In my work with puppies I often find that related issues pop up in waves.
We all know that dogs crave attention. In turn, we adore how they look at us lovingly when we give them attention. We love admiring how cute they are, how smart they are and we are amazed by the deep emotional impact all that cuteness has on us.
What we seem to overlook is that fawning and constant commenting are reinforcing the pup’s behavior in real time! The puppy more than the humans realizes that playing keep away gets them at least as much attention as coming when called.
“Oh honey…we have to go out now and come on come on we have to go now, let’s put on your harness…here…here…I will lure you with a treat…haha you are running away…look I have a treat…oh, don’t do that! “What are you doing over there? Oh, don’t eat the rug! What is it that you have in your mouth? Why don’t you play with your toy instead, oh don’t bark, don’t whine…why are you whining… What do you want?!”
In that constant stream of verbal attention, why should the puppy know what to ignore and when to pay attention?
How does he differentiate between running commentary and an actual cue?
Also keep in mind that dogs have to learn to understand specific words by associating them with physical behaviors first. If your dog does not really know what action to associate with a particular word under a variety of circumstances and with distractions then you cannot expect the dog to perform on cue.
Be aware of the fact that your puppy needs clear guidelines. That does not mean that you have to bark out commands in a military fashion. Just try really hard to show your puppy that behaviors that you do not want to repeat should not have a reinforcing effect on your puppy. Use your actions and words strategically.
Notice them when they are doing the “right” thing,. When your dog ignores you or “does not listen” consider if it’s actually your behavior that is confusing to your puppy.
Do not overwhelm them with constant commenting.
4 Comments.
Thank you for the nice article.
Hi Guys. As a new owner, I’ve been wondering how to train my dog the right way. Been searching for some methods, found this article to be relevant: https://sites.google.com/vi… Do you guys think it will work?
One suggestion to train your puppies is with Sweet Paws Wearable Puppy Teethers. Sweet Paws is a great product not only for puppies but also for new dog owners. It’s a wearable silicone bracelet that doubles as a chew toy. If you have a dog that is very nippy and loves to chew, you can wear this bracelet. Whenever the puppy is nippy, remove it from your wrist and use it to redirect the puppy. Usually the puppy will take it and chew it instead, or play tug games with you. This saves your ankles and wrists. Sweet Paws is on Amazon and makes a big difference if you’re living with a nippy puppy.
Great tips on managing puppy behavior! Another important aspect of dog care is maintaining good dental health. Have you considered dog teeth cleaning without anesthesia? It's a gentle and effective way to keep your dog's teeth clean and healthy. See more about it.
Thanks for the insightful post Elisa!
Training your dog is really important and I'm sure a lot of new dog mums or dads don't know how to start. Well it's a good idea to leave it to the professionals isn't it? You can build other relationships with your dog like going for a customised necklace with its name and likeness to wear around its neck. Or some mementos about it are good and good ideas.