Expectations

 

You remember this game don't you? "Mother May I?" All us kids would wait our turn at the opposite side of the yard to ask the "Mother" if we could do 25 baby steps or 15 bunny hops.  We would wait hopefully for her answer of Yes or No. Then the "Mother" would tell us what we could do. Once we heard her reply we knew exactly what we were to do to get closer to win the game.

Somewhat like the game, our dogs do things that require a specific answer of Yes or No. It is up to us to act like the "Mother" of the game and let our dogs know if they may or may not do "it".

We can build our dog's expectations and help them predict what will happen with the words we use. At Out of the DogHouse, all dogs learn Marker Words. These are words we will say to our dogs after they hear a command based on if our dog chooses to do it or not. The words will "Mark" the moment the dog is right or wrong.

We teach our dog that Yes (getting it right) will result in food or non food reward when they follow the command. If the dog does not follow the command, you say NO. Your dog will understand they made a mistake, they are not getting a reward, there will be a consequence coming and then the dog has to do the command anyways. Trust me, dogs will learn to like hearing Yes and respond willingly based on their expectation of what happens because of the Marker word.

You can help your dog make better choices with a consistent response of Yes or No. Knowing what to expect helps to build trust for both you and your dog. Be honest and fair with your dog and then you can expect a happy outcome.

Out of the DogHouse LLC website www.ohiodogtrainer.net
Contact Dru Therrian 440.286.9070