When Cujo Sez 'No' – Discipline in Dog Training

Some dogs are easy. Well … sort of. You know the one I mean. The dog who lives to make you happy and hangs on your every word. Most of the time, anyway. Okay, some of the time. He's a model citizen right up until a squirrel, a skateboard, a dropped french fry, a jogger, another dog, or a particularly interesting smell enters the picture. Then it's as if you've never met.

Sound familiar? If so, you probably spend a good chunk of your day repeating yourself and wondering whether your dog is stubborn, hard of hearing, or just messing with you. It's frustrating and it's exhausting. The good news is that it's fixable, and the fix starts with understanding why your dog says "no" in the first place.

Who's Running This Show?

Dogs are pack animals. So are we, when you get right down to it. Both species live in groups, form tight bonds with their family, and sort themselves into a pecking order whether anyone planned it or not. Some members push and some yield. Somebody ends up on top, and that somebody is the leader.

Being the leader is a real job. The leader decides where the pack goes, when it goes, what it eats, and when everybody lies down for a nap. The leader keeps the peace between squabbling members and stands between the pack and anything that threatens it. Nobody votes on this. The leader is simply the one everybody else looks to when there's a question about what happens next.

The job has perks. The leader eats first and takes the choicest portion. He sleeps wherever he wants, and if that spot happens to be occupied, it gets vacated. He gets groomed, fussed over, and treated like royalty. Toys, bones, doorways, the good spot on the couch - if the leader wants it, it's his, and the rest of the pack hands it over without an argument. And here's one most people never think about: the leader decides who gets close to him and when. Nobody barges into his space, leans on him, or bowls him over on the way out the door.

Now take an honest look at your own household. Who eats first? Who gets the comfortable spot? Who decides when the walk starts? Who gets jumped on and shoved past? If the answers point to a furry four-legged character, you've just discovered why he treats your commands as polite suggestions. The leader doesn't take orders from the followers.

Does this really matter? Absolutely. Can you change it? Yes. And no, you don't have to become a drill sergeant to do it. Leadership in the dog world isn't about shouting, shoving, or intimidation. A dog who is bullied doesn't respect you; he avoids you, and a fearful dog is a lot harder to train than a confident one. Real leadership comes from calm, consistent control of the things your dog values - food, space, attention, the fun stuff. When your dog sees you as the one holding the keys to everything good, training gets dramatically easier. For a full discussion of how to earn that position, see the article "The Pack Leader". Get that piece in place first. Everything that follows builds on it.

Does Cujo Know What You Want?

Once you've got your dog's respect and attention, the next question is one that trips up an awful lot of owners: does he actually know what you're asking for? "Of course he does," you say. "I've told him a hundred times." Telling isn't teaching, though. A dog who has heard "sit" a hundred times while being pushed, bribed, and hollered at may have a very fuzzy idea of what that word is supposed to produce. Before you can hold your dog accountable for disobeying, you have to be certain he understands the assignment.

Teach It, Then Prove It

Here's how you get certain. Teach the behavior step by step in a quiet place - your kitchen, your living room, somewhere boring. Go heavy on encouragement and light on corrections. If your dog offers something other than what you asked for, don't get rattled. Calmly and quickly guide him back into the right position and try again. No drama, no lecture.

Then repeat it. A good rule of thumb is a minimum of 25 clean repetitions before you can honestly say your dog knows the behavior. Not 25 attempts - 25 times he did it correctly. If you can't get that in your kitchen, he doesn't know it yet, no matter how many times you've said the word.

Two things matter enormously here. First, be exact. Decide ahead of time precisely what the finished behavior looks like - "sit" means his rear end is on the floor and stays there until you release him, not a quick dip and a bounce back up. Hold that picture in your mind and don't settle for less. Second, be consistent. If "down" means lie flat on Monday but a half-crouch is good enough on Tuesday because you're tired, you've taught your dog that "down" means "whatever I feel like doing." Accept no substitutes. Ever. And when he gets it right? Let him know. Enthusiastic, sincere praise is the fuel that makes a dog want to try again.

Take the Show on the Road

When your dog is nailing the behavior indoors, it's time to go outside, and this is where a lot of people get discouraged. You step into the backyard, give the command, and your dog stares at you like he's never heard the word. Don't panic. Dogs don't generalize well. In his mind, "sit" is something that happens near the refrigerator. The backyard, with its birds and smells and breezes, is a completely different situation.

So you start over, calmly, using the same process you used inside. The difference is that outside you're competing with distractions you can't control, so your patience and your standards have to stay rock solid. It won't take as long as the first time, but plan on another 25 good repetitions. Then the front yard. Then the sidewalk. Then the park. Through all of it, keep the picture of the finished product in your head and refuse to settle for a sloppy version. Praise generously.

Correction!

You've established yourself as leader. You've taught the behavior and proved your dog knows it, inside and out. Now's a good time to revisit corrections, because your dog must understand that there are no exceptions. When you ask, he does it. Period.

Think about why a dog disobeys. There are really only a few reasons. The big one is that he doesn't understand what you want, and you've already taken that excuse off the table. The other big one is that something else looks more interesting at the moment. The squirrel. The other dog. The smell. That's where corrections earn their keep. You have to be willing to correct your dog in a way that convinces him you're serious. Notice I said convincing, not harsh. A correction doesn't need to be rough to be effective. It needs to be meaningful to your particular dog, and above all, it needs to be well-timed.

Timing Is Everything

Timing is where learning to read your dog pays off. Dogs telegraph their intentions through body language before they act. The head turns. The ears swivel. The weight shifts forward. If you're paying attention, you can see the decision to disobey forming before it happens.

Say you've taught your dog to lie down on command. You give the cue, and instead of dropping, he glances toward the fence and starts to drift that way. If your correction lands right then - as the disobedience is beginning, not after he's halfway across the yard - you interrupt the intention itself and remind him there's an unanswered request on the table. That's a far more effective lesson than chasing him down 30 seconds later and scolding him for something he's already forgotten.

The worst thing you can do at this stage is let it slide. It's tempting. You're tired, it's just one time, he'll do it next time. But every time you ask and allow him not to deliver, you're teaching him that your commands are negotiable. Allow that often enough and you'll be fighting for reliable obedience for years. Now is the moment to insist. Calmly, fairly, every single time.

Practice, Practice, Practice

That's really all there is to it. Simple, yes. Easy, not always. The missing ingredient is practice. Set aside 10 to 15 minutes, two or three times a day, to work with your dog. Over time your timing will improve, your eye for his body language will get keener, and the two of you will start to work like partners instead of adversaries. That's when you'll realize you've got the Best Buddy you always wanted.

In Cujo Sez 'No' Part 2, I'll look at specific types of misbehavior and the corrections that fit each one.

Who you are to your dog is EVERYTHING

Shawn Hines
Dog Trainer, Best Buddy Dog Training