Understanding Dogs Part 11 – How To Be Consistent In Training Your Dog?

If there’s any sorcery to coaching your dog, it’s consistency. Your dog cannot understand “sometimes,” “maybe,” “perhaps,” or “only on Sundays.” He can and does understand “yes” and “no.” for instance, you confuse your dog when you inspire him to leap up on you while you are wearing old garments but then get irritated with him when he joyfully plants muddy paws on your best suit. Here’s another example : Bill liked to wrestle with Brandy, his Golden Retriever.

Then one day, when Gramps came to go to, Brandy flattened her. Bill was angry, and Brandy was confused – she believed roughhousing was an excellent way of showing tenderness. After all, that is what Bill had taught her. Infrequently dogs pick up consistent cues from sudden sources.

For instance, before leaving for work, Wendy always put Heidi in her crate. It was not long before Heidi went into her crate on her very own when Wendy was going to leave. “What a clever puppy,” thought Wendy, “She knows that I am going to work.” Dogs frequently give the look of being ready to read your brainwaves.

What occurs in actuality is that by observing you and studying your habits, they learn how to anticipate your actions. Because they communicate with one another thru body language, they swiftly become pros at reading yours.

What Heidi noted was that straight before leaving for work, Wendy usually put on her makeup and then crated her. Heidi’s cue to go into her crate was seeing Wendy putting on her makeup.

Then one evening, before dinner guests were to arrive, Wendy started “putting on her face.” When Heidi right away went into her crate, Wendy realized the dog had not been reading her mind, but had learned the routine thru observation. Consistency in coaching means handling your dog in a predicted and uniform demeanour.

If more than one individual is in the household, everybody desires to deal with the dog in the same way. Otherwise, the dog becomes confused and untrustworthy in his replies. So does this mean that you can never permit your little dog to leap up on you? Not in any way.

But you’ve got to teach him that he may only do so when you let him know it’s okay. But beware : Coaching a dog to make this difference is trickier than coaching him not to leap up . The more black and white you can make it, the simpler it’s going to be for Tommy to realise what you need.