Training 101

I was just recently talking to a friend about dog training. While she doesn't have dogs, she has friends who do and from hanging out with me she has picked up a few pointers about basic training. It seems she witnessed first hand some big training faux pas: multiple commands, undermining the person working with the dogs and using a loud, strong voice.

Imagine that you only speak English and you have just moved to China. The only words you know in Chinese are "No" and "Bad girl." Of course, you know your name as well. Your Chinese housemates have some strange rules. They think that shaking hands for greetings is disgusting, that toilets are for decoration only and you must get permission before going outside or sitting on their furniture. Of course you don't know any of these rules, you only know what is normal for you in America.

Day one: you politely go to shake hands with your housemates and are immediately barraged with "Bad girl!" and a slap on the hand. You wonder "What the heck? Are these people crazy?" As you continue with your day, you get a good meal and some good interactions with your new housemates however there are still some strange blow ups. When you are using the toilet, one housemate storms in and starts whacking you with a magazine! Later in the day, when you go to sit on the couch another housemate runs over to you shouting, "No!" repeatedly. Dejected, you sit in the corner and wonder when you are leaving this forsaken place.

Now imagine that you are in China with some more understanding and enlightened housemates. When you go to shake hands, they ignore you and turn away but as soon as you stop they clap and smile repeatedly to show you that this is their preferred greeting. When you go to use to use the toilet, they calmly escort you to where they would prefer you to eliminate and then give you $20 when you do so. When you go to sit on the couch, they block you, wait for you to hesitate, and then invite you onto the couch. They start using the Chinese words for things when you are using said object to build an association between the word and the object, or action. They are patient, and only one person interacts with you at a time. They don't repeat things and scream at you. You aren't as confused living here and are slowly starting to understand their culture.

This is possibly how a dog sees life with us humans. Dogs don't speak English and can only learn associations with words and objects or actions.

If you wanted to teach a dog to sit, the dog would learn much faster if you simply waited for him to sit, and then said "Yes! Good sit!" or "Good sit!" or used a clicker. Now if you repeated sit over and over and over to a dog that doesn't know the word, is he going to understand that putting his butt on the floor means that word? Probably not. In fact, owners can ruin a word association by using it repeatedly before the dog understands the action and word link.

Now what about a dog that already knows the word "wait" for waiting at the door and the owner says it and the dog is trying to blast past him? Some owners may repeat the word until the dog actually waits. This can teach the dog that he needs to hear said command 3,4, 10 times before actually doing it! Instead, I would use the door or my foot to block the dog and when he hesitates, release him through the door. I got what I wanted. No need to repeat it again. The dog wants to go outside and he will soon understand that the faster he waits, the sooner he gets released. It is as simple as that.

Undermining commands: I have seen many times in dog class a spouse attempting to train their dog, with the other yelling the command over their shoulder when the dog does not perform. This can teach their dog that only Daddy is in charge and that Mommy doesn't know what she is doing! On another level, this can deplete the confidence of the person working with the dog. It isn't helpful for the dog or the other person for an additional party to yell commands. The dog and that person need to work it out amongst themselves.

Using a "strong" voice: While it is great to be confident in training a dog, there is no need to yell commands or try to demean the dog in getting him to do something. In fact, if you train with a soft voice, the dog will become a better listener. When you do yell "Here!" as your dog is heading towards the street, he will think "Wow, Dad means business, I better go back." Some dogs are soft dogs and some are hard dogs, but both types benefit from a calm owner that has a steady voice, not necessarily a strong voice.

So next time you are working with your dog and he is confused, imagine you are in a foreign country with strange rules and how you would like to be worked with and treated.