May 22, 2023

“The biggest problem with positive reinforcement is how well it works, until it doesn’t.” – Pat Stuart

Does this sound familiar?

You watched some videos online about teaching your dog to sit, lay down, heel, etc. You bought a bunch treats he loves, and maybe you even took some lessons at that big pet store. You told him to sit and gave him a treat when he did. He’s so great at sitting in the living room, and he acts like you’re the only thing important in his world... Except when you go outside and another dog walks by. Suddenly, it’s as if you don’t even exist.

So what am I doing wrong? He’s such a good dog 99% of the time, but then there’s that one time when he doesn’t listen at all.

Well there are probably a few things that could be done better, but I’m going to focus on two.

(Warning: If you’re easily offended, you may want to stop reading here. I have no problem stepping on toes.)

Teaching the command & generalizing the behavior

First off, dogs are really bad at generalizing behavior. Let me explain: you teach your dog to ‘sit’ inside your living room and he becomes pretty good at it. However, the moment you walk outside, he seems to have forgotten everything. The dog learned how to ‘sit’ inside, but once something changed, he no longer knew what to do.

For a dog to generalize a behavior, they need to perform the behavior numerous times in several different environments, along with various distractions. When starting out, you are to teaching the dog how to ‘sit’ everywhere. Eventually they understand that sit means sit, regardless of where they are. Then a distraction comes along, which can really be anything — the wind blows, a bird flies by, there’s an interesting smell, or another dog comes within view. Now the process starts over, and your dog is learning how to ‘sit’ in the presence of distractions.

My dog only sits when he wants to.

Okay, now you’ve worked with your dog in various environments, and he’s learned to sit everywhere you go. He has successfully generalized the behavior. So why does he still not listen sometimes?

Simple — because your dog doesn’t have to listen to you.

WHAT? How could you say that?

I say it because it’s true, and it’s not something that any of the ‘positive only’ trainers would tell you. It’s not what you want to hear, nor is it what I want to say, but trust me. If it were truly possible to simply feed treats to my dog and she’d always follow commands, I would be on board 100%, but that’s not reality.

Let me explain it this way: I love Oreo cookies — they’re my guilty pleasure. I also have been known to have a lead foot when behind the wheel. However, if someone gives me an Oreo every time I drive the speed limit, I’ll probably abide by the speed limit more often, and I’ll be conditioned to want that cookie. Then comes a day that I’m in a hurry and decide I’d rather drive fast than get a cookie, so I surpass the speed limit... and nothing happens. Okay, I just learned that I get my favorite cookie if I follow the rules, but if I’d rather break them, nothing happens and it’s no big deal. So most of the time, I’ll follow the rules, but if I want to drive fast, I will because there are no consequences for my actions.

I won’t get a cookie? So what? Driving fast is awesome! And so is chasing after that squirrel, or lunging for that dog, or whatever else your dog wants more than that tasty treat.

Do you see my point? If we only praise for good behavior, but never introduce an aversive for bad, we teach the dog our commands are more like a request, and that there are no consequences for bad behavior. In turn, we’ve successfully trained a dog to listen to us when it’s convenient to him.

Using corrective collars when necessary

Okay Tom, I see your point but what am I supposed to do? Whack him with a newspaper when he jumps on my guests?

Absolutely not. There are humane ways to teach a dog that there are consequences for unacceptable behavior. In fact, the proper use of corrective collars or e-collars to enforce rules and boundaries is more humane, fair, and rewarding for a dog than having an owner who simply acts as a treat vending machine.

This is a good time to make a clarification: Do not go buy a prong collar or e-collar, slap it on your dog, and start doling out corrections every time he doesn’t listen to you. Corrective collars and e-collars get a bad name because many dog owners and sadly some dog trainers misuse them. Proper use of equipment is not an option — it is a requirement. Otherwise, you are not being fair to the dog and can end up doing more damage than improving behavior. Enlist the help of a professional and consult a variety of dog trainers until you find one that is most suitable for your canine companion. I can’t stress this enough: Do not start giving corrections to a dog unless you are a professional or under the direction of a professional.

When incorporating aversives into our training, we have to be absolutely sure we are clear and consistent with our communication to the dog. If you give a command, ensure your dog complies every time. If you give commands which are only enforced occasionally, the dog won’t understand when he needs obey.

When training a dog, there are two primary rules:

1. Don’t give a command you can’t enforce.

2. Don’t say ‘No’ without a correction. If you don’t add value to your words, neither will your dog.

Next corrections should be firm but fair.

Take an e-collar for example. A quality e-collar will have many levels of stimulation to choose from. We are looking for a level which is just enough for the dog to respond to it, but as low as possible. We are not ‘shocking’ the dog, but rather it should act as a tap on the shoulder.

Not only is it possible to train your dog to listen to you in all situations, but it is your obligation! Implement a quality balanced obedience training program, and put in the work to train your companion in different locations and make every outing a training opportunity. Be consistent with your communication and enforcement of rules, and give your dog the best education you can by enlisting the help of a great dog trainer!

If you’ve read this far, you probably care more about your dog than most other dog owners out there. Keep striving to better your communication and strengthen your relationship with your dog. There’s no reason you can’t have the most well-behaved dog on the block!

Originally published October 2018.

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