3. I will not punish my dog for behaviors that stem from fear.

I will not punish my dog for barking IF/WHEN my dog is barking because of he/she is afraid or frustrated.  I may have to do some investigating to determine if my dog is afraid or barking to demand something.

I will try and remember that aggression stems from fear.  This means that when my dog is behaving aggressively (barking, growling, lunging) the cause was something that upset/scared my dog.

I will NOT make my dog's fear worse by punishing behaviors that my dog is not in control of (flight/flight is a reflex).

I will consider that my dog is frustrated, upset or fearful and needs Classical Conditioning.

I will give my dog only one definition per word.  I will consider that my dog might not be stubborn or stupid, but that she might NOT KNOW what I want.

I will take the time to deliberately teach my dog a new word when the situation calls for it.   I will also help my dog with hand-signals if needed.  I will be patient with my dogs, because while they are good at listening, dogs are limited in their language abilities.  

I will accept that my dog may know the word "DOWN" as a position (one that calls for the legs and belly/side to make contact with the floor).  I will try not to get mad at my dog for not really understanding all of the meanings this word.  If my dog is lying on the couch and I yell at her to "GET DOWN" I will understand that she might just lay there and wag thinking the whole time: "I AM, NOW WHERE IS MY REWARD."

I will remember that my dog is "LISTENING" to both my body language and my words -most dogs are better at reading body language that we realize.  I will try to remember, when my dog fails to respond, or responds incorrectly to my commands that she may have been missing a piece of the puzzle, or that I may have failed to see that she never really knew the word at all, but was "cheating" by reading my body language all along.

Take Home Message:  If your dog isn't doing what you want, maybe they really don't understand your words!  Consider that your dog may be guessing what you want an awful lot of the time, and that your dog might be a very, very good mind reader.  So good that they have you fooled into thinking they understand everything... except when they are being bad.  For more on fool-proof commanding read this.

This question came as a comment from the following post.

DECEMBER 27, 2008, 8:57 AM

My rescue dog is a large German Shepherd surrendered to a shelter by her owner in California. She is a good dog and smart but has never been trained. She had a computer name only so does not know her new name. I want her to come when I call her. She has never had treats. She takes them then drops them. I take her and my other rescue dog on walks on a leash but can not trust either to come back if they were loose. Any ideas. Thanks.

For your rescue GS I would recommend the following:

THEY LOVE OTHERS DOGS...  Why do they show it like this?

* What makes a dog behave badly on-leash?

* Is your dog trying to embarrass you?

* Is there anything you can do to change your dog's behavior?

Leash Reactivity is a common problem for dog owners/guardians.  True leash reactivity is defined by aggressive looking displays that are only seen when a dog's mobility is restricted by a leash.  

A similar problem called Barrier Frustration occurs whenever a dog is repeatedly allowed to see or hear something that it is never allowed to interact with.  This consistent exposure and repeated frustration eventually causes aggression.  In mild cases the aggression ceases if the barrier is removed.  In sever cases the aggression becomes so entrenched that even when the barrier is removed the animal will remain aggressive.  Most cases of barrier frustration involve aggressive displays towards people or dogs seen through fences or windows.

The last and final cause is a Classically Conditioned Response.  In other words the dog is taught to be aggressive.  I'm not suggesting this is done intentionally, but rather the opposite.  Classical Conditioning is a type of learning.  When an animal is Conditioned Classically (also called Pavlovian Conditioning) the animal is taught a relationship between two things, places, or events.  The relationship is INDEPENDENT OF THE ANIMALS BEHAVIOR, THOUGHTS, or ACTIONS.  

A typical case-evaluation for Classically Conditioned Leash Aggression looks like this.

1. The puppy is separated from its litter-mates and brought into its new home.

2. The puppy is unnecessarily kept away from all other dogs and puppies until all puppy shots have been given.  Incidentally most puppy shots are not complete until the pups are about 3-4 months of age.  By this age the pup is already through all of its Socialization Period and too old to acclimate to new people, places, and experiences quickly and easily.

3. The puppy is then allowed to interact with other dogs for the first time in about 2-months.  At the same time many puppies are unfortunately introduced to their first training collar.  In an ideal world an anti-pull harness would be worn and used by the puppy form the moment it first enters its new home.  Sadly many people are still using choke and pinch collars on young pups.

4. The puppy (on-leash) encounters its first dog.  In excitement the puppy pulls forward and the collar tightens.  The puppy pulls forward again and barks.  The handler, not knowing better and wishing to teach their dog good manners, jerks the leash back and "corrects" the puppy for the inappropriate barking.  At this moment the puppy DOES NOT LEARN:  barking is bad.  Neither does the puppy learn that barking is wrong.  Instead what the puppy learns is that everything is fine, UNTIL THERE APPEARS A DOG and then bad things happen.

**Imagine that you were in a dark parking garage and someone came up behind you and grabbed you.  You scream and so they stab you.  Would your first response be, "Oh, I probably would have been OK if I didn't scream."  No you would scream because it is your natural, human response to fear.  Barking is a dog's natural response to frustration or fear.  It makes no more sense to your dog that the leash correction is barking than it would make to you that screaming when grabbed from behind is the cause of imminent pain.

