Polite Dogs Get What They Want

Inspired by a lovely Dobie in one of our classes...

Dogs do what works.  If jumping up on people gets them attention, they will continue to jump up.  If they get the treat out of your hand when they are “sharky”, they will continue that behaviour.  If they get to go where they want to go by pulling on the leash, they will keep pulling.

One of the ways to train your dog to be polite is to make sure that you don’t give him what he wants if you don’t like what he’s doing.  Sounds simple, but sometimes it’s a challenge.

Think about what your dog wants in any given situation.  Is it a food reward?  Attention?  Petting or affection?  To move forward?  Then think about what he is doing to get it.  Sharking your hand to get at the treat?  Jumping up on you when you greet him?  Grabbing your hands in his mouth?  Pulling on the leash?  If you don’t like the behaviour he is doing, then you need to make sure that your dog never gets what he wants unless he gives you a behaviour that you want first.

For example, if you want to stop your dog from jumping up on people when he greets, ask yourself what your dog is getting out of that behaviour.  He is probably getting attention, even if that attention is negative.  That attention is reinforcing (that is, it means something to the dog and increases the likelihood that he will repeat the behaviour, in this case jumping up).  The way to train your dog not to jump up is to take away the reinforcement for the behaviour, in this case the attention.  Do not look at your dog, don’t scold him, don’t push him off with your hands – all of this is attention, and will make it more likely that your dog will keep jumping up.

Instead, cross your arms across your chest, turn your back and ignore your dog.  Only give your dog attention when he has four feet on the floor.  It will take many repetitions of this response to change what your dog does – think of how many times your dog has jumped up and received attention for it.  You have to un-do all those repetitions with your new response to the jumping up.  And your dog might go through something called an “extinction burst”, where he sees that what worked for him before isn’t working now, so he tries even harder.  Stick to your new response, and it will work eventually.  Changing behaviours takes time, commitment and consistency.

This process will work faster (and better) if everyone in the dog’s life follows the same rules.  So if your partner lets your dog jump up but you don’t, your dog is getting conflicting messages.  Everyone has to work with the same rules, it’s only fair to the dog.

Remember that dogs do what works.  If your dog keeps repeating a behaviour you don’t like, then he is getting something out of it.  Try to think like your dog to see what he’s getting out of the behaviour.  Then, stop letting him have it.  Easy, but not simple.  Persevere and you’ll teach your dog that polite dogs get what they want, and rude dogs don’t.