by Tracy Woodruff – Senior Trainer at K9 Connection
The title of this post is from the movie “Cool Hand Luke” and one of my all-time favorite movie lines. It sounds like such a simple answer in a complicated world, and it applies to so many aspects of life in general. I believe that we would all agree that it would be so much easier if we all just communicated more clearly.
Now, you are asking yourself how does this apply to dogs and dog training?
I hear often, “He is so stubborn,” or “She just won’t listen.” I don’t really believe that dogs are overtly stubborn or stubborn on purpose. I am not saying it is not possible, but I find it not often probable.
We must start with the understanding that any language other than dog is a second language to dogs.
Communication between dogs and humans needs to be learned on both sides of the conversation in order to achieve mutual understanding.
I often hear from clients, fellow trainers, and trainers I admire express similar sentiments about their dogs stubbornness and I often ask, “Are they really being intentionally difficult?”
If dogs are opportunists (which they are), what is the benefit of being willfully stubborn? If it is the goal of the dog to be successful, why fight it, why dig their feet in? No other species is as successful with humans as dogs are. No other species is as bonded to man as dogs are. So, what would be the purpose?
What I see and experience often is that the dog and human are not communicating on the same plane. The human thinks that because they have said “sit,” the dog understands that and must sit. If they don’t, then the dog is stubborn. I rarely teach a sit and I rarely ask for one. I will gladly teach it if asked. Why don’t I teach it often? My primary reason is that I often see dogs being forced into sit, over and over, often with the directive or command repeated over and over.
For some dogs, this method creates anxiousness, nervousness and anticipation. It amps them up and boom, out the door they go, out the gate they go full charge and back through the door, full charge. Going on walks, entering the vet, getting in the car, and other activities begin with chaos instead of calm or intent. By amping the dog up and creating all the things at that threshold, we have communicated poorly and created a situation that we don’t want.
That’s why we often here the statements of “He’s so stubborn and “he won’t sit at the: door, gate, street corner, and so on.” We need to pause and ask ourselves: “Is the dog stubborn, or did we fail to communicate what we actually wanted” Did we communicate the necessity of waiting in a calm state of mind?
I prefer to teach a simple “wait”, and sometimes, depending on the dog, a “back up”. If the dog gives a sit, a relaxed sit, fantastic! I then capture and mark it. Also, when possible and appropriate, I let certain behaviors come about organically. I give the dog time to work it out with as much guidance as needed. I feel the same about “place” and settling in general. I’m not big on forcing a sit or down on place. To me, “place” is meditation for dogs and if it is to be meditation, then it should be calm and settled.
I watch dogs being forced into a position too often, and then I watch the dog become anxious, worried, and so on. There are times when I will wait a dog out, letting them work through what they need to. I prefer to be quiet, giving quiet direction and communication. I will be the first to admit that my preferred methods aren’t always possible, and I am not necessarily referring to extremes or emergency situations.
Are we doing our best to make sure that the dog has a clear understanding of what is being asked? Taking the time to teach, show, mark, capture, reward, reinforce, correct, and give direction. Or, as humans often do, have we been impatient, impulsive, and rushed? Do we just expect that because we said “sit,” the dog immediately knows what we want? Or, when the dog won’t sit, do we say “Oh, so stubborn.”?
Another often observed example: The handler complains that the dog pulls on walks and then admit that they get frustrated, and blame the dog. The dog is “stubborn”, “won’t listen”, “just wants to do what it wants to do”.
They’re not entirely wrong because we ALL just want to do exactly what we want, when we want….but anarchy doesn’t work.
During the walk, did we take the time to explain–yes, explain—to the dog what the expectations are?
By explaining, I do not mean that we should sit down at the table with coffee in hand and have a full-blown conversation with the dog. What I mean is, are we using the correct tools for the dog? Is the snap on the leash too heavy? Are we using a collar that gives clear communication, or are we using a harness and encouraging pulling as a result of oppositional reflex? Are we using a flat collar that encourages pulling and the dog is choking itself trying to escape the pressure? Are we pulling back, creating even more oppositional reflex? Is the dog checked out because its nose never leaves the ground creating drive, pulling, and picking up speed? Have we taken the time to have a conversation via leash, to show the dog what the expectations are? Or do we blame the dog: “She’s so stubborn, she won’t listen.”
Here’s the thing: who really isn’t listening? More often than not, it’s the human that isn’t listening. The human is failing to communicate clearly, fairly, and effectively.
Let’s go back to the “sit”, particularly sitting for meals. Why? If that is your choice, great, no shade. But let me lay it out this way: food has value. When we demand that the dog sit for a meal and it takes repeating the directive over and over to the dog, they are so amped up that that when the bowl hits the floor they voraciously gobble their food and they learn to not trust you like they should with food or high-value things. What exactly are we communicating by demanding the “sit” before the meal? How about simply communicating that we want a calm mind, a nice wait, no rushing the bowl, or trying to grab all the food?
Over time, with clean communication and clear expectations, the dog sits waiting nicely or hangs back or must be called to supper. When we stop creating confusing communication, life gets easier.
The same goes for a solid recall of your dog when the human doesn’t take the time to teach it. The dog gets loose, the human gets the dog to come back, then proceeds to yell at the dog. Talk about a failure to communicate. All the dog thinks is “Why should I come back to you when I just get yelled at?” You can improve communication by working recalls every chance you get: out on a walk with a six-foot leash, in the yard, or park with a long line? How about throwing a party every time your dog returns to you because you are the best thing going? I whistle for my dogs and I reward them in some way every single time they return to me. My communication is exactly what I want and need it to be: clean, clear, and concise, and there is no confusion as to what is being asked.
Are we using “yes” and “no” in a way that makes sense to the dog? Are we providing clarity in our communication? Are we speaking dog, as in body language, and pairing the verbal? Are we proofing what we are asking or have taught? Or are we just blaming the dog for being stubborn? Are we on our phones and not paying attention?
Like us, each dog is an individual, with all idiosyncrasies that come with an individual personality. I often spend hours of my day watching dogs communicate. I love to watch them with each other and with humans; I find it fascinating. I’ll even change my position and sit on the floor or a step stool just to be eye level. I will sit on my porch very quietly and watch my own dogs play, silently observing and learning how to not be a failure at communication.