Why Do We Expect Our Puppy Or Dog To Behave Without First Teaching Them?

Training new skills, teaching new behaviour to a different species is not easy but it’s one of the most important things to do when you bring an animal into your home.

For reasons unknown to me, I see unwillingness in many dog guardians to understand this very basic concept.

Teaching is a skill. Learning takes time.

Expecting dogs (it's only with dogs) to intuitively know what we expect of them the moment they enter our home is unfair to them and to us.

Dogs get punished for behaviour before ever learning what else they should do.

Imagine that for a moment. You are asked to perform a task without previous training. You don’t get it right.

Your supervisor reprimands you in front of co-workers then docks your pay. The next time you have to do the same thing, you still get it wrong because nobody has shown you what to do.

How different is that from taking your young pup out on a leash, jerking back on it when he goes to far ahead of you and reprimanding him?

The pup has had no training. He does not know what is expected of him. He pulls again and again.

Your puppy or dog grabs something off a table or counter. You reprimand and perhaps punish by crating him.

He has never been taught not to do that.

The dog doesn’t know what is expected of him in that situation. Do you expect him to understand food on counters is off limits without training?

Why?

There are endless examples of situations puppies or dogs are placed in situations where you expect him to know what to do.

Think twice, maybe three times before reprimanding your dog for not doing as you ask.

Did you train him to do otherwise?