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How To Tell If Your Dog Just Doesn't
Understand
Your Command Or If He's Being Stubborn!
By Adam G.
Katz
[RICHARD
WRITES:]
Dear Adam:
I've been reading your book and I have a
two fold question.
[To learn more about this book, Secrets of a
Professional Dog Trainer, take a look at: http://www.www.thats-a-good-dog.com/dogproblem
]
1) What things do you look for in a dog's noncompliance to a
command that would tell you whether he does not understand what you are
trying to tell him or he simply does not want to do it?
[ADAM
REPLIES:] It really depends on the dog. I usually do enough repetitions to
the point where I'm pretty sure that the animal should understand it.
Then, I'll test by not actually helping him... just give the command and a
light pop. If you see that it "clicks" for the dog, and he does the
command, then repeat a few more times, just so you know it wasn't a fluke.
If he does it three times in a row, then you can be pretty sure that he
understands the exercise (at least in that environment)... and you'll know
that non-compliance is the dogs way of thumbing (or pawing) his nose at
you.
[RICHARD:}For instance, I will tell the dog not to chew on the
blanket with a "No bite". He will then stop for a moment or two, I will
wait for about 30-45 seconds then praise him, but then he will start
again. I will then snap the leash, which has the pinch collar, and again
tell him no bite. Again he stops and then starts immediately again. I then
correct him by snapping the leash harder and saying no bite more firmly
and then he will get frustrated and snap at me, not in an effort to bite
me but it seems more out of frustration‹he will mouth me at times but
never press down. He is a 5 month old golden retriever and generally is
very sweet so I feel like I am not always communicating well enough to
him. But I also know that he understands "no bite" and I am certainly
expressing it with a strong tone of voice and body language. I'm not
particularly interested in you helping me with this particular example but
this type of thing happens frequently, though generally he is obedient.
I'm more interested in the abstract concept of assessing a situation and
knowing how to remedy it.
[ADAM:] This example you've given is
different than teaching an exercise, like I mention above. The example
you've given falls under the category of "avoidance" training. You should
not give the dog a warning without a correction for a behavior that he
should never do. Also, in this situation it's very clear that you're not
communicating to him. It's not that he doesn't understand, but rather that
again, he's thumbing his nose at you. He doesn't care what you say. Since
you've been working with the dog, you know from experience where his
sensitivity level is. So, the first time he chews, you need to say "No!"
and then give a correction. The correction should be as strong as the
third correction you were building up to before. If the dog snaps back at
you, this is his way of saying, "Bug off... I'm the alpha dog, and I'M the
one who gives the correction." You're playing the broom stick game. At
this point, you need to give a much firmer correction and should see the
dog display submissive body language as a way of submitting and showing
you that you're the top dog. If you watch two dogs scuffle over a new toy
you'll see the same behavior. Once you set him straight, you won't need to
correct him so hard the next time.
[RICHARD:] 1a) Given the former
question, how do I know when I am over correcting him and should either
redirect him to a different exercise, let him play, or just leave him
alone?
[ADAM:] With a 5 months old dog... you'll know. It will be
abundantly obvious. Also, when doing avoidance training, overcorrecting
(while not necessary) is not as much of a concern as when doing obedience
exercises. Why? Because you don't care so much if the dog has a good
attitude or a bad attitude towards not chewing on your couch. You just
don't want him to do it any more. If the correction is motivational, or if
it's overly motivational, in either case he'll drop the behavior. It's
only if the correction is less than motivational that the dog will
continue to do the behavior, or if you're missing one of the other two
keys to behavior modification that I talk about in the book. Timing and
consistency.
[RICHARD:] To expand...I know what I want to the dog
to do. I know the dog knows how to do it. But I run him through the drill
and he won't respond. So how many times do I correct him and give him the
opportunity to "make the right choice" before I should stop working on
that drill and have him do something else?
[ADAM:] That depends.
You should only work the dog on a new exercise for 10 or 15 minutes.
Sometimes less. If you're 100% sure that the dog knows how to do it, then
you're dealing with a dog who is actually calling the shots. You need to
make him do it. If you're truly working out dominance issues with your
dog, I will not quit until I've made the dog do it. If you let the dog win
and not complete the exercise, then the dog learns that next time, all he
needs to do is hold out long enough and you'll eventually give in. If I'm
rehabilitating a stubborn dog like this... I'll be out there for as long
as it takes. Sometimes 45 minutes to an hour if need be. The issue isn't
so much doing the exercise, but rather demonstrating to the dog that I'm
more stubborn than he is, and that I always win. Why?
Because I'm
the Alpha dog.
[RICHARD:] Thanks for your help.
[ADAM
REPLIES: ] Best regards.
To read more of my dog
training ramblings, read about my book:
Secrets of a
Professional Dog Trainer!
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