This post is more about changing what we do as dog owners than training our dog. How many times have you told your dog No! emphatically but the dog still continues repeating that bad behavior? The reason is not that your dog wants to be naughty, but he needs to know what behavior you want him to do. When you say no, the dog may likely keep making wrong choices. For example, today I was in the recliner and my dog wanted to get in my lap. Sometimes I do not mind, but today I was about ready to get up. So instead, I told my dog, "Off". Off simply means all four feet on the floor. As soon as all four of her feet were on the floor, I marked the behavior was a "Yes!" and a good girl. I prefer to give my dogs an affirmative command- telling them clearly what behavior I want- instead of a negative reprimand of "No1". My newest dog was eyeing my cookie on the end table by my chair and instead of yelling no, I used an affirmative command "Leave it". As soon as my dog backed away, I marked the desired behavior with "Yes!- Good boy!". Although for younger dogs or a dog just learning the commands, I mark the desired behavior with the word yes followed by a treat, but eventually my dog needs to learn to work without the food reward and get reinforced with praise instead. Yelling at a dog does little to teach them what behaviors are acceptable. If my dog is barking, I say, "Quiet", an affirmative command. I follow up with yes and good boy and a treat. Barking to alert me to a delivery at the front door is okay, but then I expect the dog to be quiet and not continue carrying on barking once I go to the door. Some dogs will bark to get your attention. Don't leave your dog guessing what you want him to do by yelling no. Train using affirmative commands in an upbeat manner and you will have a happier dog- and you will be less frustrated. Happy training!
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