DOG TRAINING BY VALERIE
Valerie Balwanz, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, PMCT

Valerie Balwanz is a behaviorist who generously shares her expertise with the CAF to help new pet owners. Visit her website for more information about training, behavioral issues, and to contact her.

Dogs who refuse to cooperate. Dogs who know what you want and choose not to do it. Dogs who blow you off. Stubborn Dogs.
If your dog won’t do something, rather than label them “stubborn”, consider that one of the following might be true:

• Your dog doesn’t understand what you are asking in that particular context
• Your dog isn’t motivated / there is not enough reinforcement history
• You are being the Fun Police
• Your dog is stressed by something internal or external that is preventing them from working

Your Dog Doesn’t Understand What You Are Asking in That Particular Context

If you have taught your dog to sit in the kitchen and suddenly you are asking him to sit on an elevated grooming table, these are very different contexts. If you have trained your dog to Sit – its is not as though you have programed the behavior “Sit” into him and they can then perform it anywhere. What you have really trained is: Sit in Kitchen

Or perhaps more specifically you may have trained
Sit in the kitchen for Mom at 7:30 in the morning

But have you also trained
Sit in the kitchen for Mom at 7:30 in the morning when the cat is in the room

Or
Sit in the kitchen at 8:00 in the morning when the cat is in the room and the kids are eating breakfast

Or what about
Sit in the kitchen at 8:00 in the morning when the cat is in the room, the kids are eating breakfast and the dishwasher is running

And have you trained
Sit in the Kitchen for one of the kids at 8:30 in the morning while the cat is in the room and the dishwasher is still running, the garbage truck is rumbling by, and the neighbor’s dog is barking?

NONE of the above looks like
Sit on the grooming table when there is a fan blowing nearby and there is another dog barking at me and I don’t know that person holding the clippers.

Ok, so I may be exaggerating a bit here for the sake of making a point but I think you are getting the picture. The context is part of how your dog understands the behavior. Subtle changes in context do effect our dog’s ability to understand.
If your dog sits in the kitchen but not on the grooming table, they re not being stubborn. This is a Generalization problem. Your dog does not understand what you are asking in this context because you have not trained it that way.

So how do we aid in generalization? By making it easier for you dog to get it right, by bringing something familiar to the unfamiliar context such as a hand signal. Or maybe even a hand signal with a piece of food in the hand. Go Back to basics when a behavior falls apart and re-train. Your dog will remember quickly how to do what you are asking.

Your Dog isn’t Motivated
Being unmotivated is different than being stubborn.  Are you rewarding your dog with a mediocre Milkbone or are you passing out paté?  The truth is that your dog must be excited about working.  If you can find what motivates them, you will have a dog who happily participates in the training.

Does your dog prefer play over treats? Are you varying what you use as reinforcement? We become very predictable, always handing out the same treats.

Also keep in mind that your enthusiasm for the training will excite your dog and get them happy about working.  Ask yourself, do I sound like a drill sergeant? Am I having fun? Am I somebody that I would want to work for?

You Are Being the Fun Police
Your dog is chasing squirrels in the yard and you call them to come, then put them in their crate: Fun Police
Your dog is playing at the dog park and you call them to come, then leash up and leave: Fun Police
Your dog is chewing on a shoe and you say Drop It and snatch the shoe and don’t give anything in exchange: Fun Police
Your dog is eating Goose Poop and you say Leave It and pull them away without giving something tasty in return: Fun Police

Too many infractions of being the Fun Police will teach your dog that you are only there to wreck their good time. They’ve started to associate you, and your words, with things that are not Fun For Dogs. This is a huge relationship problem and in a way, is a sub-set of the above problem: Your Dog Isn’t Motivated. Re-examine your reinforcement: does your dog love the cookie or would they rather play tug? Did you forget to give reinforcement at all? Even a praise party will do! When you effectively said “Don’t do this” by asking them to drop the shoe, did you replace it with a toy, effectively saying “Do do this instead”?

Your Dog is Stressed by Something Internal or External
This is something that can be easily overlooked.  Stress can effect your dog’s ability to learn and it can affect their ability to perform.

Is the border Collie in the corner of the classroom giving your dog the eye?  Are you looming over your dog when asking for the Down? Is the tone in your voice one of “giving a command” or are you simply “requesting a behavior”?  Is there a thunderstorm rumbling in the distance?  These things are all external stressors that might affect your dog’s ability to work.

An internal stressor might be needing to go to the bathroom, feeling tired, being in pain, feeling queasy, or having an undiagnosed medical problem.

Learning to recognize your dog’s particular stress signals can help you understand how they are feeling. You can then take action to change the situation or remove him from the stressor.  This might mean changing your body posture so you appear less threatening, moving him away from the glaring Border Collie, implementing a behavior modification plan to help him feel more relaxed during a thunderstorm, or having a vet check up to rule out any underlying medical condition.

In Summary
Next time you think your dog is being stubborn, please stop and consider:

• Does your dog understand what you are asking in this particular context?
• Is your dog motivated?
• Are you being the Fun Police?
• Is your dog stressed?

Asking these questions will allow you to discover and address the real problem underlying your dog’s behavior.