23/10/2023
These are 4 common areas which are easily over looked or not even consciously thought about...but can make a very big difference.
If I could number these in importance then rewarding what you DO want would be right at the top of the list.
Best of all....this can require very little effort.
If you want a calmer dog.....reward when they are calm. Not bursting out of their skin excited...but calm.
If you want a less jumpy dog.....reward when all 4 paws are on the ground.
Want your dog to rest more?....reward when they go to their bed.
Sometimes it can be as easy as adding in rewards when they show us exactly what we want to see....sometimes though we are so caught up in the behaviour which is unwanted that we can ignore all the times when dogs show us (naturally) the behaviour we really do want more of.
Have some small tasty treats on you so you can capture the moments they show you exactly what you want.....if you go to the cupboard to get the treat....the timing will be lost.
If you haven't tried rewarding the behaviour you want to see more of....add it in.
It can be a very powerful message to our dogs.
One thing that so many people do (and I have mentioned this before) is repeating the cue or "command" over and over again.
If I could wave a magic wand....I would instantly change that habit we humans have.
Making a conscious effort to not repeat what we would like over and over helps everything.....
This is a habit that you may not even realise you do.
You may recognise others doing this....you may even realise their habit is having a negative effect on what they want to achieve, and.... you may be doing EXACTLY the same in different circumstances.
Cue nagging creates "deafness" to what you say.....and it is a very big issue.
It is so ingrained that even after talking about this issue in classes....within 2-3 minutes of discussing all the issues this causes and everyone understanding these problematic repeats.....people go right back to doing it......and don't even realise they are doing it.
It takes a real effort to change this habit....but once you do....it can change everything.
Your dog listens and responds....and they understand !
So have a think about these common issues and ask your family if you do these....you may be surprised when they say yes.
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