dogtrip101.com

© 2009 Alana Stevenson

Not everyone who commands their dogs bullies them. However, the meaning of command is not helpful to humane training. A command conjures up the notion of obedience, deference, submission, and subordination. One must follow a command, or else. If one does not obey a command, there must be some sort of ramification or consequence. In training, this would be a correction or punishment. Furthermore, if one does not obey a command or order, then he is being stubborn, obstinate, and therefore, challenging authority.

By commanding a dog, this can place a huge burden on him. Dogs do not innately understand human language, mannerisms, or expressions. People assume dogs know languages such as, English, French, Spanish, Italian, and so on. Regardless of how inept people can be at teaching animals, including other humans, and communicating with them, we hold dogs to such high standards and expect them to understand us. Rarely do people take a look at themselves to evaluate what and how they are communicating to their dogs.

On the other hand, a cue is a prompt, hint, or suggestion. If one does not follow a cue, it is perhaps because the individual has missed it. Since a cue is a signal, the burden and responsibility are on the person doing the signaling. If the receiver is not responsive to a cue or prompt, the signaler has to find a way to make the receiver understand what she wants to convey. In addition, the signaler has to understand the individual who is receiving her messages. If the receiver is shy, inhibited, dismissive, or confrontational, the cues the signaler would need to send to the receiver would vary greatly. Therefore, there is more thought, skills, and self-evaluation needed for the person giving the signaling, if she is giving effective cues or prompts. It is easy for most people to bellow commands. No techniques, academic knowledge, or skills are needed.

Is there a consequence if one does not perform a behavior in response to a cue? It depends. It depends on the person sending the messages or delivering the prompts. It depends on the environment of the receiver. It also depends on the expectations as to the behaviors. For instance, teaching a dog to "heel" (walking next to an individual) can be taught by giving a dog cues or commands.

Please note: Dogs walk ahead of us because they walk faster than us. They do have four legs! To expect your dog to slow down to walk at your speed is asking a lot from a dog whose casual speed of walking is faster than many people's jogging speeds. It is not normal for a dog to walk behind you, despite how much you hear it is on a popular television series. Walking behind a slow person is very annoying and cumbersome to a dog, especially, if the person is a slow walker, or is giving a lot of reprimands or jerks to the dog on the leash.

How would a person command a dog to heel? What word would she use? Does her dog know the meaning of this word or signal? If so, how does she teach it? If she has been commanding her dog to heel next to her, more than likely she has little understanding as to how to teach her dog to walk beside her in the first place. She will probably use a choke collar, or a prong collar, or jerk her dog when he gets ahead of her or lags behind her. This jerking, pinching, or choking is the command. If her dog does not follow her command and continues to walk in front of her, she may call her dog stubborn, stupid, or obstinate, and will yank back on the leash. Her dog learns that every time she bellows “Heel!” he will be jerked, choked, or yelled at. Over time, the dog may indeed walk slower to avoid the leash yank. Of course, to learn by this method the poor dog had to keep repeating many failures and mistakes.

Few people teach their dogs the meaning of their verbal commands. They assume their dogs know the meaning of the words before they use them. Then when the dog fails to respond, they repeat themselves over and over again. For those people who are learning a new language; Have you ever spoken to a person who does not speak your language, and because you do not understand what this person is saying, the person simply repeats herself and speaks louder? Welcome to a dog’s world.

On the other hand, teaching a dog to ‘heel’ on a cue would be as follows: A person walks her dog on a leash and every time her dog walks next to her, she gives her dog a treat, praises him, or rewards him with a bit of running or play. Her dog will quickly realize that it is fun and beneficial to stay by her side. He will then approach her and stay by her side more frequently. If she ignores her dog when he walks ahead of her or lags behind her, or if she stops walking entirely, he can learn that he gets little to no attention for pulling, and walking may even stop. If she also rewards him by letting him off leash to play with other dogs every time he walks next to her or approaches her, ‘heeling’ gets rewarded even more. The person is leading the dynamics and interactions with her dog in a positive way. In addition, her dog is being rewarded. He understands that good things can happen for him when he stays near her or remains close to her. This approach easily extends to off-leash behaviors. Her dog will more than likely walk next to her even when he is not on a leash. He will find the behavior rewarding, and will want to do it voluntarily.

The person commanding her dog to heel on a choke collar will have difficulty getting this behavior when the dog is not on the choker or on the leash. Let’s face it, heeling is not fun for any dog if he is taught by punitive, painful, or uncomfortable methods.

Whereas following a cue is rewarding, following a command is not. Following a command is both worrisome and confrontational, and conjures up the notion of pain or force.

When I teach people to teach their dogs, I use words such as “prompts,” “cues,” “signals,” and “techniques.” In this way, dog owners stop to think about what it is they are trying to convey to their dogs. They begin to stop ordering their dogs, and they connect with their dogs in kinder, more intelligent way. Their dogs become more responsive and trusting. Both dogs and people benefit.

Alana Stevenson, MS is a professional Animal Behaviorist and humane Dog Trainer. She is the author of the "The Right Way the First Time, Teaching Your Dog Kindly and Humanely." She can be reaced at her website www.AlanaStevenson.com.