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Local News » John Sorosky: The Right Kind of Dog Training Brings Just Reward

John Sorosky: The Right Kind of Dog Training Brings Just Reward

By John Sorosky, Camp Canine | Published on 12.13.2009

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure ... that just ain’t so.” — Mark Twain

For the first 10 years of my professional dog-training career, I knew for sure that the way to get a dog to do what I wanted was to demand it. And I was successful! After a lot of very hard work for both of us, my dog was very well trained. The problem was, most of my clients were not willing to do what was necessary to convince their dogs.

I was sure I was working on teaching good behavior when, in fact, I was teaching my dog to be careful not to step out of line. At the time, I didn’t realize that “demand” was only half the behavior modification picture ... the smaller half. I had not yet learned how to take full advantage of the bigger, more effective side of the training equation: reward.

But once I did, the next 15 years proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that a well-implemented reward program that targets a dog’s best efforts is much more effective than “commanding” and requiring a dog to behave. It’s also the most effective way to create a dog that’s responsive off leash.

If we think about behavior simply as “action,” we start to focus on building the behaviors we want instead of punishing those we want to stop. Punishment can work to show dogs what we don’t want them to do, but it does nothing to build skill around the actions we want our dogs to choose. Training methods that are heavy on punishing impulsive behavior provide little or no information to the dog about the desired alternative. It would be like giving guidance by saying, “Not that. Nope. Not that!”

Going after what they want is part of a predator’s fundamental nature. Predators know for sure that the way to get what they want is to just grab it. They see a rabbit and they know that all they have to do is close the gap between them and their prey and, bingo ... dinner! It’s how dogs survive. But when living in the human world, dogs get into more trouble because of their natural impulsive behavior than anything else.

Only a reward-based training program can teach dogs to give up their natural impulses and choose instead a new behavior they would never come up with on their own. The best way to motivate and enroll a student in something new — canine or human! — is to reward the actions and behaviors you want.

So, teaching impulse control through the systematic use of rewards is our key to having a well behaved dog.  Regardless of age, all dogs can learn to control their natural impulses. When you set it up so that “just going for it” stops working, your dog will discover that what he knows for sure … just ain’t so.  When this happens, he will start looking to you for direction and guidance and you will become more important to your dog.  And … being important is what has your dog come when called!

Watch these 9-week-old puppies discover that the best way to get what they want is to sit, wait patiently on their mark, and come when called.

Now, when I see a client using commands and expecting their dog to understand and comply without laying the groundwork, I encourage them to try something new. I teach them to create an environment in which their dog has an opportunity to discover that choosing to control its natural impulses is the only way to get the things it wants. We all get the dog we deserve and, if we’re creative, a well-trained dog is our just reward.

Next time, we’ll talk about teaching impulse control at home and becoming more important to your dog.

If you know someone who has a dog with little or no impulse control, we’d love to hear about it! We’re looking for a dog that we can feature in an upcoming video to show how quickly dogs can learn. Send an e-mail with your name and phone number and a few sentences about the dog’s behavior to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

— The CoffeeShop Dog™ Training column is written by John Sorosky, animal behaviorist, and Maryann LaScala, training department manager, at Camp Canine. John has been teaching dogs, kids and other animals for more than 30 years and is well known in Santa Barbara as the expert for solving dog-behavior problems. He knows how hard it is to change bad habits and troublesome behavior, and that’s why he’s dedicated to helping people get started off on the right paw with their new puppies! John and his wife, Mary, own Camp Canine, 803 E. Montecito St. Camp Canine is celebrating 25 years of service to Santa Barbara’s dog-loving community and was recently called ”one of the happiest places on earth” by Central Coast Magazine.

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