Choke points like hallways and elevators can be nightmares for dog people. If you live in a multi-unit building, your dog’s behavior has implications beyond your four walls – too many neighbor complaints can even threaten your housing status. This dog elevator training tip can help you navigate those choke points.
The “Surprise Factor”
The hardest part of shared housing is the lack of predictability. You never know who – or what dog – is around the corner. Even friendly dogs can react poorly when startled. We’ve all bumped into someone inadvertently; for us, it’s an “excuse me.” For a dog, it’s a high-stakes confrontation.
From the dog’s perspective
Elevators must seem like strange magic from your dog’s point of view. Doors open. You step into a hushed, windowless box. Doors close, with no obvious escape point. When the doors reopen, you’ve been magically transported to a completely different place. Different sights, sounds, smells, and surprises..
When you think about it, it’s kind of amazing that dogs get in elevators at all. Just that simple act of getting in an elevator is a profound example of how much your dog trusts you.
We’ve talked many times about how dogs gain confidence and security with routine. If you’ve established a pattern for elevator rides, your dog will be more likely to stay with your game than stick his nose in your neighbor’s crotch.
Familiarity breeds calm
So instead of hoping for a calm ride, give your dog a clear plan. Routine is the antidote to anxiety. If you establish a “game” for the ride, your dog will stay focused on you rather than your neighbor’s grocery bags.
The “Touch!” Game: This is a top-tier elevator tool. It keeps your dog’s nose on your hand and their mind on a high rate of reward.
The “Target!” Game: If your dog has a favorite portable target, use it. It’s worth the extra effort to carry if it keeps them “in the zone.”
The “Job” Strategy: Give them something to do. Teaching your dog to carry a favorite toy provides a single focus.
Real-World Example: Hope’s Frenchie, Torque, used to get unwanted attention because of his “snorty” breathing (other dogs thought he was growling). Hope solved this by letting him carry his pink rubber ball. Now, other dogs see the toy, and neighbors just think he’s cute.
A Quick Pro-Tip
Keep treats by your keys. If you grab one, you grab the other.
We recently lost a student because we couldn’t solve his number one dog issue, barking, within two lessons.
Guess what? We can’t do that for you and your dog either.
Barking is a behavior that’s hard-wired into dogs. If your dog’s a vocalist, changing that is going to take time, effort, patience, and consistency. It can be done. But it’s a long-term goal, not an instant fix.
There are fast fixes. All of them are cruel. You can have your dog surgically “de-barked.” That involves removal of their vocal cords. They still have all the behavior. The sound is just muffled. The other “fix” usually uses a shock collar. Every time the dog barks, they get an electrical shock. If you’re willing to do that to someone you love, we don’t need you here.
The Instinct Behind the Noise
You already know how hard it is to break a habit. Barking isn’t just a habit, it’s an instinct.
Humans have instincts, too. In a mild scenario, think of someone tapping you on your right shoulder when they come up behind you to your left. You immediately turned to your right, where you felt the touch. You both laughed about it, realizing it’s a mild tease. You can control which way you look, but your first instinct is toward the touch. You’d have to actively think about turning the other way. If you’re expecting the same person, you’ll probably override your instinct. But it’s not automatic.
Barking isn’t a choice; it’s an instinct. Think of it as a low-level alert system that translates to:
“I see you!”
“Stranger Danger!”
“I’m scared!”
If you yell, you’re just barking back. If you ignore it, they’ll bark louder to make sure you heard the “threat.”
Dogs who startle easily, or who are more shy, tend to bark more. They’re telling the world to keep its distance until they know everything’s okay. The more dogs know, the bolder they become. Playing any training game goes a long way to instilling that confidence.
How to play “Sight Seeing”
Playing the “Sight Seeing” training game requires a little preparation and a little more time commitment than usual. You don’t put in much time in a solid chunk. But you have to be available for a few moments at a time for a longer period. Think about a time when you’re home, but not committed to meetings, calls, or household chores.
