A Dog’s Guide to Happiness

Part Three - Clear and consistent communication

Many of us don’t think about communication when we think about ways to live a full life. But for dogs it is more valuable than you’d think. We humans are messy communicators, using tons of different words to mean the same thing, and sometimes saying the same word but in different ways with different meanings! It gets confusing when you’re just a dog trying to navigate the world. They can’t speak as we can after all, so understanding what is going on around them helps to make their world a safer and more enjoyable place. 

The first thing to understand when trying to decode the communication between you and your pup is that they think in a very linear way. A leads to B leads to C. 

If I say “sit” and they put their butt on the floor, they get a treat. If I say “sit” and they stand, they get nothing. In dog speak, this would be, “I hear this human say “sit,” I put my butt on the floor, and they gave me a treat! If I hear “sit” and I remain standing, nothing happens… so sitting made a treat happen, but standing didn't?” 

A is the antecedent, B is the behavior, C is the consequence. In this case, A was hearing the word “sit.” B was the act (or behavior!) of either sitting or doing something else. C was the consequence of getting a treat or getting a blank stare! 

When we talk to our dogs or as they go about their business in this world, think about this A-B-C linear sequence and see how it is incorporated into everything they do. They see a bush (A), they pull on the leash (B), they get to sniff the bush (C). That sequence can become pretty strong if they really like sniffing bushes! That’s how you get a dog that pulls hard on a leash. Instead, you want an A-B-C that looks like this: See the bush (A), look at owner (B), get the release to go sniff the bush (C). 

To get these more preferred behaviors out of our dogs they have to know what we’re asking of them. That’s the next part to understand. Our dogs only know what we teach them. Rarely is a dog being stubborn or disobedient when they don’t respond the way we want them to to a word. It’s easy to get frustrated with them when they do this. More often, the dog simply doesn’t know what we’re asking because it wasn’t taught thoroughly. They need our patience and compassion. They are similar to toddlers, after all, in their cognitive abilities.

Keep in mind that dogs are emotional, thinking, feeling beings, too! When communication seems rough and disjointed between the two of you, check out your pups mental state. Are they stressed out, or worried? Being in flight or fight mode, or period if chronic mild stress even, can impact a dog's ability to listen, learn, and retain information- very similar to how we are, too! Good communicators take emotion into account when they're speaking with someone else. We should extend that care to our dogs, as well.

Lastly, keep in mind that consistency is paramount to teaching your dog this whole new language! This includes the words you use to tell your dog that they’ve done well and are about to get a treat (like saying yes! Or clicking a clicker), as well as the words you use as cues to ask your dog to do something (sit, down, wait, and their name are all cues that mean something). Say it the same way, each time, and your dog will learn quickly and more easily! 

Stay tuned for next week's tips on meeting (or exceeding!) Your pup's exercise needs!