Does your dog understand?

9 Jan | Posted by Holly Keeling | no comments | dog, heel, lead, pulling, puppy

Today I saw a gentleman battling with his dog, shouting at and pushing it every time it pulled him on the lead. They got little further than two metres each time before he would reprimand it for pulling him. It got me thinking, does his dog know what he wants it to do?

In short, no. It’s highly unlikely. Dogs don’t understand English. They learn by doing; if something works and/or is rewarding they keep doing it, if it isn’t, they will, more often than not, stop doing the behaviour. In this case, the dogs pulling because he wants to get where they are going quicker. Its nothing to do with him being naughty or trying to be ‘the boss’. He learns that that’s what walks consist of. The punishment from his owner will do little more than break their bond and teach him that is owner is unpredictable and causes discomfort. He has no idea why his owner is shouting at and pushing him.

How could it be done better? Take the time to teach the dog what you DO want, don’t focus on what you don’t. Use treats and friendly, excited voices to keep your dog engaged and working with you. Reward them heavily for walking by your side so that they are more likely to keep doing it. Start at home in an environment that is less distracting to give your dog a chance of learning this new behaviour. Build up distractions slowly.

On the flip side, make sure sure your dog doesn’t get to go forward if they are pulling. Instead, turn and walk away from whatever they are pulling towards. Only go forward if the lead is loose so your dog is able to tell the difference between pulling and not. Punishing your dog is only going make them nervous of you, aggressive towards you or over excited. All of which can be avoided.
In summary, reward the good, prevent the bad and take the time to teach your dog what you do want in multiple, short sessions.