If you’re like most barky-dog owners, you restrict access to the areas where your dog can see outside and start barking. While you’re playing “Sight Seeing,” you restore access and be ready to move. You don’t need any treats or training tools for the game. Just some time you can afford to be constantly interrupted.
So open the drapes, or pull up the blinds, or, as in one student’s case, take the cardboard off the windows. Then go about your business. You can leave the room, but you must be able to hear your dog, so don’t go far.
As soon as your dog barks at something, come back into the room quickly but calmly and get next to your dog. Ask something like “What? What is it? Is the bogeyman coming?”
Look carefully in all directions out the window. If you see something, say dismissively, “Oh, it’s just the neighbor taking out the trash (or whatever you see).” And go back to what you were doing. If you don’t see anything, look around again and say something like “What? I don’t see anything.” And go back to what you were doing.
Sharing the Attitude
By exhibiting excitement when your dog barks, you’re letting them know you trust them and believe their excitement has a reason. When you let them know there’s nothing to be excited about, they’ll take their cue from your indifference and calm down.
You’re modeling the attitude you want your dog to adopt. If you yell at them for barking you’re telling them that excitement is okay. Dogs don’t understand that stream of words you’re yelling. They just know you’re participating in a mutually loud conversation.
If you ignore the barking, your dog will think you don’t appreciate the urgency of the situation and they’ll probably escalate.
Your goal is to show your dog, in a way they’ll understand, that being the neighborhood watch can be a quiet activity.
Set Limits You Can Live With
Most people can endure about five or ten minutes of this game. Like all training games, it’s best when it’s short and intense. When you’ve had your fill of rushing back and forth, just close the blinds and try again another day.
This behavior modeling takes some time for dogs to absorb. If you want to let the sunshine in, you have a couple of choices. Play Sight Seeing until your dog gets the lesson. Or get blinds that open from the top instead of the bottom of the window.
⏱️ The 2-Minute Recap: The “Sight Seeing” Game
The Goal: Show your dog that you’ve heard their alert and that you’ve got the situation under control.
Preparation: Open the blinds or drapes in a high-traffic area. Go about your normal business nearby.
The Trigger: As soon as your dog barks, move quickly (but calmly) to their side.
The Investigation: Look out the window with them. Use a curious, low-energy tone: “What is it? What do you see?”
The Dismissal: Identify the “threat” and dismiss it with indifference: “Oh, it’s just the neighbor. No big deal.”
The Exit: Walk away and return to your task immediately. Do not linger or scold.
The Limit: Play for 5–10 minutes at a time. When you’ve had enough, close the blinds to “end” the game and give your dog a break.
Pro Tip: If you want the light without the barking, look into top-down/bottom-up blinds. They let the sunshine in while keeping the “neighborhood watch” triggers out of sight!
If your dog is triggered by sights and sounds on your daily walks, you need to use your thumb for something besides swiping your screen.
The “thumb trick” is easy. You always have your thumbs with you, so make use of them to help your dog stay calm in the neighborhood. Your new Rule Of Thumb – if your thumb, held at arm’s length, covers the trigger object, you’re far enough away. If you can still see it, you’re too close. Turn around and go in the opposite direction.
If you can still see the ‘beast’ around your thumb, the ‘beast’ is too close for your dog’s brain to handle.
When you’re at ‘thumb distance,’ that’s the perfect time to drop a high-value treat. You’re rewarding the calm observation before the explosion happens
Distance is your friend
No matter what sends your dog into berserker mode, there’s always a safe distance to stay below threshold. It’s going to be different for every dog, so you’re the one who has to pay attention and figure out whether “thumb-covered” is far enough away. Whether it’s bicycles, other dogs, squirrels, people, or even nannies floating by on umbrellas, there’s a safe zone where your dog can watch calmly.
Finding your dog’s safe zone will make your life easier. You won’t have to stay there forever. The goal is making wherever you go part of the safety zone. But identifying it, no matter how tiny, gives you a starting point. And your safety zone is the perfect spot to do a little focus work, like playing the “Touch” game.
