Have you had an experience with your dog where they were apprehensive, scared, or just flat out stubborn about an activity or new stimulus that they wanted no part of? Unfortunately, this comes with the territory of dog training and maturation.
A current trend in dog training is consent-based training in which a dog’s decision not to do something is respected and the behavior that conveys the decision is reinforced (TheBark.com).
Noble K9 Dog Training takes a different approach to training style and principles. While it is important for the dogs to feel comfortable, loved, and safe, we also want them to be responsive to the commands that we are giving them.
The desire for responsiveness does not come from a place of needless wanting to assert dominance over or tease the dog. The need to command responsiveness comes from a place of love, care, and respect for the dog.
Importance of clear expectations
As with anything, there is never all good or all bad. The key is to set clear expectations for your dog so that they are best set up for success in being responsive to you. It is important to be unambiguous with your dog when positively reinforcing well-mannered behavior and when correcting behaviors that are not respectful or are potentially harmful.
The training process doesn’t have to be limited to just corrections. There are times of fun, and there are rewards to reinforce positive behavior. This is important to keep your dog engaged throughout the training process and also helps to keep them feeling comfortable. It’s important, however, to set expectations of what level of play and fun is acceptable and draw a line when behaviors might become too crazy.
Conversely, and more obviously, there are going to be corrections that need to be made to your dog's behavior to help keep them and others around them safe. Let’s dig deeper into that.
Pressure as a form of protection
In an age where consent-based training is gaining more momentum, it’s important to remember that there will be unavoidable and unforeseen aspects of life.
Your dog may be heavily resistant to getting their nails trimmed, but that’s an essential part of their normal care routine. By providing both pressure and support in a situation that is scary for a dog but is ultimately for their own good, you’re looking out for their safety and well-being.
Another example of this is distractions. There is a constant risk of distractions for your dog. You may take them outside to go to the bathroom and a squirrel runs by or a loud noise unexpectedly happens. Pressure needs to be applied in these types of situations as well for your dog to understand their boundaries and not risk harm to themselves.
Maybe you think you can cheat the system and help your dog avoid the situations they are apprehensive of. I’d think twice about that.
Crate training is a prime example of this. Regardless of whether or not you choose to use a crate, you can’t control other situations in which your dog may be exposed to a crate such as at the vet, the groomer, or in a more catastrophic situation, like a rescue from a natural disaster.
With proper training, pressure will need to be applied less and less overtime. The goal of a balanced training routine is to expose dogs to common situations that they may be apprehensive about, apply the pressure to help them overcome these fears, and cutback the use of pressure over time until you feel confident in your dog’s abilities to perform in these situations.
Correction is an investment
Too often, correction is seen as a form of undue punishment for a dog. While correction is not necessarily an enjoyable part of a dog-human relationship, it is really an investment for both yourself and your dog. Correction in order to create a well-balanced, respectful, and good-natured pet will ultimately allow that pet to experience the best parts of life with you.
If your dog is constantly jumping on or barking at other people, they won’t get to go to many public places with you. If your dog doesn’t respond to commands, you’re going to feel incredibly stressed around other people or in open spaces (not to mention, your dog will feed off of that too).
Some may argue that a substitute for correction is instead positive reinforcement through the form of food and treats. While food is a great motivator, correction is even more important to the training process because food may not always be available in a given situation or the dog may be so focused on a distraction that they don’t even respond to the food.
Just as with pressure, correction is used more heavily early on in the training process with the goal of having to use it less as the dog becomes more proficiently trained, where the training becomes more maintenance than correction.
When correction is used to create a well-mannered dog, your dog ultimately benefits from the correction by having clear expectations but more importantly by being able to experience the best parts of your life with you, which brings joy to both human and K9!
Balance is the Key
While pressure and correction are incredibly important tools in the training toolbox, it doesn’t mean that love and joy aren’t paramount in the relationship with your dog. Remember that pressure and correction are used in situations that are for both your dog’s and your own good and not in any way that may cause harm to the dog. Moderation during training is key.
It’s important to have fun with your dog. Find ways to incorporate fun into your training, especially as a reward. It will keep your dog engaged in the training session, provide you with some added joy and levity, and create an environment where your dog thrives knowing their boundaries and expectations.
If finding this perfect balance sounds tricky, that’s where Noble K9 Dog Training can provide support. We provide kind, approachable, and humane principles in our training while still applying an appropriate level of pressure and correction to prepare your dog for any situation. If you are interested in how our support can help you in achieve this tricky balance in your dog training, reach out to us at: 847-409-1363
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