07/11/2024
Is your dog of sound mind? This could change everything!
Dog training is more than just Sit, Down, and Stay. To really change the dog, you have to work on the mind.
When we think of an obedient dog, we automatically think of a dog that obeys commands. Why is that? It is because of the way to which we are marketed. We see all kinds of videos and advertisements, showing a dog perfectly obeying commands. Some even give step by step instructions showing how to teach your dog these tricks. That’s right, I said “tricks”. Teaching a dog how to do a rehearsed behavior is nothing more than a circus trick. These tricks are taught through repetition. I do not want to discredit that importance of the sits, downs, etc. They are very important, but not the most important.
The thing we rarely hear about, is changing the dog's state of mind. How does the trainer get the dog to focus on him/her and not everything else? How does the trainer get the dog to stay calm? State of mind is more important that any trick you can teach your dog. Just by changing your pup's state of mind, you will instantly be able to do more things, and go more places with your pup. So how do you do this? I will admit this is a very hard thing to communicate, but I will do my best.
To begin with, you have to change the way you think and relate to your dog. Since we all love our pups, this can be a very hard thing to do. We have to separate ourselves from our emotions. We have to become leaders and contributors. I can almost guarantee that every one of us is contributing to our dog’s problems. Notice that I said, “we”. My dogs are well trained, but far from perfect. I am continuously working on their behaviors.
Let’s talk about affection for a minute. You wouldn’t think this would be a big deal, but it is. Dogs seek our affection, sometimes more than they seek food. Since this is the case, we can use this to our advantage. If you have a pup that is out of control, start there. Make it all business for a while. I know this sounds harsh, but you can see amazing changes, by doing this one thing. Only give affection, when the dog is calm. Quickly, the dog will learn that when it’s calm, it will receive affection.
Change your tone and you will change your dog. What does that even mean? Our dogs feed off of us. You can say the same word with different tones, and completely change the perception and response. Something I say to my kids all of the time is, watch your tone. Our kids are the best at saying a word with a sarcastic tone, and then wondering why they get in trouble. Dogs really do cue off of our tone. If we say their name, in a normal voice, they will usually come to us excited, but not over the top. If we say their name, in a very high pitch, excitable tone, they will respond in a very excited, over the top behavior. Keep your words simple and say them in a neutral tone. If you do this, you will see your dog will respond more effectively than when you have to raise your voice.
Structure, structure and more structure! This is a biggie! All of us are guilty of letting our dogs, at one time or another, do whatever they want to do. Whether it be zooming around the house, getting on furniture, or barking at the neighborhood dogs when they go outside. We all let them get away with it. Why do we let these behaviors continue? Because, we are tired. We have worked all day, come home to a messy house, and a dinner that needs to be made. We all have so much on our plates, it is hard to find time to train the dogs. So what is the answer? Structure is the answer! Get those pups on your schedule. Put them on a leash, even inside, and show them how to behave. If your pup is driving you nuts while you are helping with homework or cooking dinner, use the kennel. The kennel is processing time for your pup. It also will help you keep your sanity, and have less anger toward the dog. If the dog isn’t listening or pressing your nerves, just put it away for a little while. Your dog will quickly learn that, when it is calm, it will then be able to be with the family.
Let me wrap this up by saying, if you aren’t careful, you will be overwhelmed. Our pups have so many problems, where do we start? Just pick one problem and start there. A lot of times, correcting one problem will flow over and solve another problem. Take small steps every day. These small steps will add up over time, changing your dog’s behavior. Whatever you do, don’t give up!