Pro Tip: Your most difficult task in expanding the zone will be constantly scanning the environment. The more triggers you can avoid, the calmer your dog will be. You don’t have to be perfect, but every time your dog loses their cool is a step backwards. It’s definitely one of those “two steps forward, one step back” situations.
72 Hour Adrenaline Rush
A single doggy meltdown produces a rush of hormones, specifically adrenaline and cortisol, that can take up to three days to leave the dog’s system. That’s 72 hours when your dog is more stressed, overly stimulated, and hyper-aware.
In our neighborhood there’s a pair of German Shepherd Dogs that react negatively to every person and dog, whether we’re walking by their house or they’re passing ours. These dogs are always super-charged because they never, ever have a chance to flush the hormones from their systems. They are living in a permanent state of high alert.
That’s why you want to avoid those triggers as much as possible for as long as possible. Aside from the chemical change to the dog’s body, you want to develop emotional calm as a habit. Dogs are allowed to watch, notice, and pay attention to their surroundings. They’re not allowed to lose their sh** about it.
What is Trigger Stacking?
Trigger stacking is when a dog experiences multiple stressors within a short period of time, without an opportunity to recover. Think of it like a bucket filling up:
A trip to the vet…
A squabble over a toy…
A canvasser ringing the doorbell.
The bucket overflows..
Note: some trainers intentionally “flood” dogs with triggers in the (mistaken) belief it will “desensitize” the dog to those triggers. What it really does is cause the dog’s brain to shut down and send them into “fight or flight” mode.
Give your dog time to regain their equilibrium. If you keep them below threshold using the Rule of Thumb trick, your chances of actually reaching them multiply exponentially.
What would life look like if your dog was able to make good decisions? If they pondered the options and chose well? If they actually thought about consequences and opted to be “good?”
How much better would your partnership be if you didn’t always have to regulate your dog’s behavior?
It’s all possible. There’s a bit of effort and a lot of patience required. But you can do it!
Impulse Control Training Game
The best training game to teach your dog impulse control is “Whatcha Gonna Do?” It’s a variant of the game “It’s Yer Choice” developed by renowned trainer/agility competitor Susan Garrett. We’ve tweaked it a bit over the years. We’ve found that despite the long-term gains the game brings, few people are willing to stick with it to reap those benefits.
It’s worth it, especially when you only play for a couple minutes at a time. The tiny time investment has a tremendous payout. But the initial steps may be painful. (Please note that other games can be found in Book 4: Impulse Control.)
Steps of the game
To play “Whatcha Gonna Do?” all you need is a bunch of treats and your dog. Sit on the floor with your dog in front of you. Grab a handful of treats in your fist and hold your fist, palm up, in front of your dog, below their eye level.
At this point your dog is going to nibble on your hand. Paw at your hand. Start gnawing on your hand. It’s not going to be fun. It will be slimy. And it might hurt, especially if it’s a puppy with those needle-sharp teeth.
You don’t say anything. You especially DO NOT tell your dog what to do. The whole point of teaching them impulse control is so you don’t have to monitor their every action. If you give up now, you’ll be policing their every action for the rest of their life.
You may, however, squeak in pain if your dog’s nibble is very painful. But if you’re not in danger of losing a digit or some blood, keep your mouth closed.
At this point, you want to quit. It’s not working, it hurts, and your hand is all gooey. This is where many people give up. Don’t give up. Don’t say anything. Impulse control training games are worth it.
What’s the goal
Some dogs stay at this stage for quite a while. You may not accomplish anything at all the first time you play Whatcha Gonna Do? But you might. The first inkling of thought is when the dog takes a break.
At the first tiny interruption in the dog bothering your hand, they glance away, they hear a sound outside, they have to yawn, you reach into your fist with the other hand, grab a treat, and give it to your dog. Give the treat at arm’s length. This gives your dog the seed of an idea to step away from the hand.
Even if your dog stops bothering your treat hand for the tiniest fraction of a second, reward it from the other hand. At some point, after the dog gets an initial treat, they’re going to start wondering how to get more of those yummy nuggets.
