Dogs do what works!

Over the past few years, I’ve been telling my clients to pay attention to what their dog is learning during their interactions together. I always remind them that dogs are excellent at figuring out what works for them. A dog jumps-up on you and your hands come down to say “off” but in fact, the dog, is getting the attention they wanted. Or the dog counter surfs and gets a whole chicken before you realize it’s gone.

Here is my favorite example:

One night I‘m watching a movie on TV, it’s a good movie I’ve never seen before. Lola, our black lab, comes over wagging her tail with a ball in her mouth. I look over and know she wants to play fetch. But, I’m watching my movie, I don’t want to toss the ball. Maybe when it’s over, we can play fetch, I pat her a little so she knows I still love her and she leaves.

Lola comes back after about half a minute and drops her ball at my feet. I ignore the ball but still give her a pat. She leaves.

This time Lola comes back and drops the ball on my lap, she even sits and waits a little. But I still don’t feel like playing, the movie is getting really really good. She leaves again.

Now she comes over and nudges my arm as she drops the ball in my lap. I think “Wow, she really wants to play fetch. I’ll definitely play with her a little once the movie ends.” A very sad Lola leaves once again.

Just as I’m about to find out who the killer in the movie is, Lola comes over, drops the ball in my lap, waits a second and starts barking.

Jeez, I can’t enjoy my movie with a barking dog! So I toss the ball so she’ll be quiet.

Now I ask you….

What did Lola learn during this interaction?

A) I must not bug mother while she watches TV.

B) I will get to play ball when the movie ends.

C) If I bark, I get what I want.

D) I must remain quiet while the TV is on.

The correct answer, sadly, is C. While we wish Lola had learnt A, B and D, she actually learnt how to make me throw the ball, even when I don’t want to. She was very polite about her desires at the beginning of the story, at some point she even sat which usually gets her what she wants. Lola pushed and pushed until I gave into her demands. My dog learnt that barking works! Barking, which I really don’t like (for a dog trainer), got my dog what she wanted.

Now, don’t you think it would be better to have played with Lola before the movie started so she was nice and tired while we watched the movie? Or perhaps I could have prepared a long-lasting treat so Lola would also be entertained throughout the duration of my feature. If nothing more, I could have thrown the ball at the very beginning and she would have been rewarded for a calm request.

The important lesson here is that there is an opportunity for you to teach your dog something you like instead of something you don’t like – I like to play fetch and I don’t like barking.

The next time you are interacting with your dog, stop to think, what is my dog learning during this interaction?