Tag: dog behavior

Actually, your dog doesn’t know better

Ceilidh looks like she's feeling guilty about something.
Ceilidh looks guilty, but…

We hear it all the time. 

“My dog peed on the bed to spite me.”

“Fifi knows better – she did it because she was mad at me.”

“Phydeaux is so stubborn – he just ignores me when I tell him something.”

“Rover is so defiant. He knows he’s not supposed to do that!”

Actually – no. That’s not how dogs think. If your dog is sitting there staring at you after you’ve told her to do something, either she’s confused or she doesn’t know what you want. And, chances are, she’s afraid of making the wrong decision.

Dogs don’t think the way we do. They truly live in the moment, without comprehension of “cause and effect.” We know that, for many dogs, eating grass will result in vomiting. Dogs don’t know that. The “eating grass” is far enough removed (even if it’s minutes later) from the “vomiting” that the dog is incapable of making the connection. Even though Spot throws up EVERY SINGLE TIME he eats grass, he will never connect the two (causation) and develop a dislike of eating grass.

We humans make that connection so easily that it takes some doing to “think like a dog.” Trying to adjust your thinking, see things from your dog’s perspective, will help you communicate better with your dog.

Causation vs. correlation

Dogs learning with positive-reinforcement games are willing to try and keep trying. The worst consequences of “getting it wrong” for our dogs is lack of reward. 

That’s part of the difference in thinking. Dogs are good at connecting the dots – if I do good “stuff,” I get a treat, or I get to play. They excel at association, or correlation, especially if the things (behavior and reward) are close in time. Dogs see the relationship between the two events (correlation). 

It’s why the “clicker,” which is a “bridge” to the reward is such a valuable tool. It lets the dog know that, right now, I was a good doggo. Even if the reward is delayed, the dog knows it’s coming.

If, however, a dog is punished or negatively reinforced for incorrect behavior, he may develop a fear of doing the wrong thing. The consequence can be that the dog either does nothing (stares at you), or, since he can never “win,” gives up and does whatever he feels like doing (defies authority). 

It’s not easy to adjust your thinking. People are always in “if this” then “that” mode. From the time we’re infants we’re taught to think of the consequences of our actions and to plan for the future. Dogs’ brains don’t work that way.

We can learn a lot from our dogs about how to be “in the moment” and enjoy every day as it comes. It can be frustrating at times, like when you see your dog eating grass again. And it can be joyful as every single toss of the ball is as much fun as the first one.

Smart dogs find a way

Teddy the smart French Bulldog figured out that he'll get treats by sitting on the kitchen chair. He's teaching Booker the Boston Terrier this trick.

With 2-Minute Training, you may be creating a monster! A smart dog who can solve problems all by himself! Smart dogs will inevitably find a way.

We had to laugh this week when we saw a post on social media. It was in a group for positive reinforcement dog training. This person’s Basset Hound had moved a chair up to her kitchen counter, jumped up, stole the roast she had defrosting on the counter, and eaten it. She wanted to know how to prevent her dog from doing “naughty” things when she wasn’t home.

Almost everyone responded exactly the same way – don’t leave your roast on the kitchen counter!

Be ready for trouble

When you teach your dog, as we do here in 2-Minute Trainers, to think for themselves and find solutions to the questions we ask, they will learn to apply their new abilities to other aspects of their lives. 

And you have to prepare for smart-dog behaviors you’ve never seen before, and would never have thought of! It happened to us, as well. We “stage” our dogs’ dinners in the dining room, setting their bowls on the table while we prepare our own meal. Our dining room chairs are on casters, and while we were prepping dinner we heard the unmistakable sound of those casters moving on wood floors. 

We went in to see what was happening. Simon (Fran’s year-old Boston Terrier) had moved a chair, jumped on it, and was helping himself to dinner! While we admired his problem-solving ingenuity, we also started staging the dogs’ meals elsewhere. 

Never before

None of our dogs had ever thought to do that before. So we were surprised when Simon did think of it. All his life, he’s been rewarded for thinking and coming up with new “answers” for the “questions” we ask of him. We’re the ones to “blame” for his creativity. We were proud of him for thinking of it. And we were laughing too hard to get angry about it. And we don’t leave unattended food on the table any more.

