The old school methods of training were all about obedience and consistency. And it worked okay, back in the day, because we only asked our dogs to hang out in the back yard, or if you had a lucky dog, they would come inside for while and sit near the couch.

Back then, we didn’t ask our dogs to be couch potato film buffs, cafe enthusiasts, hiking buddies, road warriors and shopping mall princesses - all off-leash and with a good attitude and very little training! Yes, by the way, that is A LOT to ask of your pup and not realistic, but we’ll get to that later.

Today, we need to teach our dogs novelty and flexibility.

We do not need as much consistency. We need to teach them variety is fun.

To teach dogs that variety and novelty is part of life, we need to be consistently inconsistent.

Dogs are great at predicting! They associate our actions with so many other exciting, or potentially fearful, events.

These predictions may lead to pacing, whining, barking or even the terrible “aggressive” behaviors that happens when the anticipation is building up and we end up hanging that “BEWARE of DOG” sign! We want to take away their prediction of stress or anxiety by practicing being consistently inconsistent.

Start with Daily Eating

We already addressed the benefits of “Ditch the Bowl” but this helps us see a little deeper into the benefits of doing so.

Does your dog know when it’s time to eat? Maybe they get excited, they drool, they sit and stare at you every day at 6:30pm. They can’t tell time, but yes, they know it’s THAT time.

If you remove mealtime and feed throughout the day, you remove the stress and pressure of meals. It’s one less thing your dog has to think about. If they don’t anticipate meal time, they won’t get worked up knowing something great is supposed to happen just as it turns dark.

Move to the leash

Does your dog hear you get the leash out and go bonkers? They may chase their tail, start jumping, barking, scratching at the door. Why? Because 100% of the time you get the leash out, they go for a walk and that’s FUN!

So reward your dog in another way. Get the leash out, hang it around your neck, and then play a little food flick, or treat catch. Then put the leash away and head back to whatever you were doing.

Click the leash, attach it to their collar, then ignore them for a moment while you get some treats. Toss a treat away from you. Play for a few minutes, detach the leash and head on back to your desk.

Put the leash on, head out the door. Only walk for 1 minute and head back in.

The point is, mix it up and help break your dog’s prediction of what is about to happen.

Try it in the car

Does a car ride mean you’re going to the park? Or Day Camp? Does your dog think the car is the most exciting place to bark and ride like the wind with their head out the window? Or maybe a car ride is associated with feeling nauseous, or going to the vet to get poked. Well…mix it up!

Get in the car and get out again. Sit in the car in the driveway while you read the morning news. Go for a ride around the block and go straight home. Feed a kong filled treat or lick mat in the car and don’t go anywhere.

I bet you’re understanding this but one more for fun…

Apply it to coming home!

Does your dog anticipate your arrival home? Or does leaving trigger anxiety? Change it up. Leave and come right back in and then leave again. Pull into the driveway, then leave and circle around the block again. Or come home, grab your dog and go for a boring car ride to no where. Come on in, leave them in their crate for a bit while you get some water, phone a friend and mentally arrive home.

Learn to be unpredictable. Think of it like turning your dog in to a gambler. We don’t know when that silly slot machine is going to pay out, so we keep playing just in case. If YOU become less predictable, your dog will learn to go with the flow, have flexibility. They don’t have to worry and build up the stress and anticipation of something they like, or don’t like, that may cause their brain to reach overflow. They can’t think due to an overstimulated brain so you are NOT punishing your dog by giving them a lesser value reward than they were expecting. Your are helping them learn to be calm no matter the situation and look to you for direction.

Not all dogs need incredible flexibility. Some will actually do better with a routine, but this is one way to help mix up your dog’s over the top behavior at certain trigger times.

If you’re in the Grass Valley Area, check out our Semi-private, Group Classes to learn more!