So you got your new puppy! Adorable! Look at that squishy face as she sleeps in your arms. Look at the cautious, waddling steps she takes as she explores her environment. Oh wow! She’s so calm and sweet and your heart melts. You’re going to take her EVERYWHERE!!

And “suddenly”, as we fast forward 5 months, your nightmare of a dog has eaten your favorite pair of shoes, stolen your dinner off the table, clawed your new couch, chomped your remote control and dug up your garden. Living the dream! They HAVE to outgrow this…RIGHT?

Every dog, no matter how old, what breed or size, behavior history or genetic make-up has a brain that can be shaped and reshaped so they can choose calm, confident, connected behaviors.

It’s just that most of us throw our dogs into situations they are not prepared to handle and ask them to function as a fully developed and trained dog. We read that “socialization” is important so we take our dog everywhere, including the dog park, without first understanding how our dog will react to its environment and how they take in information that helps them process their situation.

Then, human nature takes over and we try to fix the problem while it’s happening.

Our dog barks, we yell “NO! STOP IT! QUIET!”

Our dog lunges towards another dog, we pull back on the leash.

Our dog stops in it’s tracks, hackles up, tail stiff and we’ve read about positive reinforcement! We start offering treats in front of her snout and saying “Good Girl…you’re ok!”

The problem is this doesn’t work for dogs! They can’t learn to listen while they are excited and over stimulated.

Concept training allows you to train FOR a situation rather than IN the situation. We first introduce concepts of calm, confidence, flexibility, self-control and more in environments that are familiar and free of distraction. As you and your dog learn (and we make learning fun, not boring punishment) we can build on the concepts by moving to areas with a little more distraction. As they are comfortable in that new environment, we move to an area with closer distractions or an unfamiliar area and keep practicing to “proof” the concepts (meaning the good behavior is happening in many situations and environments that feel safe to your dog.

Trainer Tip: Dogs do not transfer skills and knowledge well. This means when we introduce commands like SIT on a rug in the living room while you are standing, then ask them to SIT on a tile floor in the kitchen while you’re 2 feet away, your dog perceives this as totally different things. It’s why your dog can be AMAZING in obedience class but the moment you walk out the door to your car…BAM! Different dog!

We build up to getting real life results because you have given your dog the necessary skills they need to cope with any situations…in advance! We train FOR a situation, not IN the situation.

And this is why the basis of training is broken down into fun games. Games can be played for a couple of minutes any time, any where. They are designed to fit into our busy human lives.

Even if you don’t know specific concept building games yet, you can get creative. Does your dog go crazy at the sound of the doorbell? How can you simulate a doorbell ring AND have them stay calm? Try finding doorbell sounds on your phone. Wait for a time your dog is calm. Play the doorbell sound. They stay calm. You offer treats! This is classical conditioning response.

Act like someone is at the door by saying “One moment! Hi! Be right there” and toss some treats down for your calm (probably confused) dog. But the more you practice the behaviors you want your dog to do, the more they will do those behaviors.

We’ll talk more about how dogs learn and how they transfer knowledge in future posts.

Visit the Casa Luna Canines semi-private, group dog training web page for more information about Doggie Decorum where you can learn more (in person).