Some dogs catch on quickly and start backing off, leaving the treat hand alone. Others are blessed with dogged persistence and take a while. But every single dog can learn to leave that treat hand alone. They can, eventually, understand the underlying bargain of dog training. They get what they want when we get what we want.
Don’t give up
Whatcha Gonna Do? isn’t designed to play for long. Forcing your dog to think is tiring for both of you. Giving them the freedom to choose, without you directing their action, stretches both of your limits. Regardless of progress, or lack thereof, stop playing after five minutes. Tomorrow’s another day.
In time, your dog will recognize the start of the game. When you grab some treats and sit on the floor, they’ll happily back off while you reach into the treat hand and reward them. That’s when you start the next step – open your hand.
The reason your treat hand is palm up is so that you can, in time, sit there with a whole handful of treats, clearly visible to the dog, and have them wait to be rewarded, like Booker in the still photo (after he’s practiced the game for a little bit). When you first start opening your hand, chances are your dog may lunge in to try to get them. Slam your fist shut, as in the little video below. Don’t say anything. Not even a “whoopsie!” The whole point is demonstrating to the dog that their decision, good or bad, drives the action of the game.
Eyes on the prize
Eventually, when your dog understands the game, you’ll be able to sit there with an entire bowl of treats on the floor, and your dog will do all kinds of cute things to get you to give, or toss, a treat to them. Dogs trained with positive reinforcement have an entire repertoire of tricks they’ll run through. Each time your dog does something that isn’t bothering your treat hand, reward it.
Dogs always do what’s most rewarding for them. Playing Whatcha Gonna Do? teaches the dog that the way to get rewarded is to control their impulses. Being a rude jerk gets them nothing. Thinking and acting politely gets them what they want.
Variations on a theme
Once your dog understands that being a nuisance gets them nothing, you can use “Whatcha Gonna Do?” in other contexts. If your dog is a counter-surfer, set up the training game. Be prepared to cover whatever’s drawn their attention up there and wait. When they give up and have four paws on the floor, toss a treat into their corner of the kitchen. Whenever your dog’s being rude, you can apply the principles of “Whatcha Gonna Do?” to the situation. Impulse control training games are worth it: when you require your dog to act thoughtfully, they can and do live up to expectations.
You can’t look in your own ear. It’s impossible to go faster than the speed of light. And you’ll never know “why” your dog acts the way they do.
Say your dog is afraid of men wearing hats. Especially if it’s a rescue dog with an unknown history, people might assume the dog was abused by a man who wore a hat. Maybe. But you’ll never know. And it doesn’t matter.
Addressing the dog issue
There are three ways to cope with whatever issue your dog may have.
You can ignore it. If it doesn’t matter to you that your dog pulls like a tugboat, it’s nobody else’s business. Your dog, your house, your rules.
If the problem is a minor annoyance, but not worth a lot of effort, you can manage it. We know someone whose dog always emptied the bathroom wastebasket. She managed the issue by keeping that wastebasket empty. It was a little disconcerting the first time she dashed in to empty it as soon as we vacated the room. That was how she handled the situation. We stopped using that wastebasket, too.
The third, best, most long-lasting, and most difficult way to cope with dog issues is by training them away. If it’s important to you, it’s worth it. If, like us, you live where everyone wears hats all winter, you don’t want your dog freaking out every time you go out all season long.
Familiarity breeds disinterest
Since we don’t know why the dog does what they do, you have to treat the symptom without looking for the cause. That doesn’t mean it can’t be cured. It just means the process may involve some trial and error.
If our friend had wanted to fix her dog’s basket-emptying obsession, the first step is to figure out if it’s the “what” or the “where.” If the dog ignores the wastebasket when it’s in another room, it’s the where. If the basket is equally interesting in the living room, it’s the “what.”
For the where, you take your dog in the bathroom and play “Get it / Leave it.” For the what, play the game in the living room with the basket nearby. You can add on to the game by dropping something in the basket when you say “Leave It!”