To further cement this relationship of events (Dogs + Leash = Yucky) the dog then gets to play off-leash with puppies in class or at the park or daycare.  When NOT ON A LEASH the puppy pulls towards a new dog and is immediately given access to the dog.  No pain, no choking, no problems.  The dog draws the obvious conclusion (Dogs + NO LEASH = Everything is Fine!)

Before your puppy reaches 4-months of age they should be comfortable having food, toys, and food items (bones, kongs, bowls) taken away.  This training is most successful when started early.  Ideally the puppy’s owner’s/guardian’s will encourage a wide variety of people to participate in these exercises daily until the puppy is 6-months to 1-year of age.

Sleep-Startle:  Letting your dog sleep on the couch, bed, or chairs does not make your dog a location-guarder.  Dog's who are genetically or behaviorally prone to guarding can and will learn to guard whatever they have access to, such as their dog bed.  Preventing guarding is not possible using management only (i.e. never letting your dog on the couch).  

I am especially prone to do these exercises with dog breeds that sleep deeply and get dug-into locations.  Hounds are notorious for liking warm, snugly locations and for disliking being disturbed while sleeping.  To prevent your dog from guarding locations you will need to complete several exercises including teaching your dog to LOVE being startled awake.

• Wait until your dog is sleeping soundly.
• Toss a pillow, sock, or other soft object at your dog's body.
• As soon as it hits your dog, cheer wildly.
• While cheering begin making your way to the cookie jar.
• Give your dog (or toss a treat if they did not move).  Make sure the treat is something really, really special.  I suggest dried meat, cheese, or a very, very large tasty dog treat that is soft and stinky.
• Repeat this often until your dog practically wags his tail and charges to the cookie jar once startled awake.
• Try loud noises next.
• Try petting your dog while it sleeps.
• Never punish growling.  If your dog ever growls, stiffens, snarls, or stares at you, contact a trainer immediately.

Bowl-Approach:  Teach your dog that people, hands, and faces (especially if you have kids) that approach their bowl are a good thing!  Dogs GUARD valuable things.  All dogs are natural guarders unless they have been deliberately bred to have less guarding.  Even with careful breeding genetic variations are a natural occurrence and it would not be impossible for two non-guarding dogs to produce some puppies that have a higher propensity to guard.  Punishment a dog for guarding will VERY LIKELY make the guarding worse.  Instead, plan ahead and begin some prevention exercises when your puppy is still young.

• When your puppy is eating, approach the food bowl and drop a tasty treat into the bowl.
• Then walk away.
• Repeat 2-3 times during the same meal.
• Repeat this until your dog wags her tail as she sees you approach.  This may take 10-20 feedings.
• Make sure your puppy is giving you a loose, wiggly, wag!
• When you are confident that your puppy likes this game, change the rules.
• Approach the bowl and add nothing.
• Approach again, touch your puppy, Feed!
• Approach again, and DO NOT TOUCH your puppy, non food.
• Repeat this every time you feed your puppy, until your pup only gets excited when you pet her.
• Change the rules again.  Push your puppy's head away from the bowl, FEED!
• Approach again, but only pet your puppy's back.  No Food!
• Approach again, push and feed.

Object-exchange:  When your dog has a toy, they should be willing to let you take their toy.  Growling is OK in play, but should not be accompanied by a stiff body, hard stare or any snarling (teeth show).  One great way to teach your dog to drop an item on request is by playing tug!  In addition to playing tug, teach your dog to LOVE having objects taken away.

• When your dog has a toy or bone approach your dog with a treat or another favorite toy.
• Temp your dog with the food or the "live" ball that you have.
• As soon as your dog drops their bone or toy, praise them.
• Reward your dog with a short game of tug or with the food treat immediately.
• Repeat often.
• When your dog catches on to this game, add a command.  Drop, Leave, Out are all common names for this command.  Say the command then tempt your dog.  If they get it right, praise and reward.
• If they do not drop the toy, walk away.  Try again.

Bone/Kong Swap: Feeding a dog with a Kong is a great way to make food-time into a energy burner.  I like to stuff all of my dogs daily calories into Kongs and to feed several Kongs each day.  Kongs are a great way to keep my puppies, busy, quiet and out of trouble.  Because the Kong is a valuable toy & a food-delivery device, dogs can become possessive over theirs Kongs.  Teach your dog that when you take the Kong, it is worth it!

• While your puppy is eating her kong, take the Kong away.
• Go to your kitchen and add something extra tasty to the top of the Kong -cream cheese, chicken baby food, peanut butter...
• Return the improved Kong to your pup.

Couch-Removal:  I like to teach dogs to LOVE being grabbed by the collar.  This is especially important for a dogs safety and for good relations in the home.  I do allow my dogs on my bed, couch, and other furniture.  The only rule is that they must get off if asked and they must tolerate my pushing and pulling them around and out of my way.

• Grab your puppy's collar and lead them 1-2 steps in any direction.
• Praise your pup the entire time.
• Then give your puppy a yummy treat.
• Repeat over and over again.
• Gently nudge your puppy with your feet, praise & treat!
• Say, "Off!" then grab your pup's collar.
• Guide them gently off the couch and praise them.
• Give your dog a treat.
• Never punish your dog if they growl!
• Contact a certified trainer immediately if your puppy growls or snaps at you.