My Sidekick and Me: Cooperation

By Lisa Desatnik, CPDT-KA, FFCP, FDM, CPBC–Pet Behavior Columnist

Something to think about when it comes to dog training (or parrot training or training any other animals) …if you demand or beg for participation, it is not REALLY about cooperation. It is applying pressure, coercion, even force. You may notice more dog stress signals or avoidance. You probably will not see an eager willingness to stay in the training game. Let’s talk about that. 

It is a common dog training problem. 

People may feel pressured to get their dog or puppy to do what they want because they do not want to be embarrassed around others, because they have a short period of time to work and need to get the training in, or because their pet is just not doing the wanted behavior. 

Often what happens is their dog will begin to check out or shut down. Their pet may feel the need to move or look away, lay down with his head on the ground, go off to sniff or zoom or do anything else. They may notice a yawn, lip lick, tail lowered, blinking eyes, furrowed brows, and/or change in breathing.

The more frustrated these people get that their dog is ‘blowing them off’, ‘being stubborn’, or ‘not listening’, the more they beg or even demand for participation. Frequently people do not even realize they are applying pressure but I see it in their dog’s response to them. 

It can be overwhelming to the learner. And it can become an unpleasant cycle for both the teacher and the learner. Think about that if this is happening to you. 

The more you apply pressure, the more that lesson is becoming stressful and unpleasant. The less you are giving your dog control and choice, known as agency. Training is becoming something that is just not fun at all. 

If you want your dog to be engaged, to want to pay attention, to want to keep trying, that is NOT the way to get there. 

Whether you are teaching dog manners or a sport or ‘trick behavior’, it is still about using your pet’s brain and body, getting to do things and eat things that your pet enjoys, and associating those things with you.
It is about setting your pet up to succeed, not fail. 

Ask yourself:  Is the environment too distracting or scary for your dog to be able to focus on you? Are the reinforcers you are using of value to your dog? (Only your dog gets to choose what is of value.) Would it be helpful to break down the behavior into smaller pieces to make learning easier? Can you use a higher rate of reinforcement?  Have you trained too long? Is there something physically making the behavior you are trying to teach difficult for your dog?

Training should still involve agency.  Agency refers to an individual’s ability to have some kind of control of his/her environment, decisions, and life. To be able to make his/her own choices. To be able to learn from those choices. To feel empowered. 

Here are a few examples of how I have incorporated agency with my dog training clients:

Brutus was afraid to get onto the scale at his veterinarian’s office so we taught him to get onto different surfaces with a paw targeting game where we reinforced him by tossing a treat away, setting him up to repeat the behavior. Without stress or fear, and only positive reinforcement, he quickly learned getting onto unfamiliar surfaces was good, not scary. 

For dogs who have shown reluctance to having leashes or harnesses attached, I have taught them to participate in the process. 

When a dog is exhibiting distance increasing behaviors such as barking, lunging, growling, or running away, teaching caregivers how to recognize early dog signals and then teach their dog to move to a place of ‘feeling safe’ is important. With one such dog, he learned all he had to do was look away for his leash handler to say, “I hear you. Let’s go” and walk him farther away. 

In conclusion, keep in mind, there are SO many potential reasons why your pet will ‘check out’ of a training lesson. Pressuring your dog will more than likely create a negative association with training. Instead, pause, and ask yourself the questions above before trying again.  

An important foundation to training is teaching your pet that training is fun, listening to you is fun, working is fun. And it is totally worth the effort! 

Lisa Desatnik, CPDT-KA, FFCP, FDM, CPBC, is a certified dog trainer, a certified dog bite prevention educator, a certified Family Dog Mediator, and the first trainer in Hamilton County to earn Fear Free certification. She is also a licensed Family Paws Parent Educator. She is committed to using and teaching the most positive, science-based approaches to changing behavior. For more information, visit www.SoMuchPETential.com.