5 STEPS TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR DOG
Many handlers that I work with wonder why their dog is not listening and in many cases it’s simply a matter of “speaking a bit more clearly”. I’ve found that after making a few tweaks to how they communicate with their dog, every single handler has reported a drastic improvement in how well their dog is able to “listen” to them.
No new things in new environments.
Let’s be honest, dogs are smart, and very aware of changes in the environment. For your dog, even a small change can be major even though you may think the environment you are looking at is exactly the same.
Those small changes can then be very distracting, as they present something new for your dog to take in and to process. Every change paints a different picture and while they may seem insignificant to you, they’re still a unique experience.
This is why it’s useful to keep things as simple as possible when you are introducing new behaviours to your dog. One of the easiest ways to do this is start in known environments where distractions and novelty will be low, for instance, at home or in the garden.
2. SAY IT ONCE
This may be a lot harder that you think it is…how often do you give your dog a cue and repeat the word over and over again? Think about this…if you are teaching someone the word for something, repeating the word over and over without context will sound like a new word…
Is the cue “Sit”? or is it “Sitsitsitsitsit?”
A few adjustments you can make when asking for a cue…:
Don’t get in the habit of repeating yourself, as it devalues the request and gives your dog the option of which ask you want them to listen to…If you only say the cue once, your dog will either respond the first time, or you’ll know that there may be worth while to take it back a few steps to practice the behaviour more before adding a verbal cue to said behaviour.
Be patient and give your dog time to think…consider that your dog may just need time to process what you’re asking for. Oftentimes, I find that if you wait a moment and let your dog absorb what you’re saying, they’ll get there without the need to repeat yourself.
Set your dog up for success. The best way to do this is to only ask for things that you know your dog will be able to succeed at. If you have let your dog off-lead and are asking for a recall when there are new dogs they have never met around, what evidence do you have that asking for a recall at that time will be successful? If your answer is “well, they listen to me at home when it’s just us,” realise that you have actually just set your dog up to fail, not succeed. You would be better off not asking for that behaviour in the first place and keeping your dog on a long line so that you can guide them back to a win.
Until your dog knows the behaviour, don’t bother naming it, then you won’t be repeating anything! Here’s why:
3. Reward only the behaviours you want
You may be inadvertently reinforcing undesired behaviours without even knowing it. If there is something that you know you want your dog to do, make sure they know you want it by creating a positive association around that behaviour.
If you don’t want your dog to do something, think about what you’d like them to do instead and then teach and reinforce or reward that behaviour.
The area that will most likely become tricky is if you take half measures because you want your dog to stop doing something and so you implement a stop-gap measure to alleviate the situation.
I inadvertently taught my dog to unalive bugs and spiders for me. Every time I saw an insect in the house, I overreacted to its presence. Sensi took that as an opportunity to investigate and ultimately eliminate the perceived threat in order to make me “happier”. This ended up being an unintended consequence because of how I reacted, but it was an enlightening reminder that I was unintentionally reinforcing a behaviour in my dog. The outcome of this particular example proved to be quite useful but this may not always be the case!
4. Be consistent
Dogs thrive when messages are consistent and oftentimes we are giving our dogs very mixed messages, which only leads to confusion…
This could be giving your dog affection when they jump on you when they greet you at home, but then getting upset when they do it to strangers or children at the park.
This could be telling your dog “no” when you want to sit on the couch, but then allowing them on the couch when you want to cuddle.
This could also be playing rough with your dog as a puppy, but then punishing them for playing rough when they’re older.
I’m sure you can see how conditional rules with out alternative explanations (behaviours) can be very confusing for your dog. It is much easier for dogs when you reinforce consistently, ask consistently and basically have consistent expectations.
5. follow through every time
If you are not in a situation where you can ensure your dog will get a behaviour right, you are better off not asking for that behaviour. Doing so will add to your dog’s failure history as opposed to their success history and the goal is to create the highest rate of success for your dog.
Ask for recall when distraction is at a level your dog will choose to recall over ignoring OR only ask when your dog is on a line or leash so you can guide them to a success.
Practice behaviours extensively before you name them and once your dog has the action down, you can attach a cue to that action.
In short, if you know for a fact or aren’t sure that your dog is going to listen to a cue in a given situation, you are better off not asking or even better, prepare accordingly so as not to place your dog in that situation in the first place.
My challenge to you is to have a think and reflect on how you currently communicate with your dog.
How might you “speak clearer” to your dog?
Even if you adjust for ONE of these steps, your dog’s understanding of what you’re trying to say to them will enable them to more easily “listen” and you will both be happier for it!
