You ever hear advice that sounds reasonable at first, but in hindsight you realize how unhinged it actually is?
Me too. I only wish I’d realized how unhinged it was before I drove myself (and my dogs) crazy trying to follow it.
Hi there. Jake here. Today we’re talking about a training strategy from the bad old days of my dog-related personal growth saga.
From back when I was a socially awkward teenage dog sports enthusiast, desperately trying to overcome my dog’s embarrassing habit of wandering out of the ring during agility competitions.
And that strategy is one you may have heard, too:
“To get your dog to listen/respect you, make sure all good things come from you.”
As well as its many variations:
- “Nothing in life is free”
- “Correct the dog for showing interest in the environment”
- “Don’t let them self-reinforce”
- Etc
You get the idea.
It’s the belief that if you let dogs sniff, explore, or enjoy the world without “earning” it, they’ll ignore you or walk all over you.
On paper, it sort of makes sense.
And as a wee baby dog trainer, that’s what I was taught – that if I wanted my dogs to focus and do what I said, I had to restrict their access to the environment and make sure all good things came from me. God forbid they decide the big wide world is more interesting than listening to me!
But years later, here I am; a socially awkward grownup professional dog trainer. And I’ve come to see the truth.
Extreme restriction and control doesn’t create real focus or healthy relationships.
It definitely doesn’t create the kind of partners-in-crime, us-against-the-world bond that most of us dream of having with our dogs.
If that sort of thing worked, then why do super strict, controlling parents always seem to end up with kids who grow up to rebel and do the exact opposite of what their parents want?
The more forbidden something is, the more enticing it becomes.
The more you limit your dog’s ability to engage with the world, the harder it’s going to be to get them to engage with you when you’re out in the world together.
The more you fight the environment, the more you have to fight the environment.
Not to mention that the experience sucks for everyone involved. Guess how much fun I was having when I was micromanaging my agility dog’s every move.
If you guessed no fun at all, you’d be right.
It just made me resentful of every perceived act of defiance from this poor little dog, Jonas, and tainted years of our limited time together.
(Yes, I’m still bitter about my bad old “be the pack leader” days. How could you tell)
On the other hand:
The more you let your dog sniff, explore, and do dog things, the less desperate they’ll be to do those things
If I put a plate of your favorite dessert on the table between us and told you to ignore it and focus on me, would you be better able to do that if you’d just had a big meal and were full… or if you hadn’t eaten all day?
It’s the same for dogs. When their needs are met, it’s a thousand times easier to get their focus.
Once I finally understood this, my relationship with Jonas (and his performance in the ring) transformed.
So yeah. You can stop worrying that letting your dog engage with the environment for free will ruin their ability to listen to you. It actually makes it possible for them to listen in the first place.
How to put this philosophy into practice
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not suggesting unclipping your untrained dog’s leash and setting them free in the wilderness. When we talk about this “more freedom” concept, someone who’s having a bad day often pops up with a sarcastic, “oh, so I should just let my dog do whatever he wants and run into the street to get hit by a car?”
Not at all, Mr. False Dichotomy! I hope your day gets better.
Here are a few ways you can safely give your dog more freedom:
Use a long-line instead of a standard short leash.
This gives them room to move in a more dogly fashion instead of a humanly fashion.
Let them watch instead of rushing them along.
Did a squirrel, bird, or plastic bag blowing in the breeze get their attention? In most cases, you can stop and let them watch it for a while.
Let them sniff on your walks.
Seems pretty basic, but it’s something a lot of people hesitate to do. Often because of the pervasive myth that “sniffing = bad” for whatever reason. Or because they just don’t realize that sniffing is more beneficial to dogs than moving quickly (well, “quickly” being a relative term. A fast human pace is still infuriatingly slow for most dogs).
But seriously, allowing more sniffing is one of the best things you can do for your dog.
You could even get really crazy and let them choose the route sometimes.
The ability to make choices for oneself is a form of enrichment.
Do things backwards on your training walks.
The Nothing in Life is Free school of dog training thought (and also capitalism) got us all in the habit of making our dogs work before they can play. For example: drive to park, do ten minutes of obedience practice, then let them do dog things.
And that’s fine for dogs with solid engagement, who are well-practiced in the skill of working for environmental reinforcers. But for dogs who struggle with engagement, everyone just ends up frustrated.
Start with at least a few minutes of exploration first, and your dog will have an easier time with the training part.
What is engagement?
It’s your dog’s ability and desire to tune into you even when the world around them is exciting or overwhelming. It’s not obedience training and it’s not about forcing them to pay attention. It’s about your dog wanting to work with you because listening to you makes life better.
Without engagement training, all other training feels like an uphill battle.
Does this mean you shouldn’t use the environment as a reward?
Nope! We’re big fans of using distractions as rewards. Mastering the use of environmental reinforcers is a key part of being able to give your dog more freedom without relying on aversives or treats. We just don’t believe in making dogs earn everything.
Potential issues to watch out for
Endless frolicking in fields of flowers and butterflies ain’t ALL flowers and butterflies. A few things can trip you up:
Free access to the environment without also building an engaging relationship won’t do you much good. If being with you is stressful or not enjoyable, then yes, Sparky will probably continue to tune you out in favor of the environment.
If your dog gets over-aroused and fixates on something in the environment, that can actually sensitize them to it instead of desensitizing them. Making it even harder to get their attention.
And of course, meeting your dog’s needs is just the foundation. It doesn’t automatically teach them what to do. It just gets their brain in a place where they can learn.
If you want your dog to be able to follow commands and work with you despite distractions, there are engagement skills you both need to learn.
Our Engagement & Focus Foundation course will teach you that stuff. But today’s big takeaway is this:
Raising a dog who listens well and stays connected with us out in the big exciting world isn’t about tightening our grip. It’s about being brave enough to loosen our grip and give them the space to choose us.
It’s about respecting who they are as their own sentient being, not an extension of our ego. (Looking at you, teenage dog enthusiast Jake. And also you, grownup professional dog trainer Jake. Letting go of ego is hard)
Above all, it’s about building a partnership. A rock-solid team moving through the world together.
