The Power of Instinctual Reaction I suppose I should say the ârightâ instinctual reaction. Many people wonder when I am working with their dog, how I can get them to stop a certain behavior so quickly. It involves a certain process that anyone can do once they get the right mindset. Many of my clients are subject to my constant analogies of parents with their children, but they really do have similarities in the timing. For example, take a mother or father in a supermarketâŠon their phone, multitasking as one of their children tries (that would have been me) to put an unapproved item in the basket. One quick look and âput those cookies backâ and then he/she is immediately on to the next task. That parent âexpectsâ that behavior. Their voice tone, body language, and brief address suggests they trust their leadership and expect the desired change of behavior. This is very similar to achieving what we want in our dogs. I donât wait for the behavior to continue until Iâve had enough. The SECOND I see or HEAR that undesirable behavior, I IMMEDIATELY address. I address by turning towards the dog, giving full eye contact, but I donât worry about whether or not the dog is looking at me. My body language is always forward---if I am sitting, I lean slightly in their directionâŠif I am standing, I take one step forward with one leg and pivot in their direction. You will see my hand always going out in a pointing motion. This is because that gesture not only takes up a little more space which increases my leadership, but also sends a very strong smell of my INTENT to the dogâŠ.like an arrow of how Iâm feeling straight to the dogâs nose. Lastly but not any less important is the verbal. I SAY WHAT I MEAN. I say âstopâ, âquietâ, âoutâ, ânoâ, and I use a variety of correction commands rather than focusing on the exact same one all the time. This helps me always have the right timing and energy. The tone is extremely important. There is NO inflection in my voice that would suggest frustration (which is simply instability in the dog world). It is not deep and guttural, or high and shrill. It is FLAT, EVEN, CALM, but FIRM. I prefer to use ONE word versus multiple words, as it will really help you achieve better voice tone. The exception is the phrase âdonât even think about itâ which comes into play in different circumstances with different clients who are having a difficult time being calm and assertive. So the second the dog barks---literally, the SECOND I hear it or see it, I immediately address. No yelling, no screaming, NO NAME. When you use the name for correction- âBuddy NO!â we lose the important timing, as well as forgetting our voice tone when we start expecting them to hear their name as a correction. Itâs a tough habit for some people to break, but very important. So, the SECOND I hear or see that bad behavior, I am immediately pivoted and leaning in their direction, if I am standing I am standing very straight and only leaning with my shoulders. If I am sitting, I am leaning slightly with hand out in their directionâŠ.and then a quick verbal. Timing is of the essence. Quick turn, hand out, flat even verbal âStop.â Or âQuietâ. The SECOND, and I mean the absolute SECOND they stop or de-escalate, IMMEDIATELY say one quick MARKER of their good behavior âGood.â OR âThank you.â That praise is JUST as flat, and even, AS IF YOU EXPECTED THE GOOD BEHAVIOR TO BEGIN WITH. --The reason I mark that good behavior, is they have a tendency to continue the bad behavior without it. I am MARKING the second I disagree, and the very second I agree with the change---many times that will keep the good behavior going. This is also very important when giving our dogs consistent signals. Rather than calling them away from the window or the door or calling them to you for everything, simply tell them exactly WHAT behavior you disagree with, and that quick marker of brief praise âGood.â Or âThank you.â Is a big part of that. Third, and EXTREMELY important, RELEASE YOUR BODY LANGUAGE AFTERWARDS. In the dog world, the SECOND the leader gets the desired behavior, he walks away. The correction is OVER and done with. Many people will correct the right way, but then they keep staring at the dog, telling them very clearly with their body language and they didnât expect it to work in the first place, and also they expect the dog to go back to that behavior! They will. You MUST stop looking at your dog and stop that forward body language the instant you say that marker of praise âgood.â If they do it again, simply address it again, and instantly look somewhere else, and slack your body language. This is your way of saying âI trust my leadership and I expect you to listenâ. It works wonders when done correctly. If you keep staring at your dog, he/she will go right back to that bad behavior. YOUR BODY LANGUAGE IS YOUR REPETITION. This goes two ways. If you dog doesnât listen to you right away, donât just keep repeating yourself to where your voice tone gets frustrated and excited and fast. Instead, COUNT TO FIVE before you repeat yourself, instead holding that SAME body language forward, and it works much better. However, if body language is your repetition of your command or correction, once your dog has done that or stopped that bad behavior, you must release that corrective body language to MARK to your dog that it was just THAT behavior you didnât like and since he stopped it, all is well now. So, step one: ANY behavior you donât like, INSTANTLY disagree rather than thinking âoh no, here it comesâ, or âWhy is he doing this? Hes never done that beforeâ âŠâŠâŠwe all think way too much when it comes to correcting our dogs. Simply focus on your voice tone and listen to yourself, AUTOMATICALLY correct in a flat, even, calm, but firm voice with body language that shows you are focused RIGHT on YOUR dog, NOT the distraction itself (very important). If you are standing next to your dog, slightly lean in his direction. Sitting down, lean forward. Standing with your dog further away, take one foot and place it in front of you with your hand pointing towards your dog. Immediately correct with ONE verbal with the right voice tone. Step Two: The very SECOND they stop, MARK it with a brief, flat âGood.â Or âThank you.â Step Three: Turn away, look somewhere else, sit back down, anything to show your dog THAT was all you wanted and you expected it to work. --If your dog is further away from you and doesnât listen right away, simply take two steps forward and try again. With severe cases, I need to show clients how to go all the way to the dog and address thereâŠ.but IF you have the right timing, you shouldnât need to go all the way to your dog. Itâs like (bear with me on these examples, but I love them) a mom looking at her child picking up something he shouldnât have. She looks at him and shakes her head in a silent âdonât do thatâ. But if the child doesnât listen, MOM STANDS UP. Child puts that item down, and quickly. Same with dogs. Silent communication is extremely powerful, but so are verbals with our dog. Combine the two with the right voice tone, IMMEDIATE addressing the SECOND you see or HEAR the bad behavior, INSTANTLY mark the STOPPED behavior with one quick praise verbal, (and the verbal is NOT high praise, instead it is the same flat voice tone as the correction-- we need to show that we EXEPECTED that good behavior to begin with), and then instantly go back to what we were doing . You can use this in practically any situation---once it becomes instinct for you to do that, you are reacting in the MOMENT, which is how dogs live. You correct in the moment, praise in the moment, and then release your body language to show correction is over and done with (even if you have to address two or three times). Puppies might need redirection AFTER these techniques, because of the short attention span. Instinctual reaction is incredibly powerful once you learn the RIGHT way to react. Then just teach yourself to do it automatically and you will achieve much stronger trust and respect from your pack.
