It's All in a Word

- by Gillian Ridgeway, AHT

It is one task to teach a dog to sit or lie down, and it is another task altogether to alter the behavior of your dog. When dealing with dog issues, it is quite common to hear dog owners seeking help. How to train the dog to stop growling at the mail carrier, or to train their dog to not be fearful when in the car, or even to train their dog to not whine when left alone, are common areas of concern.

Let’s take a look at semantics. Training is listed in the dictionary as to teach a specific skill by practice or improve abilities as a result of instruction. Looking up the word behavior will show us it means the way one conducts oneself…manners, an observable pattern of actions especially in response to stimuli. Quite different from each other when laid out clearly.

Sit, lie down, and coming when called are all examples of a specific skill set. They are clear-cut. You can look for an action and reward that action repeatedly. By doing this you are likely to teach your dog, or train your dog, the desired word. It may also have some bearing on behavior, depending on how the words are used.

Use words you have used in a training session to help sort out perceived behavioral issues. If you have a dog that growls at other dogs that approach, some feel that teaching that dog to lie down will rectify the situation. I have not found this to be the case. This might help the dog owner in that moment, but will not necessarily help in the long run, and it is the long run that we should be concerned about.

You may even find yourself exacerbating the issue by covering it up with obedience training. It is like layers of an onion, being placed over the seed of the problem. Unless the seed is dealt with, at some point the layers of training will be removed and you will still have a dog with issues that have to be dealt with.

This is where things can get a bit confusing. There is lots of discussion lately on the use of food in training. For training (or teaching) a word or behavior, it is a great choice. It clearly defines exactly the word you are looking for. You ask a dog to sit you lure him into the sit, and treat him for the sit. Over time, as your dog becomes more proficient with the word sit, you start to wean the food. You can then use food mainly for new and improved words. You don’t use it for every sit, but can use it for a nice tidy sit beside you. You can also use food to up the criteria. By asking your dog to sit at a distance, you can reward him for this newer behavior. This is training.

Where using food is not always your best option, is with some types of behavioral issues. Dogs who are truly aggressive (not simply reactive) or dogs who suffer from separation anxiety are just a couple of examples of dogs who would do best with re-establishing a relationship with their owner with help from a trainer/behaviorist. I believe a lot of confusion over treat training stems from the confusion between training and behavioral work.

Another prime example of this confusion comes when dog owners bring their dogs into a training class. This is a great way to start with your dog, to get you both off on the right foot (paw?) and brings a lot of fun to the whole family. The exception to this is if you have a dog with a behavioral issue, which is not addressed in the class curriculum. Most group training classes for dogs address words your dog needs to increase communication between the two of you. Again, these words can be “sit”, “down” and “come” or can be more complex such as “roll-over”, “spin” or “take a bow” in a Tricks class . In dog sports, the words often taught are “out”, “go” and “side”, again to increase communication.

If you have a dog who lacks social skills, who reacts in a negative fashion towards other dogs, or who is overwhelmed by a group of dogs, then attending a training class might not be your first option. This can be disappointing to some dog owners, who had a vision of their pup joining in all the fun but at this stage of the game, it is better to discuss options with your trainer.

Trainers are required to teach certain skills to dogs, and their people. Many trainers are also well-versed in canine behavior, which means they know how to adjust the behavior of the dog to confirm to societies needs. They know that often teaching a dog a physical word, such as "sit” will help a dog to understand what not to do, such as jumping on people. It is impossible to do both behaviors at the same time.

Again going to the dictionary, relationship is defined at a kinship, an emotional connection or association. This is what we strive for with our dogs. We want a relationship that is solid, based on trust on both sides. Sometimes the readjustment of your dog’s behavior will be necessary for you to reach this goal. Sometimes it is not only a matter of teaching Sparky to come when called, sometimes it is a matter of truly understanding your dog.

With this in mind, please bear with your trainers, who are always keeping your dogs’ best interest in mind. Our intentions are always for the betterment of your relationship with your dog. If your trainer offers behavior advice, or recommends behavioral work along with your training, take it to heart. While we are not psychic, we can often predict future behavior by our experience with past behavior.

Keep up the good work, teach dogs how to have manners and be respectful, show them how to conduct themselves in public, but remember to have fun! Teaching your dog how to retrieve a frisbee…priceless.

Gillian Ridgeway, AHT, has worked with dogs for over 32 years. She is director of Who’s Walking Who in Toronto and Ajax. A consultant for Dogs, Dogs, Dogs!, Gillian also writes for Dogs in Canada. She has appeared on Dogs in Canada TV, Global television, Q107 radio and in Toronto Life, and is co-author of the book, “Citizen Canine.” She travels with the SuperDogs Performance team and teaches learning theory at University of Toronto. Gillian can be contacted at 416-465-3626; www.whoswalkingwho.net