How Dogs Learn

Do dogs want to please us?  Do they reason?  We tend to think they must want to please us because of their enjoyment of our affection.  We have all witnessed behavior that would indicate dogs have the ability to reason.  The ongoing research regarding canine cognition is sure to reveal scientifically what we can only assume based on what we see.  However, there needs to be care taken not to assume dogs think, reason, learn, or respond as humans do.  We are setting someone up for failure to think otherwise.

As I work with dogs and their humans on a daily basis, I see frustration in the human’s eyes and confusion in the dog’s as the human is certain their dog knows exactly what is being asked and they are just being stubborn.  Can they be stubborn?  Absolutely.  They can also be confused, and our escalating impatience will not help to clarify our expectations.

An example:  dogs are taught to sit with the human facing them.  Soon, they are sitting every time we ask.  Then, we take the leash and are out for a walk and as we stop we ask our beloved dog to sit and demonstrate their new skill.  Not only do they not sit, they act clueless.  What happened?  We moved.  Dogs are constantly in tune with our bodies.  They learned sit with us facing them and they think that is part of the command.

Rather than getting frustrated, make sure they understand what “sit” means and that it has nothing to do with the proximity or position of your body or a treat.  Once they really know the word and the associated response, they will sit regardless of where you are standing in relationship to them.   When certain they understand the command and they are either distracted or stubborn, ask them to sit once and then assist them in sitting.  They must follow through!

There is more to say on this topic, and that will be covered in another post.  Until then, if you have any questions regarding the training of your canine companion, please send a note in the box to the right.  (I share with Melody)