Few of my clients struggle with their dogs at home when it's just them. Getting their dogs to do basic obedience commands in low distraction environments, like the living room or in their fenced yard just isn't what the majority of people struggle with. When all is quiet, dogs are able to learn quickly and respond easily to basic obedience commands. It's when distractions are present that things start to fall apart, and dogs start to make poor choices. Whether it is non-compliance to a known command, or something darker and scarier like barking, growling and lunging. Distractions simply bring out the worst in our dogs, and life is chocked full of them. So how do we help our dogs navigate life and all it has to throw at them? Is it possible for our dogs to learn how to navigate distractions without it bringing out the worst in them? Yes! The key to success is teaching a dog to be calm and ignore things that aren't any of their business. Teaching this to our dogs is one of the most valuable and important things we could ever do for them. Unfortunately, teaching a dog how to be calm and ignore life's distractions isn't always on the menu in a lot of obedience training programs. Many owners are led to believe that if they just teach their dog sit, come, stay, and then encourage their dog to engage (A.K.A. "socialize") in a wide variety of situations, rewarding that engagement with plenty of hot dogs, then their dog will make only positive associations and automatically make good choices. If we allow (even unintentionally through miscommunication) our dogs to engage in life whenever and however they want without inhibition, it's actually a perfect recipe for disaster. This lack of inhibition opens the door for dogs to start engaging in life in ways that we don't want. A dog that bites the mailman isn't ignoring the mailman, but engaging with him. A dog that jumps on and knocks over a small child isn't ignoring the child but engaging with them. A dog that barks and lunges at other dogs isn't ignoring other dogs but engaging with them. Teaching a dog how to ignore distractions and how to stay calm and focused on their handler is such an essential skill. Time spent socializing your dog is only beneficial if you've worked just as hard to teach your dog how to ignore the parts of life that are none of their business, and obedience training is only valuable if the dog can follow commands in all environments. If you've been working with your dog on socialization and obedience training but they still fall apart when life starts showing up, teaching them how to mind their own business and look to you for direction will be a game changer!
|
AuthorLindsay Feist - Archives
October 2020
Categories |