Dog training basics, impulse control and WAIT

Your dog is out of control so what should you do?  You can start by reading this post.  

Impulse Control is a dog training basic. It is what every dog needs to know and every dog owner should know how to train. Nothing in training is a lightswitch, but a few simple changes on how you interact with your dog can bring some calm into your life and your dog’s life.

Is feeding time crazy with your dog pushing to get at the food?   How about when you say, 

“time for a walk” -  does putting a leash or harness on your dog require wrestling moves?  How about when you come home, is your dog barking and leaping as if there is no way to contain such absolute joy?

Your dog will approach these events every single time like each event is the biggest thing to ever happen.  Why can’t dogs control themselves?   Have they never taught themselves to take a breath and bring their impulses under control?  Well, the answer is - NO, it absolutely never occurred to them.  

Without training, most dogs will not learn impulse control. The WAIT cue is the foundation of impulse control.  Waiting and learning to hold your excitement in check is the goal of training Impulse control in your dog.  It is also what we teach our kids from a very young age. We teach this for the sake of a society without chaos.

Dogs exercising impulse control in the long Wait for the Big Event

WIth the Holidays upon us, it is worth pointing out that this season, especially for kids, is built on WAITING for the main event.  We teach them to manage the interim time by doing small supportive tasks. In my home, we wrote letters to Santa that had to travel all the way to the North Pole and learned we just had to WAIT.  In school we made gifts that took weeks to complete.  We had to WAIT through each step in the process and for the day they would be opened and admired.  And what is a wrapped gift but another WAIT. The dog trainer in me sees all the anticipatory preparations through the Holiday season as one long exercise in impulse control and the art of waiting. 

To encourage impulse control in both kids and dogs,  we use a reward system based on the Premack Principle. This principle, simply defined is “eat your vegetables and then you can have dessert”.  Or in the rules for a Santa visit,  you have to be good if you want Santa to come to your house.

We develop impulse control in small children by teaching them to WAIT,  and we should do as much for our dogs.  We teach it in dogs as we do in little humans, in small steps that set them up for success, gradually building on the ability to Wait. 

When it is time to feed your dog, use the premack principle and ask your dog to wait before you put their food down. Use a release to tell them they have completed the task of waiting.  When your dog would like to go through a door, ask for a wait with the door staying closed until your dog waits.  Before your dog goes for a walk,  the leashes and harnesses don’t get put on until your dog waits to be dressed.

My dogs exhibiting good impulse control in a WAIT until released to play

And here is a Happy Holiday tip: 

Undertake this training with your dog with patience and with calm in your voice and in your heart.

Wishing you and yours an impulse controlled Holiday Season!