2 Questions you should ALWAYS ask when Training

Hello, gang! It’s Al the Dog Trainer, and today we’re going to be looking at two questions that are always in my head when training dogs. 

One question is about managing how quickly a dog is performing a skill and the attitude they have toward doing that skill. The other question is about managing the clarity a dog has around a verbal cue and how reliably they will perform the behavior when there are other choices.

So, what’s the question that manages speed and attitude? It’s “Why should my dog want to do that?” And what’s the question that manages the dog’s clarity around the voice command and reliability? It’s “Why does my dog have to do that?”

These two questions are based on the training style you’re using. A rewards-based training style is more likely to increase your dog’s speed and maintain or improve their working attitude. On the other hand, a leash-based training style is more likely to give clarity about what a particular voice command means and help a dog understand that they must make this choice.

Now, I want to share a strategy I use that helps me achieve long-term success with dogs by strategically planning how to use these two questions.

First, have your dog fall in love with the skill. One downside to working in a rewards-based system is that if the rewards you’re offering aren’t the most valuable from your dog’s perspective, they’re likely to choose to do something else. This is why training in an environment with little to no distractions is key. When you train in this way, it’s much easier to help your dog focus on the task at hand, and then you can reward them right when they achieve success. As you lead your dog through these sessions, their love for the skill should begin to rise.

Once it’s clear that your dog loves the skill, it’s time to introduce pressure. Now, you want to bring clarity around the verbal cue, so it’s important to introduce the voice command and get the dog to perform the skill with more precision. If you’re using a leash, here’s generally what you want to do: Set yourself up so you’re close enough to help your dog do the thing you have in mind. This could mean you’re only a few steps away or just a few seconds away from them doing what you want.

Give the voice command and use your leash to gently guide your dog into doing what you have in mind. The moment your dog performs the behavior, if there’s any tension on the leash, immediately release it and follow it with a reward. If your dog jumps to the behavior right away because they’ve figured you out, and you didn’t need to use the leash, that’s not a problem. In this case, when they do it, you’ll quickly and lightly pull on the leash and immediately reward them.

In the first scenario, your dog hears the command, feels the leash pressure, then turns off that pressure by performing the behavior they love and gets rewarded. If you consistently execute this, your dog will learn the verbal cue and work diligently to perform the skill.

In the second scenario, your dog hears the command, quickly goes to perform the skill, and the slight tap of the leash pressure becomes a predictor of the reward. In this case, your dog learns that the leash pressure is informing them that they got it right.

Before I wrap this up, I want to mention one more thing: you can always ask these two questions, no matter what strategy you’re using. If you use them consistently and fairly, you’ll see your relationship with your dog grow. After all, the relationship with our dogs is what it’s all about.

Thanks so much for watching. I hope you have a great day, and I’ll see you in the next one!