The Ten Commandments
By following the Ten (evidence-based) commandments, you will better understand THE DOG’S TRUTH and raise a dog that’s not just well-behaved, but happy, healthy, and respected.
1. You are not a god!
Be humble and leave your ego at the door when working with your dog.
2. Dogs are more than pets.
Dogs are subject to the same natural laws that apply to every other species on earth, but modern captivity and controlled breeding have interrupted this natural system of checks and balances. A dog’s “behaviour problems” are often related to finding themselves captive in a strange environment that bears little resemblance to their ancestors’ world.
3. Dog training is broken.
Traditional “dog training” is an outdated concept for helping modern dogs and their families. Contrary to what you've been told, it's not about compliance and it's not about control. It’s about understanding “why” behaviour occurs and then considering “how” to change it, through examination of the dog’s evolution, welfare, health, experiences and relationships in the modern world.
4. Meet your dog where it’s at.
In the modern world, we may label our dogs ‘bad’ behaviour as pathological or problematic. However, your dog may have been artificially selected (by humans) to engage in this behaviour over thousands of years. The dog therefore, has no choice but to respond to releasing stimuli in the environment in this way, as it is embedded to their DNA through generational reinforcement history. Once we understand this, we can work to sensible behaviour modification goals that benefit us and our dog.
5. Communicate on your dog’s level.
Although dogs are unable to have a chat over a cup of tea or a beer, they are constantly communicating with us. It’s up to us to figure out what they are saying. Understanding your dog’s body language is the key to navigating through life together.
6. Be predictable.
All species are designed to look for patterns in their environment and social interactions. When a pattern is found, the world becomes more predictable, safer, and easier to navigate. Predictability lowers anxiety, allows the brain to conserve energy and creates a sense of trust. Our dogs are experts at finding patterns in their world and just like us, feel so much better when they can make heads or tails of a situation.
7. Think outside the Box.
People love using labels to put dogs in a box'. Labels such as ‘aggressive’, ‘stupid’, ‘stubborn,’ ‘happy,’ or ‘dominant,’ are convenient ways to explain behaviour. However, these labels do not give you any information about why the behaviour is occurring. Let’s open the box and ask ‘why’ the behaviour is happening and under what conditions. Once you understand that, you can better connect with your dog.
8. Reward your dog’s successes.
Because dogs repeat actions that are successful for them, reward-based training is a proven method for teaching the behaviour you desire of your dog. Although one of the most valued rewards you can give your dog is a tasty treat, rewards can come in the form of praise, affection, play or sniffing another dog’s bum. Some dogs will prefer certain types of rewards to others.
9. Premack is your friend.
The Premack principle is the bible of force-free training (nope it’s not all about treats). Its about reinforcing desirable behaviours, and there are opportunities present all the time for our dogs. For humans, it essentially means “eat your vegetables and you can have desert”. For dogs, it might be “check in with me first and you can sniff that tree”. Every dog will have different preferences, so learning what opportunities your dog likes and using these to reinforce desirable behaviours will increase your communication and success.
10. Interact with kindness and respect.
Your dog is sentient and capable of feeling pain, happiness and sadness. Training with respect and kindness, rather than using punishment to force compliance, will allow your dog to behave and perform cues because they want to, instead of performing out of fear of being punished. A dog that has agency, will not only learn faster, but will look forward to your next coaching session together.
The ten commandments are far from the silver bullet, however by keeping these guiding principals in mind when interacting with your dog, you can develop a strong and lifelong bond with your buddy.
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