Sending Your Puppy Mixed Signals

Trying to communicate with your dog and have him understand what you want can be frustrating if the dog just doesn’t seem to get it. Imagine the dog’s frustration at trying to figure out what you want. Often these little lapses in communication are a direct result of an owner’s inconsistency. Though you will likely think you are issuing the exact same command time after time, from the dog’s perspective you could be changing things up considerably.

Here’s an example to allow you to see things from the dog’s perspective. Let’s say you are bathing the dog. The dog gets tired and decides it’s time to sit down and take a rest. In your frustration you firmly tell the dog, “don’t sit.” Since you have failed to teach the dog conversational English, the dog gets nothing from the “don’t” part of the command. All he recognizes is “sit.’ So, l that’s what he thinks you want him to do. Can you imagine how frustrating it must be for the dog to do exactly what he thinks you want only to be scolded for doing it?

There is nothing more important in dog training than consistency. Dogs can understand many commands by they must be simple one or two word statements. These statements must also be issue in the same tone of voice each time. Dogs are very aware of body language and the sound of your voice so saying the words as a question one time and shouting them the next will confuse the dog.
You should also be consistent in how you want the dog to act. If a certain behavior brings praise one day and scolding the next, the dog will start to think you are crazy. Don’t tell the dog to hop up on the couch and sleep in your lap one day and the next scold him for being on the couch when you get home from work. Another good example is jumping up on people. When you are playing, you might encourage him to put his front paws up on you. Then, when you are dressed for work the same behavior will anger you. Think about it from his point of view.

If you are putting in hours of training time and don’t seem to be getting the results you expected, your first step should be to re-evaluate your own behavior. If you are objective, you will likely find things that you are doing wrong. The blame is rarely with the dog. Have others observe you as you work with the dog. They will often notice areas in which you are inconsistent. Dogs operate in careful patterns. Make sure you do too.

One way to help avoid confusion is to use visual signals along with your voice commands. This extra sensory input not only helps the dog to learn but also can be useful if the dog is far away. Dogs that can recognize a “come” command hand signal can help avoid a lot of problems. If you choose this route, make sure you stay consistent and don’t make things worse with confusing signals.