Once your dog knows the game and how to “Leave it!,” the problem will dissipate. It won’t be interesting any more.
Cultivate boredom
Your reaction to your dog’s naughty behavior is a major factor in whether it happens again. If you, like our friend, react immediately, the dog figures it’s a fun game that gets your attention. If you ignore the tissue on the floor and leave the vicinity, the dog fails in the bid for attention.
It may result, in the short term, with your dog eating some tissue. Unless it’s an excessive amount, figure “this, too, shall pass.” (Empty the basket when the dog isn’t around.) You’ll never know the “why.” It’s very human to look for cause when there’s an effect. It’s why puzzles are big business and mysteries are popular. But your dog will never be able to tell you “why.”
Seeing your face signals your dog to stop. Don’t believe it? It’s easy to test. Invite your dog to run with you. You’re both going along together, facing the same way. If you suddenly stop and look at your dog, they’ll stop, too. And stare you in the face.
When you have a conversation with another person, it’s considered polite to look at them. Dogs are the same. Your dog always wants to see your face.
In some ways, that’s a wonderful thing. Doesn’t everyone make funny sounds to get dogs to look? And if we get the adorable head tilt, we keep doing it.
Not always what we want
There are times, however, that you don’t want your dog to stop and look at you. You’d think that calling your dog to “Come!” is easy and natural.
It’s not. If you’re standing still, facing your dog, and call them, they may not move an inch. They can see you, but your face is a stop sign.
Motion triggers motion
When this happens, most people will sweep an arm back, encouraging the dog to move. It usually works. It also means that your dog doesn’t have a reliable recall.
In Obedience competition, the rules require you to stand absolutely still when you call your dog. You can’t do any of the things that come naturally. You can’t back up a step, pat your leg, move your head. Any handler motion when a verbal command is used is considered a “double command” and not allowed.
This exercise, done correctly, demonstrates that your dog knows the word and what to do when they hear it.
Good to know
Most people aren’t competing in Obedience. They just want their dogs to come when called. The easiest and fastest way to teach that is the Chase Recall. Your motion spurs your dog to move.
It’s true with all dog behaviors. One of the most difficult parts of “Stay!” for dogs is sitting still while you walk around. Most dogs will either swivel on their hindquarters to keep watching you, or get up entirely.
Take advantage
Knowing that your dog always wants to zero in on where you’re facing, you can use that to direct your dog’s learning. When teaching “Place!” you stare at the dog bed. Your interest in an object will make it intriguing for your dog.
That’s the principle that lots of our games are based on. The ones that involve manipulating objects start with you staring at the object. The ones that require the dog to move somewhere start with you looking there.
We tried it today. One of the behaviors we teach our dogs is to walk sideways. When facing each other, the dog’s natural tendency is to move their front legs in line with us, but their back end tends to go crooked. Today we tried the behavior looking at where we’re going (to the side) rather than at our dog. It works.
Watch where you’re going
When we were learning agility handling, one of the first things we were taught was that dogs will follow your shoulder. They go where your shoulder indicates. If you’re running or walking straight ahead, keep your shoulders square. If you’re moving to your right, that’s where you orient your upper body.
Your dog is attuned to every move you make and is keenly aware of your body language. If you can’t figure out why your dog is moving a certain way, check yourself. You may be giving them a signal you don’t intend. Like looking straight at them when you want them to keep moving.
How much of a control freak are you with your dog?
As the dog trainer associated with a doggy day care facility, the staff sometimes asks Hope to consult with a dog owner that has some issues in the play group.
Not long ago, she talked to the owner of a dog that was, putting it mildly, inappropriate with other dogs and staffers at day care. While the play supervisors had repeatedly mentioned the problems to the owner, the dog’s person dismissed their concerns.
Not a fun phone consult
The dog repeatedly charged at and nipped other dogs, even staff, trying to get somebody to play with her. They weren’t casual invitations, and the dog wouldn’t take “No!” for an answer. The dog clearly had no idea of manners.
