Tuesday Training Byte: why "no" doesn't work

It is rather common for me to see a frustrated owner trying to correct their misbehaving dog. Usually they first tell the dog "no!" in a stern voice, followed by several repeats of no and then a few other commands rattled off quickly. Dogs learn best with a positive command- in other words telling him what you want him to do. If the dog is counter surfing, rather than No!, tell your dog "off" (a positive command) instead, then praise when all four feet are on the floor. If you see the dog rushing toward the front door, rather than "No!", use a positive command like "this way" followed with praise as the dog returns to you. The word "no" is not associated with a specific behavior, and the dog may get confused as to what it is you want him to do. My own rescue dog was an expert counter surfer. When I first had him in the house, I had a light leash attached so I could be sure he did not have an opportunity to get to the counters. I taught him the word off early on so if it appeared he was even thinking about getting ready to jump up on me or anything else inappropriate, I would say off! and then really praise him well for "four on the floor". We have to be consistent in enforcing behaviors we expect and the proper commands so the dog is not confused. All of this requires you to pay attention to what your dog is doing and notice when he is about to be naughty, so you can tell him what you want him to do instead. With the word "No" the dog does not know what you want and may well keep on doing the wrong things. Happy training!