The Biggest Dog Training Problem Isn’t Your Dog

Moments into a dog training lesson, I’m watching a dog’s behavior switch from an excited display to a patient sit. I’ve already started communicating with the dog even before the training portion of the lesson begins.

As I’m asking the client about the problem behaviors, the dog is demonstrating the complete opposite of what we’re discussing.

Silent communication isn’t magic. I’m not surprised when I see dogs turn their behavior around in real time, but the reality is, it’s hard to make it stick when we tend to repeat the same routines. Dogs are capable of adapting and learning, sometimes even faster than we expect, but how does our behavior affect the training process?

Why Dogs Keep Jumping on People

One common behavior in dogs that is influenced by human behavior is jumping up. Most people don’t want their dog jumping up on them or others, yet the dog keeps doing it. Finally, the dog offers something more polite: greeting a person without popping up.

However, I often observe confusing messages here. People praise their dogs for jumping even when they are trying to train them not to. Then they ignore the dog when he’s relaxed, with his paws on the floor, which is the moment they should praise him. This mixed feedback makes training a challenge. Even when we know better, our habits tend to cause us to forget.

Let’s say you walk in through the door and greet your dog with as much enthusiasm as your dog greets you, forgetting that jumping wasn’t allowed before you left for work due to muddy paws. You invite your dog to come up and greet you, but don’t have a clear cue for that. How does the dog know when jumping is allowed versus when it’s not?

Why Consistency Matters in Dog Training

Many dogs quickly find the right answer with consistent feedback, but it’s up to us to practice being consistent. Dogs are such clever learners that they can even be taught to jump only on a very clear cue, rather than jumping whenever they want. This helps address the confusion about some family members allowing jumping while others don’t. For many people, though, a clear rule such as “jumping isn’t allowed” is easier to follow.

We have to constantly remind ourselves to think about what we’re communicating to our dogs. It would be easier to let our dogs do all of the thinking as we return to the routines of our busy lives, but dog training requires a level of awareness that only comes with practice.

Training Happens in Everyday Moments

There are other common examples that many people with dogs have likely experienced at some point. If your dog pulls on walks, you have to remind yourself not to continue moving in the direction your dog is pulling. It’s easy to forget this when you’re just taking your dog out for a quick potty break at the end of the night. If you’re teaching your dog not to bolt out doorways, you have to remind yourself about this every time you go out with your dog, so you remember to have your dog wait.

Barking for dinner? Begging at the table? When we let these behaviors happen instead of adjusting the routine and providing the right feedback when the dog exhibits better behaviors, the dog never learns anything else.

Dog Training Homework Isn’t Just for Dogs

With clear guidance, dogs can learn amazing things. They can learn impressive tricks such as placing a ball in a hoop, stacking cups (one of my favorites), and many more. But the real training challenges occur within their daily routines. You can train your dog new behaviors, but you have to remember to communicate with your dog effectively in day-to-day life. No matter what your dog training goals are, training homework is never just about the dog.