When Hope finally was able to speak with the owner, his answer was “She always does what I tell her.”
And that, right there, is the problem. If you always tell your dog what to do, what happens when you’re not there?
Banned from daycare
This particular owner clearly had no interest in training his dog to learn impulse control or manners. He thought it was adequate “training” that she obeys him. It didn’t concern him that the rest of his family couldn’t get the dog to obey. It didn’t bother him that the dog has no manners in day care and doesn’t listen to the staff. The dog was banned from play groups.
The kind of blind obedience this man requires from his dog may suit him. Decades ago it may even have been the norm to be a dog control freak. Now, it’s not good enough.
Giving up control
Letting your dog exercise some autonomy makes life easier. Teaching them to make good decisions, giving them credit for controlling their impulses, frees you to enjoy your time together. It’s stressful to always be the one making every choice for everybody.
There’s no helping the control-freak man. We tried, and were unable to convince him of the benefits both he and his dog would experience. His repeated response was “She does what I tell her.”
We agree that it’s easier to just tell your dog what to do. A friend of ours had major difficulty guiding her dog into making good decisions, rather than telling her all the time. This particular dog has major confidence issues. Both dog and person felt safer with the owner giving orders all the time. But that wasn’t helping the dog’s timidity.
Confidence boost
It’s scary ceding control to another being. But, with children and dogs, letting them make good decisions boosts their confidence. When your dog knows what’s expected of them, even when faced with unfamiliar situations, they’re more likely to demonstrate good judgment.
It’s hard giving up control and allowing the possibility of mistakes. It helps the dog’s confidence when errors are overlooked rather than punished. They try, and try again, mostly because it’s fun to finally get it right.
We couldn’t help the day care dog. Our friend, on the other hand, won High In Trial in Obedience with her dog last weekend. Patience pays.
We heard from a long-time friend this week, reaching out for training after acquiring a new dog. We actually met her at our dog training club, so we know she knows how dog training works. But, like anyone with a new dog, there’s so much to teach it can get a bit overwhelming.
No matter how many dogs you’ve owned, it’s always a good idea to either take class or follow guidance from an expert. We always take new family dogs to somebody else’s class. It helps you focus on the things that are important and set your priorities.
First things first
Our friend’s new-to-her dog is a four-year-old French Bulldog retired from the show ring. We also know the breeder of the dog, so know that she’s had a great life. Her issues at the moment are pretty common for a retired show dog. She’s fine in big, noisy, crowded venues. But she has no idea how to act on a walk around the neighborhood.
The dog is, in our friend’s words, “ is dog and people reactive when we are out in the neighborhood.” Further questions revealed that the dog is noisy and overly-excited, but not aggressive. That description could apply to at least half the dogs out there.
Side Note: Watch your language
Unfortunately, while we’re all using the word “reactive” correctly here, it’s time to stop using it to describe your dog. The outside world interprets “reactive” as aggressive. Because the meaning has been changed, unless your dog truly is a biter or fighter, don’t use it. People hearing it, even some trainers, will make assumptions about your dog that may escalate the situation. Excitement isn’t aggression. Barking isn’t aggression. Reactivity is now synonymous with aggression.
We tell our training classes to use “excited” or “exuberant” to describe their dogs instead. It conveys joy and happiness, rather than anything darker.
Action plan
The first training game we’re going to play with our friend’s dog is “Touch!” It’s the most useful game for getting your dog’s focus back on you and away from whatever is causing them to misbehave. Before you use it this way, the dog has to love the game. It doesn’t take long for dogs to learn it and love it. If you start today, in three days your dog will be nose-bopping like crazy.
The next part of using “Touch!” out in the wild requires a bit of effort from you. If your dog has already spotted something fascinating, it’s too late. Even if your dog adores the game, it can’t compete with squirrel watching. You have to keep scanning the area, trying to locate possible trouble spots before your dog sees them. As soon as you do, move backwards a step or so, stick out your hand and say “Touch!” The added benefit is that you start moving away from the distraction. With luck, your dog will never know they missed the bunny running across your path.
