Problems with listening at the dog park
Q: We taught our dog to come to us when we call. At first, it worked. Now, after training, he is less enthusiastic. There are times when he is outright refusing. One of these times is when we are at the dog park. He does not want to go home. How do we get our dog to behave again?
A: There is no such thing as, “after training.” Animals are always learning, whether the human is teaching or not. Generally, after training means that the humans have reverted to old habits. This means that the dogs do too.
From a survival perspective, it makes sense that animals have the ability to change their mind. If a strategy stops working, it does not make sense to continue doing it.
Humans do similar things. If our job stopped paying, we wouldn’t keep showing up to work. We’d stop, “coming when called,” to work.
Families rightfully sign up for obedience classes. While taking classes, they do homework and change their behaviour. Dogs learn and improve. Unfortunately, some wrongly assume that the dog will continue to obey simply because they have learned the skill.
Attention to training diminishes. Good behaviour is ignored. In some cases, families unknowingly punish their dog for coming when called. This commonly happens at the dog park.
Owners typically call their dogs just before it is time to go home. The dog learns that coming when called ends the fun. Humans become the fun “enders.” The behaviour of coming when called is punished or suppressed. Pets respond sluggishly until they stop coming at all.
Once a dog has received mixed messages, it can be easier to start fresh. Retrain the dog using a different word. Recalls are a critical skill. Get it rock solid.
Treat the recall command as something sacred. Don’t be cheap. Food, toy and play are all excellent ways of reinforcing good behaviour. Create opportunities for surprise recall drills. Teach the dog that you can magic up a spectacular reward any place and any time.
Call dogs in a variety of locations, both when they are on leash or off leash in a secure area. When they are in an offleash area, call the dog and then release them for more free time. Coming when called shouldn’t predict something negative, like going home.
A solid recall is an important skill. If it’s worth creating, it’s worth maintaining. Never take a recall for granted because dogs do have the ability to change their mind about what a word means.
Q: My dog stops to sniff every tree we pass during a walk. We try asking him to leave it, and he does. But then he’s pulling straight for the next tree. How can I get him to stop smelling all the pee-mail?
A: Odours are tempting distractions to dogs. The big secret to dealing with them is to treat them like any other distraction. Reinforce what you actually want.
If you want a dog to walk past trees, then the dog needs to be rewarded for walking past trees. Asking a dog to leave a tree that they are currently sniffing is absolutely not the same thing.
In the first example, the dog is rewarded for not stopping. In the second, the dog has to stop in order to be told to leave the tree alone.
However, do remember that dogs need to be dogs. After they learn to ignore various distractions, stop every so often and tell them to go sniff. After all, they should get a chance to enjoy the walk too.