
Impulse Control: Setting Your Dog Up For Success
Recall is one of the most difficult forms of impulse control a dog can master, which is why it's so very important to set your dog up for success.
Instead of letting my dog roam in the field by my house for a while and then attempting to call her back, I gradually developed her impulse control.
Trust is something that needs to be built. And I trusted Hazel about as much as I trust a toddler with a glue gun and glitter.
In order to set up Hazel for success, I started by taking her to the field on a long leash. I'd drop the leash, let her wander away just a few feet, and then immediately call her back, rewarding her when she came back.
If she didn't come when I called her, I didn't punish her: she was still trusting her instinct to explore rather than my guidance when I called her.
But I also didn't ignore that behavior from my dog. I would simply reel her in like a fish, and still give her a treat for coming back, just as if she had done it without help.
And then I'd let her go again to explore for just a few moments before reeling her back in, catch and release style.
By enforcing my come, or recall, command to my dog, I was helping her manage her expectations. By not using force for an e-collar/shock collar, I was building trust. And by never putting her in a situation that was bigger than her impulse control, I was helping her learn to accept my guidance over her natural instincts.
And slowly, but very steadily, my dog began to develop impulse control.
Now at 18 months old, I have to say that she's got an impressively solid recall, even recently coming back to me immediately when I had to call her off some deer that darted out at us a few months ago.
Dog Training Tip 1: Never forget that training your dog is actually convincing a dog to accept your guidance rather than follow their own instincts. That's a difficult thing to ask.
I will never let her off-leash in dangerous situations, such as near a road, because while I know she has great recall, I will never willingly put her in a situation where her life depends on it.
Simple Ways to Work on Your Dog's Impulse Control
There are so many ways to add a little bit of impulse control to your dog's daily routines, rather than feeling the need to constantly train or drill with your dog.
Require your dog to be calm and potentially sitting before greeting guests.
Have your dog sit patiently, even for just a moment, before you feed them.
Not allowing your dog to just bolt or jump out of your car
While playing fetch with your dog, throw the ball, but require your dog to wait before retrieving it (90% of my Arwen's impulse control has come from this quick dog training hack).
Not allowing your dog pull you on the leash (get some tips here).
Not allowing your dog to have a "gimmie" attitude. Read about what I actually call it here.
Begin to think about all the little ways you're allowing your dog's lack of impulse control to guide their behaviors, and you'll see that it starts to stack up. While the occasional moment your dog acts without impulse control will not derail or "ruin" your dog's behavior, do bear in mind that behavior tolerated is behavior encouraged.
Help your dog do better by guiding their behavior and encouraging calm.
Dog Behavior: Progress, Not Perfection
Let me digress here for just a moment and share a story that happened during one of our weekly free pack walks.
A woman (let's call her Margaret) and her dog Vinnie showed up at the pack walks. Since these walks are free and open to the public, quite a few people join in who have never had a dog training session with me.
To say Vinnie was overstimulated is an understatement. He dragged Margaret across the parking lot the moment he got out of the car, and then began to attack his own leash, jumping up to try to rip it out of her hands.
God bless Margaret for her bravery and perseverance. She was overwhelmed and terrified, but she was still trying her best, refusing to just sink into the earth and cry.
I took the leash from Margaret, and calmed Vinny down slightly, though he still attempted to grab the leash from me occasionally. I quickly showed Margaret the Piloting Method of dog training, and she really took off with it. While Vinnie still struggled, it was less and less of a reaction each time.
After the pack walk, one of my clients approached me and said she was worried about me when I took that leash and walked Vinnie, based on his reaction.
"I reminded myself that you're a professional dog trainer and handle situations like this regularly, but I was sure he would bite you!", she later admitted. I've been dealing with dog behavior for years, so taking hold of that leash wasn't intimidating for me, but it was incredibly frightening for him.
So let's get into Vinnie's head a bit, shall we? And let's see what true impulse control looks like.
Vinnie got out of his car already overwhelmed (he's not a fan of car rides I found out later). He immediately found himself in an area with other dogs, from whom he needed to defend his beloved mother, Margaret. He then immediately was taken away from his mother by some giant of a woman (me), and walked in an unfamiliar surrounding without his mom!
By all other viewers (including my concerned client), Vinnie showed the least amount of impulse control of any dog on that walk.
I say they are wrong: he was the champion of impulse control that day.
He was terrified, overwhelmed and very dog reactive. He was grabbed by a stranger, and asked taken from his mom.
Yet he never redirected on me.
He never jumped up and bit me, only the leash. He never vented his fear or frustration on anyone but inanimate objects that were holding him back. He was the bravest of all the good, brave dogs: he showed impulse control on his Worst Day Ever.
I have been placed in far less stressful situations, yet still lashed out aggressively (apologies to my kids for what I said when we were playing Super Mario Kart).
When working through your dog's behaviors, take a look at the boiling soup of stimuli you've plunged them into (like poor Vinnie) rather than merely at their reactions to their situation. As I'm fond of always saying,
Dog Training Tip 2: What's normal to the spider is chaos to the fly.
Don't expect your dog to go from zero impulse control to becoming the Dali Lama of impulse control overnight. Love your dog enough to give them space to learn and grow that impulse control, and respect the effort they are giving based on the situation they are currently in. Just keep the space manageable, as we did with Vinnie by giving him frequent breaks during the pack walk.
So how is Vinnie doing now? Well, I like to post on my social media all the dogs who join us at a pack walk, and Vinnie had his 3rd pack walk last week.
And I accidentally skipped over Vinnie.
His mom reminded me that they were there. (And I felt like such a horrible person for forgetting!) But then I realized why I forgot to mention him: because he didn't do anything worth remembering, at least in an "All Hands On Deck" sort of way. His walk was...boring. Anti-climatic. Dare I say, calm(er).
Margaret had Piloted her dog to the point of trusting her by allowing him the space and time to do so. Rather than expecting immediate obedience from her dog, she expected to immediately begin communicating with Vinnie, and as a result, is beginning to build a strong bond of love and trust with her dog.
Struggling With Training Your Dog?
Have you ever thought about how focusing on dog behavior through communication can completely change the game? Instead of just sticking to traditional dog training, what if we focused on a better understanding of what drives our dog's behaviors, and how to guide those behaviors?
Most of us aren't looking for a completely obedient dog; we just don't want a disobedient one. Dogs that behave like robots, afraid to make mistakes, suit certain people, but that's not my style.
For more than 20 years, I have crafted and refined the Piloting Method for dog training. This method is free from force and does not involve the use of harsh shock or prong collars, nor does it rely on click-and-treat techniques.
My aim is to build a relationship with my dog founded on trust and communication, rather than on domination or rewards.
Learn more about our Piloting Method for training dogs and puppies with our in-home dog training and behavioral packages.
Not in the Greater Cleveland Area? Explore our virtual dog training packages.
Dog Training and Behavior
Assisting Dogs and Their Owners
Throughout the Greater Cleveland Region and Beyond
So right, as always! I am very much into dog training - my dog knows lots of tricks - but now that I have two dogs, I am seeing the cracks in the foundation. My dog, who has titles as a Trick Dog, is still impulsive and wound up and crazy. The vet asked me at a recent visit if she still acts like a puppy - yes, at 4 1/2 years, she still behaves like a maniac. The vet said, "give it time, she will mellow out by 7." So the next 3 years my mission is not to train more tricks but to shape behavior so that I have a dog who comes when i call her…