Clients often tell us that their dog does not listen to them. They only way they feel they can “control” a behaviour is by using verbal commands like sit, stay and down. The problem with this is that the dog may listen initially but the always go back to doing the unwanted behaviour.

Let’s say you are taking care of a 2 year old child who is about to reach for the hot stove. Would you say: “Sit, here is a cookie” Or would you say, “Don’t touch, the stove is hot”? Most clients laugh at the notion of saying “Sit, here is a cookie” to their kids; yet this is exactly what most of us do with our dogs. We expect them to learn from it as well. You can say a thousand times: “Sit, here is a cookie”, never will child learn that the stove is hot. If you have a jumping or barking dog and you say “Sit, here is a cookie” you can say this a thousand times, never will your pet learn that barking or jumping is wrong.

The purpose of commands is to demand a behaviour and not to correct a behaviour. Every time you use a command to correct a behaviour it is a missed opportunity to teach your dog what the appropriate reaction or behaviour is. Miscommunication is one of the main issues.

What is the solution?
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I’ve touched on this subject before, but I think it’s so important to keep this information ripe in your mind that posting another article about the subject is always a good thing.

Please read this great post about dangerous foods for your dog.

This is a fabulous, fun mental exercise; it’s great for bonding and to build confidence in dogs that lack it. This game is especially good if your dog feels uncomfortable with a specific family member.

• Start hiding a ball or favorite toy in plain view (behind you) while sitting on the floor and telling the dog to “find it”.
• Then put on a jacket or a sweater with a hood and hide the toy on you while the dog is watching, put the dog’s favorite item it in your pockets, in the hood, up the back, get him excited and then tell him to find it.
• You can use a treat as well if the dog is not interested in toys presently.
• Once he knows the game, tell him “stay”, and then leave the room, hide it on you and return to sit and let the dog go at it.

The main reason for hiding it on you in the beginning, is that it makes the dog eager to interact with you physically (he will sniff you from head to toe, shove his nose in your pockets, down your neck, push up the back hood to get the toy).

With a shy or fearful dog you don’t need to make a move to touch the dog, allow the dog to do all the contact.

Before you know it, the dog can find several toys by name in difficult hiding places- upstairs on top of a door frame, on top of dressers or tables, under quilts and pillows, in the laundry basket, under the bed, or anywhere!

Go try it out!

Do you have a story idea that you would like to propose to the Ottawa Dog Blog? Would you like to see your article published on the blog? If you are interested in writing an article for Ottawa Dog Blog as a guest writer, please contact us with your story idea.

We can find the images for the post if you do not have any.

Guest articles written so far:

• Vestibular Disease – A Senior Dog’s Road to Recovery by Jacqui
• Book Review by Jacqui – The Art of Racing in the Rain
• Vet Insurance Helps Tame Pet Health Care Costs by Scott Baker