As each of our smart dogs has gotten “creative,” we’ve adapted the way we do things. No one can control a situation when they’re not there. So if you’re not there, change the situation. We can’t expect our dogs to abide by rules they don’t know, especially if we’re not there to teach them.

Smart dog kitchen rules

We were right there when Teddy, Hope’s French Bulldog, decided he would “help” us prep dinner. He was allowed to sit on the kitchen chair, but one day he decided to jump up on the adjacent table where food prep was happening. He was, needless to say, promptly removed. Although, again, there was a lot of giggling going on.

From then on, Teddy was taught to maintain his place on the chair. He was rewarded for sitting politely and observing. And got an “oopsie” (non-reward marker) for putting his paws on the table. When he sat back down, he got a treat and a “Good off!” Soon he learned the word “Off.” 

Perils of positivity

There are some who will point out that Teddy was, in fact, a very smart dog and “played” us to get the treats. That’s true, at least in part. He knew what behaviors would get him rewarded. 

That’s the deal we make with our dogs. When they do the “right” thing, they get rewarded, whether that’s a treat, praise, or petting. And, in return, we get the joy of living with smart dogs!

My puppy has a temper

He’s great, but …

It’s not easy learning that your puppy, in addition to all his wonderful qualities, has a temper and can be aggressive toward other dogs. Simon just turned one year old. He’s a tiny little thing, but has a HUGE personality and a hair-trigger temper. Once he’s had enough play (usually with my sister’s French Bulldog, Torque), it’s almost as if he says, “That’s enough! I’m done with you!” and turns into a snarling little demon.

It’s my job to fix that. 

Tango, Brussels Griffon

Fortunately (or unfortunately?) I have experience with turning an aggressive dog around. Tango, my 10-year-old Brussels Griffon, is much better now, but when I got him (at 11 months old) was reactive towards everyone. When Tango was young he hated everyone that wasn’t me. Even my sister. Since we live together, that was a big problem. Hope hand-fed Tango his dinner for weeks until he accepted her. He still wasn’t crazy about her, but we could all live together. 

Work in progress

Day after day, week after week, month after month, even year after year, Tango’s training was a top priority. I knew that he could be an excellent agility dog but I didn’t want him branded as aggressive. We had to be able to walk together through crowds, down the street, through a parking lot when I had my hands and arms full of crates, treats, toys, and other paraphernalia. So, while we were going to class for agility fundamentals, I was also training him to be a good pet.

It was essential to keep him focused on me at all times. I was vigilant about our surroundings and noticed what was going on around us at all times. If anyone was approaching, I made sure to start a focus behavior. At first the approaching person / people / person and dog had to be at a significant distance. As Tango started accepting that other beings were allowed to exist on the planet, the distance could be slightly reduced. This was not a matter of days or even weeks, but months.

Focus phrase

A key phrase that I used to keep him focused on me was, “Cute dog!” I did not say anything at first – remember that we were at a significant distance. When Tango looked at me, I’d say our focus phrase and give him a yummy treat. If he kept looking at me, I’d give him another treat and say something like, “Yes, you’re the cute dog!” Eventually I could say the phrase when he wasn’t looking at me and Tango’s eyes would latch onto my face. 

Why the phrase “Cute dog?” Even though Tango is small, I didn’t want people to see him as aggressive. People look at aggressive dogs differently. Their posture is different. But when someone sees a little fuzzy dog and hears that phrase, they’ll have a smile on their face. 

Tango and I competed in agility for quite a few years, and he advanced to the Master level. We walked confidently through crowds at trials and Tango kept his attention on me. I still don’t trust him completely. I’m always watchful when we’re out and about, but he’s worlds better than he was as a puppy.

Phrase that pays – again

So now I have to train Simon to keep his attention on me. I’ll be training the “Cute dog!” cue and I’ll also be doing other small tricks to keep him engaged when we’re waiting for a red light on our walks. 

Those small tricks? Fun stuff for treats, like hand touches, spins, simple position exercises. 

And Simon is learning to come to me when I call him. That’s proving to be very useful when I see him starting to ramp up in his play.

I know that it won’t be done in a day, and Simon may never play nicely with dogs that aren’t in the family, but that’s OK. He doesn’t have to play with other dogs. And there’s no deadline for having a nice dog.