Back to the Very Basics (part 5)

Have you ever wondered why your dog won’t come when you call?  Have you ever found yourself screaming at him and dragging him along because you are at your wits end?  We often get frustrated with our dog for not obeying.  This frustration usually leads to anger and, whether we realize it or not, we are sending our dog signals that he has no good reason to obey us. 

“Because Gordo won’t ever listen I usually end up screaming at him but it still doesn’t do anything,” says Somone Hicks of Riverside, “He just looks at me and I have to go get him if I want him to come.”   Somone’s 5-year-old bulldog, Gordo, has been ignoring her commands for years.  She let him get away with unacceptable behavior when he was a puppy and she has been paying the price for it ever since.

Almost every dog owner has gone through the frustrating experience of finding a “gift” left by the dog; be it a mess on the carpet or a dug up flower bed.  It is easy to relate to Somone in this situation but let’s look at the situation from Gordo’s point of view.  When Somone first called him over, it was in an angry tone and she scolded him for getting in the trash.  Now Gordo is thinking, ‘Mom called my name and I got in trouble. I don’t like that.’  Then a week later, Somone calls Gordo over again to scold him for chewing her shoe.  Now Gordo is thinking, ‘When she calls my name I get in trouble.  I’m not going to make that mistake anymore.’  Gordo has associated his name being called to getting in trouble and, naturally, he doesn’t want to get in trouble so he no longer comes when called because it means something bad will happen.  

The sad truth is, unless you catch your dog in the act of misbehaving, scolding does nothing to correct the bad behavior or keep it from happening again.  So while you may want to scream at your dog, if you have to call him over to scold him then it’s probably too late.

Dogs need discipline and boundaries but they also need a reason to obey.  The most reliable and successful training methods use positive reinforcement to give the dog a reason to obey.  This is accomplished by rewarding good behavior and making training sessions a positive experience (i.e. not an impromptu scolding).

To correct this negative association, practice calling your dog at random in a happy tone and give a reward when he comes.  Even if you want to scream at your dog for misbehaving, call him in a happy tone.  You can say whatever you want to the dog if it helps you vent your anger but you must do it in a happy tone.  Practing changing your dogs reason to obey and see what a difference it makes in your training.