We always went to my Nana and Grandad’s house for Sunday lunch when I was a child. Afterwards, we were allowed to listen to records.
One of my favourites was of the wonderful Joyce Grenfell doing her nursery school monologue. Her imagined children were many and varied and got up to all sorts of trouble. One was called George. We never knew exactly what he was doing but every so often Joyce would pause her narrative and simply say “George, don’t do that” in a rather disgusted tone.
Your dog does all sorts of things you’d rather he didn’t, as well.
Yesterday evening I was on an online call and I asked Himself to make sure Gus stayed out of my study. Gus was not happy at his exclusion. For several minutes he whined outside the door, but when that had no effect he let himself out of the back door and ran around the house to the outside door to my study and scraped and barked there. (To his annoyance I still didn’t respond.)
It’s so easy to say “No” to your dog when he does something you don’t want him to. You say it meaning you don’t want him to continue or to do that thing.
But dogs don’t speak English. They’ll often learn when your tone of voice and facial expression means you’re not happy about something, but they do not understand the word No.
It’s also a pointless thing to say. The dictionary definition is “a negative used to express dissent, denial, or refusal, as in response to a question or request”. Your dog has not asked a question.
Imagine you’re washing up. Your partner turns round and says “No” in an annoyed tone. What would you think? That they don’t want you to do the washing up? That they want you to stop moving and stand still? That they want you to leave the washing up and do something else?
Just saying “No” does not convey any sort of meaning because no question had been asked.
Which is why our dogs don’t understand “No” either.
Rather than saying “No” when your dog does something you don’t want him to, think what you want him to do instead and help him to do that – then reward him really well.
If your dog whines at the door to be let in, ignore him until he’s quiet, then allow him in.
If your puppy bites your shoes or trousers, stay very still and dangle a rope tug toy in his view. When he grabs that, praise him and play tug with him.
If you dog jumps up at visitors, use a lead to make sure you can stop him getting close to them and reward him heavily for keeping all four paws on the floor.
See? Easy! And all without saying No.
Keep training,
Carol