Pointing when saying ‘no’ can confuse your dog
Our dog is struggling with the word “no.”He gets into mischief a fair bit: jumping on people, stealing food, running off with shoes and pulling apart the wastepaper baskets. When he misbehaves, I try to be clear, pointing at the deed and saying, “No.” Instead of respecting this, he often rushes towards it. How do I teach him that no means no?
There are a large number of problems with this strategy. While the desire to be clear may be well-intentioned, pointing to highlight a mistake usually fails.
Then lies the first problem. Dogs can learn that our words predict various consequences. But they are not born understanding human language. Not even human infants are born knowing what words mean. Thus we need to be extra cautious with animals.
The word “no” is trickier than other words. It implies many things ranging from no jumping to no barking to no stealing. “No” can mean many things. Many people try to compensate for the confusion by pointing at damaged items. Pointing usually adds more confusion.
Most dogs have a history with finger pointing. We point to dropped treats, toys, bones and other objects.
Repeatedly we send the message that pointing means, “Goodies here … take it.” Our finger accidentally becomes a hand signal telling the dog to look and take.
This is problematic when people point to things that they want the dog to avoid. Pointing at the garbage while saying, “no” sends conflicting information. Our words say, “no” and our hands say, “take it.”
The vast majority of dogs will attend to the gesture and not the word. We humans are notorious for unknowingly sending mixed messages.
Instead of focusing on saying no, teach the dog what to do. Teach an automatic leave it. Reinforce the dog for staying on the ground, before they jump. If the dog cannot be actively supervised, use management. Put objects and trash out of reach. Prevent the dog from rehearsing unwanted behaviours. Our puppy had a horrible first nail trim with a “professional.” She was fighting and screaming the whole time. Now if anyone shows her a pair of clippers, she runs, hides and urinates from fear. How can we ever get her to be OK with nail trims?
Unprofessionally. Now that the damage is done, it will take time to rebuild trust. There are several options.
The easiest is to switch tools. Many dogs have their nails done with a Dremel tool. It’s a fresh start.
The second possibility is for dogs to file their own nails.
Wooden boards can be covered with industrial sanding strips. Dogs are taught to scratch at the board. Do bear in mind that with this strategy, dew claws still need trimming.
The third option is more intricate but highly effective. Teach the dog to happily hold still for a variety of tools that are similar looking to clippers.
Kitchen shears, craft scissors, tin snips or pliers are all similar looking. But they don’t have the same amount of fear inducing baggage.
These tools are not used to cut nails. Rather, they are used to build trust in clipper-like objects. Each tool is part of a progression. The dog is unaware that the progression is leading to the scary tool.
By the time the real clippers are reintroduced, the dog has had so many positive experiences that they are more receptive to the clippers.
Regardless of which workaround is used, do work with a professional. It’s important to work carefully. The last thing a traumatized dog needs is another bad experience.