Are you tired of saying “NO” to your dog?

Are you frustrated and angrybecause no matter how often you yell "NO" your dog just doesn’t listen and stop their bad behaviour?  If this is you, read on!

To improve your mood and to see a change in your dog’s behaviour, start:

1. Saying 'YES!' to your dog's good behaviour
2. Reinforcing what you want with something your dog likes

Say "YES!" to what you want

Let’s say that I am renovating my home and I currently have a large hole in the floor.  I cover the hole with a carpet so that my home doesn’t look quite so messy.  I invite you over for tea and I bring you into the living room before I walk away to get the tea and baked goods. 

You aren’t sure what to do so you decide to sit in the comfy chair on the other side of the living room.  As you start to move toward the chair, I turn and yell “NO”.

I will get your attention and you will most likely stop moving but besides making you feel flustered, embarrassed and possibly upset that I yelled at you, you have no idea why I got so mad.

It would have been better for both of us, if instead of yelling “NO”, I

1. Put up a barrier around the hole to prevent you from stepping in that spot
2. Asked you to sit in the chair off to the side. 

With two simple changes, I could keep you from injury and you would have a clear idea of what I wanted you to do instead.

We need to take the same approach with our dogs.

If I don’t want my dog chewing on the furniture, how can I restrict access?  Would I prefer that my dog lay down on his mat and chew on a food stuffed toy instead? 

Make a list of what you don't like your dog doing and list what you want your dog to do instead.

You list could look like this:

1. Instead of following me around the house, stay on the couch
2. Instead of standing right at the door, sit a few feet away from the door
3. Instead of begging under foot in the kitchen, stay on your mat
4. Instead of begging at the table, stay on your mat
5. When you see another dog, check in with me

Set aside a portion of your dog’s daily food allowance and include some yummy cheese, chicken, or liver for extra impact.  Think of this as your “YES!” bowl!

Each time you catch your dog doing something that you like, give him a treat.  Do that all day until the food in your "YES!" bowl is used up.

If you reinforce your dog for what you want, you will get more of that behaviour because dogs (like us) do what benefits them. 

This week, make yourself feel better and start saying “YES” and reinforcing your dog for what you want rather than saying ‘no’ for what you don’t want. 

Happy Training
Heather