©Scott Sheaffer, CDBC, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, USA Dog Behavior, LLC

“…imposing so many commands on her dog was actually making her dog more stressed, not less.”

A new client walked in my door recently. She was a middle-aged woman who was nicely dressed and very well spoken. She came with a large and beautiful female sable colored long-haired German Shepherd. I must admit that the dog was so beautiful it caused me to ignore this new client for a moment - this is the kind of dog I call “leash candy”.

Too Many Commands

Once I regained my focus, I noticed this nice lady was machine-gunning this gorgeous canine with one command after another: “sit” - “look at me” - “leave it” - “stay” - “sit” - “no” - “leave it” - “no sir”. The dog was obviously being stressed by her barrage of commands. I knew it was time to use my standard “disarming” language with this new client, “Let’s let your dog be off-duty for the next hour.” When she stopped, the dog de-stressed a little and so did the new client and I.

We are taught 24/7 that if we’re good dog owners, we should teach our dogs dozens of commands. If we don’t do this, we are bad dog owners and should walk around with our heads held in shame. The dog gods will surely punish us for being horrible dog owners if we don’t teach an overabundance of commands.

However

The longer I work with dogs, especially my own, the less strict I am about all the rules, commands, etc. that we force on our dogs. How did I come to this conclusion?

Dr. Ian Dunbar is considered by most dog trainers and dog behavior consultants as the patron saint of everything related to dog behavior. I was attending one of his seminars a number of years ago and something he said really got my attention.

“Train the commands that you really need for your dog like sit, come, wait and stay. Stop stressing your dog and yourself teaching things that are only to show off, make you look like you’re in charge, or because you think you’re supposed to.”

Yes! Presto!

Good dog ownership is like good child parenting; it’s primarily the relationship, not the rules. Teaching only the commands that are needed for your dog to live happily with your family is what is needed. We cause ourselves and our dogs a lot of stress with all the dog training that dogs and dog owners will never really use. Teach the basics as noted above such as “sit”, “stay”, “come”, “wait” and any others that your dog needs to function well in your household.

Exercise Your Dog More, “Command” Them Less

Teaching your dog too many commands is one thing; not exercising them enough is another. More exercise is good! Your dog needs both mental and physical exercise every day. This is a commonly neglected area for dog owners and is especially important for the more athletic and intelligent breeds. Walk your dog, play fetch with your dog, play hide-and-seek with your dog, etc. Hanging out alone in your back yard is neither mentally or physically stimulating for your dog. You have to engage with them.

In short, exercise your dog more, “command” them less.

The new client, her beautiful German Shepherd and I had a great first session. She was surprised, and relieved, to hear that imposing so many commands on her dog was actually making her dog more stressed, not less.