Obedience Doesn't Fix Behavior

You've probably seen advertisements at most training facilities, "Beginner Obedience 101" and you've probably signed up thinking, this is what my dog needs. And as someone who has taught group classes and private lessons for Beginner through Advanced Obedience for 14 years, it does have some value when it comes to your dog's overall education.

But in my years of experience teaching, obedience alone is rarely what the owner and dog actually need. They learn some commands in class, but usually clients end up walking away feeling like the behaviors they were struggling with still weren't solved. They try to ask for a sit when the dog is jumping, they try to put the dog on a place after it's performed a bad behavior, they put the dog in the kennel without letting the dog learn from the mistakes. None of this works. Obedience should be fun, and it should be separate from trying to control behavior. Obedience commands are not consequences, but most people try to use them that way.

When I started an obedience class, I always asked my students why they were here today. The pattern with this is that most people came to obedience class to inevitably solve their dog's bad behavior, but were told that learning sit, stay, down, "look at me", their name, and heel, would fix their problems. Reactivity, counter surfing, jumping on guests, mouthing, biting, chewing up things in the house; none of these can be solved by obedience alone, yet these are most of the complaints people had when they showed up for class.

This is the problem in our industry today. There is a giant misunderstanding of what obedience vs behavior really means. Most facilities are just trying to get people in the door, which is great for marketing, but if there isn't a trainer well versed in behavior modification, the owners will be left with a dog that sometimes performs obedience commands and sometimes doesn't, all while still performing the problem behaviors they were seeking to stop to begin with.

The problem with obedience, is that teaching your dog obedience commands alone does not change their emotional state nor does it solve behavior problems. However, if your rambuctious dog has learned how to go on a place in the home on your command for an hour while your family eats dinner and watches tv, your kids are running around, and guests can come over, and your dog is relaxed, you likely have better management over impulsive behaviors in general. But 90% of dog trainers out there are just working obedience as a fix to relationship and solve problem behaviors, and are still missing crucial pieces of dog psychology and rehabilitation.

Different Training Methods

The big elephant in the room, is that our society has collectively decided that dogs are not intelligent enough to learn how to problem solve stressful situations, nor are they intelligent to learn from the consequences of their own actions. People are taking advice from trainers on the internet that like to throw around words that sound nice like "force free training" and "science-based training" and these trainers makes clients feel like dog training is entirely too difficult to learn on their own and must be broken down to countless drills and exercises that they don't realize have absolutely no purpose or benefit to their lives. (I have two science degrees, and I would never stick to science alone to generalize dog behavior and training.) They also make you feel like your dog is broken and cannot be fixed, and they openly criticize trainers who use tools or consequences in their training. They act like dogs should never experience stress, and the second they do they will try to convince you your dog is shut down and ruined. And because they don't believe in tools or basic consequences, they will recommend behavioral euthanasia and say your dog can't be helped. These are 100% scams and will eventually be brought to light as people start to wake up.

Balanced trainers are also not explaining things well enough for most people, in all my years training and traveling to different facilities, I have met very few in person that fully understands how to properly apply a consequence to stop a bad behavior, or that understands the full benefits of a play-based behavior program.

Another big issue I see in this industry, is trainers using treats to train obedience and solve their behavior problems. And I did this too for many years, until I started learning from play-based and severe behavior modification specialists that have been working with cases for 40+ years while seeing incredible results from their methods. (If the trainer can't show proof of training, or their own dogs struggle with behavior issues, run away)

And this might be a huge controversial take, but I would much rather use play, toys, and my relationship, to teach obedience and work with a dog than use treats.

I would much rather the dog perform the command or fix the behavior because of the amazing relationship we have together, not because I have cookies for them.

All dogs have different motivations for learning, food motivation, toy motivation, play motivation. So yes, it's important to work with the dog in front of you and understand what motivates them, but all dogs want to be happy, fulfilled, and to do dog things. This is universal for all dogs.

Fulfillment

With the increase in leash laws, fenced in yards, lack of biological fulfillment, and long working hours for humans, this has forced dogs to adhere to human society in the worst ways. Dogs are meant to be off leash, free to sniff, run, play and explore, but yet we force them to stay on leash right by our side, and get mad at them for sniffing, chewing, and barking at everything.

This, paired with humans who get dogs for their own sole emotional purposes, is what is causing the increase in bites to humans, dog on dog aggression, and problem behaviors. Lack of fulfillment. People who get dogs who expect them to be a decorative piece in their home. Who expect to not put in any work and also expect great results. It's the expectations of humans and the lack of wanting to learn, that's ruining lives. It's the lack of understanding just how much breed, temperament, and drive matters. It's the people who get working breeds and expect them to conform to their dormant uninteresting lives at home, but "have to have the breed because it's their favorite".

I'm honestly getting tired of it, and it's clear as day to me now that this is the biggest problem in our industry today.

Dogs behave like juvenile wolves, and we have made them into house plants. For our own gratification.

Dogs deserve better.

And the one piece missing from 90% of dog trainers?

Understanding the power of teaching consequences through play. And understanding how to provide strong contingency feedback with both rewards and consequences.

The only obedience commands that are essential in a dog's lives in my own personal opinion, is a good place command, recall command, and a heel. You realistically don't need anything else to solve behavior issues. Even then, there are plenty of people who have dogs who are well behaved yet don't have any obedience commands. (because one doesn't guarantee the other). And if you're dog is not off leash trained yet? That shouldn't mean you keep them on a short leash, Amazon has 25 -50ft long lines that will let your dog have more enjoyment and fulfillment in their day which helps them more that you realize.

What you do need to focus on, is what your own dog's biological fulfillment looks like, are they prey driven? Are they a protection breed? Are they a companion breed? All of these things matter so much more than people realize. You cannot get a border collie and stifle it's herding drive, you can only channel it into productive ways. All dogs have a natural desire to chew, bark, run, sniff, etc. Getting a dog with a genetic predisposition but expecting that to go away just because it doesn't fit your lifestyle? That's not okay.

And the myths that teaching a dog to tug will make them aggressive or mean? Not true. And the more we keep taking away from dogs, the worse they will get.

The more you learn how to appropriately play with your dog and fulfill them biologically, instead of trying to control their every day lives, the less problems you will have. The more you focus on play, fulfillment, and the emotions of your dog (and not your own emotions) the easier training will be, and the less you actually have to apply a consequence or punishment.

If you're tired of getting nowhere with training and actually want to learn and put in effort to work with your dog, I can help you. That's what my academy is all about.

The power of Play based Balance Training.

With love for you and your dog,

Shay Owens