You've Got Some 'Splaining to Do!

As some of you know, in addition to my life revolving around dogs, I'm into wildlife photography. Not long ago, I was standing at the base of a tree wanting to photograph a great horned owl. Unfortunately, I couldn't spot the owl no matter how hard I tried. The photographer next to me kept pointing up and saying, “It’s right there!” I still couldn't see it. The guy became more and more frustrated until finally, exasperated, he reached toward my camera and said, “Do you want me to take the photo for you?” Uh, no thanks, Mr. Cranky Photo Dude! What would have been helpful was a different way of explaining. Something like, “See that bottom limb on the right? The owl is right there in the V between the base of the limb and the tree.” That I would have understood, rather than pointing with increasing vigor and a raised voice, which only resulted in both of us becoming upset.

I think you can guess how this relates to dogs. When we're trying to explain something to a dog and he just isn’t getting it, all too often we double down. We repeat what we said the first time, only louder. As I tell my training clients, your dog can hear a potato chip hit the carpet in the next room. He heard you the first time! And in cases where a dog is barking and won’t stop, yelling, “Shut up!” will often encourage the opposite of the desired result no matter how many times you yell, as the dog only gets more amped up.

So, if not repeating a word or phrase isn’t helpful, what is? Well, it depends on the situation. Let’s say we're trying to teach a dog how to lay down from a sitting position. We move a treat from the dog’s nose down to the ground. The dog, however, just sits there watching the hand. He looks up as if to say, “Uh…what are we doing? And when do I get the treat?” Clearly, he doesn’t understand what’s expected. We could certainly give it another try or two, but if that doesn’t work either, what’s next? Do we become frustrated, and act like the cranky photography guy, throwing up our hands and saying, “Come on! Do you want me to lay down for you?” No. Since the dog obviously doesn’t understand what we want, we need to explain it to him another way. If he had dipped his head just a little bit when we lured him, we could try shaping the behavior, rewarding progressive increments until he’s finally lying down. If he’s a small dog (or if you have longer legs than me), you could lure him to crawl under your leg and shape that into a down. Or, you could sit him on a sofa and then move the treat below seat level, causing him to lay down to get it. You could even simply wait and capture the behavior when he lies down on his own. These are just a few examples of how you could explain what you want in a different way so that a dog gets it.

Being able to pivot on the fly when a dog doesn’t understand something is a skill good trainers possess, and is one that should be a goal of every owner. It puts a stop to frustration for the dog and for us, and keeps training fun. And that’s a pretty picture. ___________________________________________________________

You can find my books, seminar recordings, blog, and more at www.nicolewilde.com and follow me on Facebook @NicoleWildeauthor. My mentoring service can be found at Dog Trainer's Friend. And if wildlife photos are your thing, check out my Instagram at nicolewildeart.