“We can’t host Thanksgiving for the first time in decades!” One of our trainees was almost distraught at the thought. She loves her adopted rescue dog, but knows the dog isn’t party-ready. She has a holiday dog dilemma.
The dog is fearful around strangers, and will bark and snap.
She is helping the dog overcome his fear-aggression but realizes it’s a process that probably won’t meet her Thanksgiving deadline.
Dogs not invited
We love dogs and truly think the world would be a better place if everyone agreed with us. But we do recognize that dogs are only a part of our lives. Everyone has multiple priorities that require our time and attention. Family is first. And family traditions, like Thanksgiving, take precedence over dog training.
Just because dogs are members of the family doesn’t mean they have to be included in every family event. Especially when it would cause tremendous stress for both you and your dog.
Always another option
If our trainee’s event was only a single afternoon, it would be fine to confine the dog to a room far away from the festivities. If the dog is comfortable in a crate, use it. Turn on the television or a radio, give the dog a special treat, and leave the dog alone.
With a more extended event, if people are coming for several days, you can think about boarding the dog. There’s plenty of time between now and the holidays for you to check out boarding kennels near you, both their reputation online, and their physical facility. If possible, you can even book your dog in for a “practice” night.
Teaching party manners
Our student is relieved that she can continue both her family Thanksgiving and her pursuit of better socialization for her dog. Her goal is for her dog to be part of the festivities at home next year and avoid the holiday dog dilemma.
She’ll achieve this by building her dog’s army of “Cookie People,” both in her neighborhood and at home. She can enlist friends and neighbors to come over specifically for short dog-training sessions. It only takes a few minutes and does the dog a world of good to meet new people at home in a non-threatening way.
The objective isn’t for your dog to love everybody and be their best friend. It’s equally stressful if your dog jumps on your guests and won’t leave them alone.
The ideal is for your dog to say “Hi!” politely and then resume normal behavior. The dog shouldn’t be the life of the party.
If you think your dog is demonstrating impulse control when they sit motionless waiting for their food, you’re wrong.
You’re also wrong if you think impulse control is greeting guests with all four paws planted on the floor.
Both of these examples are trained behaviors, not impulse control. They’re both excellent things to teach your dog. But neither teaches the dog impulse control
What is impulse control?
Simply put, impulse control is the ability to think before you act and make good choices. In the examples, the dog has no choice. They’ve been taught what to do in each scenario and they’re doing it. They’re not “choosing” to be good. They understand what they should do and do it.
Years ago it was considered good dog training to tell your dog what to do at all times and make them do it. Our first mentor in training said “Never let a dog make a decision. They’ll always make the wrong one.” Fortunately, he’s changed since then. Now we know that good dog training is teaching dogs how to make good decisions. Impulse control is at the heart of good decision-making.
Ready for anything
Trained behaviors, like waiting to be released before eating, are perfectly fine for things that happen all the time. Mealtimes probably happen about the same time, in the same place, and in the same order every day. It’s an entirely predictable sequence that both your and your dog know and one that works for you.
Impulse control is the valuable tool your dog will need when confronted with different, unexpected, and unpredictable circumstances. Dogs’ innate instincts tell them they have two options, fight or flight. Dogs taught impulse control know that their first reaction isn’t necessarily the right one.
Give them the tools
If your dog acts without thinking it’s time to teach them the skills they need to make good decisions. A good place to start is our e-book Impulse Control.
Just this week we taught the game “Whatcha Gonna Do?” to our competition Obedience class. One woman, who has a Labrador Retriever, was convinced her dog would never catch on. He continued to lick and nibble on her hand, not trying anything else. But it only took about five minutes before he got the idea. She was ready to give up after three. Impulse control training may test your patience, as well as your dog’s. But many worthwhile things in life aren’t easy.
It may not be the fastest, most entertaining training game you play with your dog. But it may prove to be the most valuable training you ever share with your dog.
