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Just Ignore the Dog! ~Amy Weeks
Clients do a double take when I tell them to “Ignore the dog. Walk away. In fact, leave the room.” Their responses vary but are along the lines of… “Shouldn’t I stay here and force him to comply? Shouldn’t he do what I command every single time?
For clients new to positive training methods, this often takes some time to sink in. It is unfathomable to them that they could ignore what they deem a “bad” behavior. There is a lot of negative attention given to dog. Yelling, spraying water, and pushing/ pulling on dogs are all examples of negative attention. I remind them that dogs will do what benefits them. If a dog is getting attention for jumping, barking, mouthing , etc. ….positive or negative ….they will take it over no attention at all. Just as some children will go out of their way to create a little havoc in order to gain attention, dogs will choose a similar route.
air until it gets your dog’s attention. If he doesn’t come towards you, turn and “ignore” him. Continue moving away from him while tossing the ball in the air. Usually, this will get his attention and he will come running to you. “You are so interesting to him!” Now, throw ball #2. As he takes off after it, you can pick up ball #1. Continue to play this way until his retrieve builds and you don’t need more than 1 ball! It is advised that you stop the game before your dog gets bored with it. Always leave them wanting more. And remember to take the balls inside with you. They only appear when you are around.
Often when I have a private in home consultation, I walk in their house to be greeted by dogs that jump. It never fails that the owners yell, scream and pull the dogs away from me over and over until I let them know that I have
Other appropriate times to walk away from your pet include unwanted biting or nipping This is especially useful with young puppies who bite too hard or play too rough. If you are playing with Fluffy and he bites or nips too hard, pick up all the toys you were playing with, stand up and walk out the door. Say nothing as you leave. I suggest staying out of sight for about 30 seconds then return to your puppy to continue the play. You are letting your puppy know, “I go away, toys go away and the fun stops if you bite that hard.” That is a powerful message for Fluffy. Keep in mind that you may need to repeat this, but the information will be read loud and clear. All dogs are on a learning curve (as are humans), it does take time to change a behavior. Be patient.
Of course we want our furry friends to comply….and an important component in finding that success is to use the appropriate training tool for each moment. One over-looked, under-used , powerful tool that all dog owners have at their disposal is what I refer to as “dog invisible”. Now, I would never suggest that you ignore your canine friend in general. In fact, the more you are a part of Fluffy’s world, the more “important” you are to him. And the greater your importance, the greater the impact of ignoring him will be when utilized. Establishing “importance” in your pet’s life is pretty easy. You should be building a bond with him day to day. This can be done by simply spending time with him. The time spent with him has to be positively reinforcing for your dog. Find things that Fluffy enjoys and make certain that you are a part of them. Examples could include: training classes, walks, a game of catch, trick training and hand feeding him his dinner. Basically, you want to implement the idea that “good things come from you”. Continue on this path and you will set yourself up as someone of vital importance in your dog’s life. You should represent a “fountain” of goodness in your dog’s eyes. This is why it is important to avoid forceful training, because it does the opposite, it damages this bond. As a trainer, I often remind clients to generally ignore unwanted behavior and reinforce most wanted behaviors. 50
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encountered this before and that they do not own the “worst dogs on the planet”! I show them how to ignore their dogs, turning their back on the dogs..over and over again. No eye contact, no noise, no reprimending…nothing, That’s right…ignore everything the dogs are doing except a behavior that is acceptable to them. I usually give them the choice : the dogs must have “ 4 on the floor--- meaning all for paws are on the ground” or “sit” before the they are given any attention. Everything else is ignored. Most dogs are much better by the time I leave and many clients no longer have jumping issues within a few weeks. Others may take a little longer, but by ignoring the jumping and “feeding” or “ reinforcing” the acceptable behavior, the jumping will decrease! Success by ignoring a behavior! How wonderful!
In group classes I often observe clients telling their dog to “sit” about 5 times in a row. Although they have been instructed not to do this, they lose their cool if the dog doesn’t comply immediately and every time. The beauty of positive training is that the dog has a choice: to do the behavior or not to do the behavior. If he chooses not to do it, then I tell the owner, “walk away…ignore him.” Too bad for Fluffy, he loses out on not only the treat but your presence as well. In most cases the dog will follow the owner when he/she walks away. I have the owner “reset” the dog and try again. Success usually ensues. All this without a power struggle, force training or anyone getting upset and losing their cool. Did I mention that I love this type of training?
Teaching retrieve is another area when ignoring your dog may come in handy. I always suggest starting with 2-3 balls with this exercise. Toss ball #1 in the air or move it around in front of your dog. Get him excited by the movement and toss it…but not too far. As he takes off after the 1st ball immediately take the 2nd ball and begin to toss it in the
The wonderful bonus in using ignoring as a training tool is that it gives you, the owner, a chance to disconnect, calm down and take a break. I recently discovered this
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w w w. r e t i r ed k 9 h er oe s . or g benefit in my family life as well. One afternoon my children kept talking “over” me and I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. I became so frustrated that I made a “giant” spectacle of getting up, grabbing my keys and purse and, without a word, walked out of the house. You could have heard a pin drop before I reached the door. When I returned, about a half hour later, they were less rambunctious, calmer and we all were able to carry on a nice conversation. It worked wonderfully at that time. It was the right tool for the situation and it got my point across without screaming or yelling.
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This training tool takes some time to get use too. As humans, we want to use our words to get our point across. When our dogs don’t comply we often repeat the instructions, yell or use physical force on our dogs. We want to believe that “more is better”…more noise, more words, more negative attention…..but in truth, less is often better. Less attention to unwanted behaviors may prove to be your strongest training tool. So, the next time those old frustrating feelings start to stir when working with your pet….. and trust me they will…. take a deep breath, stand up and walk away. Remember, you have the power “to ignore” as a training tool. Use it wisely! Bella DOG Magazine
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