Are you up for a little challenge? Then try counting how many times you say "yes" and "no" during your day with your dog. The results can be thought-provoking.
A few weeks ago I was walking next to a lady who was walking her dog. Over the course of about 200 meters, she managed to say "no" about 10-15 times. And it got me thinking about how we interact with our dogs on a daily basis, and what we communicate to them.
For example, does your dog understand what "no" means, and does it know what you would like it to do instead?
In my opinion, there's nothing necessarily wrong with giving your dog a "no" every now and then when he does something unwanted. But what we two-legged friends often forget is to teach our dogs what we mean when we say "no" and to tell the dog what we want him to do instead.
Imagine that you were sitting at a table with a lot of things on it, and when you take one of the things, there is a person who tells you "no". You put the things away and take another thing: no reaction from the other person. You are left wondering: Can I take this thing, or should I take another? Or? It is an unpleasant situation to be put in, and can make you insecure. Our dogs can get it in the same way: If we only say "no" when the dog does something unwanted, but we forget to praise with a "yes" / "good" when the dog does the right thing. How is the dog supposed to learn what is right?
Strangely enough, it is often easiest to remember the "no's" and forget the praise when the dog behaves the way we want it to. Here we often just stay silent and enjoy the dog doing the right thing. These are "patterns" that we can become aware of in ourselves and think about changing if we dare to challenge ourselves and count the number of "no's" and "yes's".
To have a more harmonious relationship with your dog, it can also be a good idea to teach your dog what "no" and "yes" mean. And it can also "pay off" to teach your dog a behavior that can be used instead of a "no". For example, has the dog put something in its mouth that it is not allowed to take? Then it may work better if the dog has learned "let go", because then you can use this word and praise afterwards, and thereby avoid another "no"! And suddenly the situation has turned into a good experience. Also remember that a "no" can become a good experience if the dog learns that it actually gets praise for stopping what it is doing.
It's harder than it sounds though! I still catch myself saying "bad" "no" in situations where I know it won't help and my dogs don't understand the meaning. But I think you can do yourself a favor by thinking about when you use your "no" and then considering whether it can be approached differently next time. Sometimes it can also work well to simply anticipate events so that problems don't arise. When my dogs were puppies, I would remove houseplants or "fence them in" i.e. go and say no all the time when they wanted to tear them to pieces. And when they came out again, they weren't exciting anymore.
I believe that we will have a happier life with our dog if we put on the "yes hat" more often, and remember to communicate and teach our dogs what we expect from them.
What is your ratio of "yes" and "no" with your dog?
Photo credit: Tails by Ragno
About the blogger:
Karoline lives in Birkerød with her boyfriend and their two golden retrievers, Frida and Vilde. Karoline is a trained veterinarian and dog trainer and is co-founder of the dog running club Dirty Paws, where she is also a trainer/rope keeper in the local club in North Zealand. Frida and Line love running canicross together and have participated in many competitions at home and abroad, including the European Championships and the World Championships. Their most important motto, however, is "Better together" - that the trips are about teamwork and understanding for each other. And that everyone can join in. In addition to canicross, they also participate in K9 biathlons (obstacle races with dogs) and do dog fitness. And hiking both in Denmark and around Europe is also a hit.
Frida is a super fast runner when it comes to it. And can hike for hours in the Alps. But she also just loves to be petted on the stomach and sleep for a long time. She can be stubborn as a donkey if there is something she doesn't like. On evening walks, for example, she is the one who decides the route. And she "talks" a lot by purring, including when she thinks she has earned an extra treat.
Vilde is from the spring of 2023 - and in many ways Frida's opposite. She is full of mischief and always happy and cheeky. She can howl like a wolf or jump like a kangaroo when she gets impatient - and otherwise she is a smart and brave girl who loves wild play and training. She will do pretty much anything for a treat.
Frida, Vilde and Karoline can be found on Instagram with the profile @teamgoldenpower
Do you mostly say "yes" or "no" to your dog?
Are you up for a little challenge? Then try counting how many times you say "yes" and "no" during your day with your dog. The results can be thought-provoking.
A few weeks ago I was walking next to a lady who was walking her dog. Over the course of about 200 meters, she managed to say "no" about 10-15 times. And it got me thinking about how we interact with our dogs on a daily basis, and what we communicate to them.
For example, does your dog understand what "no" means, and does it know what you would like it to do instead?
In my opinion, there's nothing necessarily wrong with giving your dog a "no" every now and then when he does something unwanted. But what we two-legged friends often forget is to teach our dogs what we mean when we say "no" and to tell the dog what we want him to do instead.
Imagine that you were sitting at a table with a lot of things on it, and when you take one of the things, there is a person who tells you "no". You put the things away and take another thing: no reaction from the other person. You are left wondering: Can I take this thing, or should I take another? Or? It is an unpleasant situation to be put in, and can make you insecure. Our dogs can get it in the same way: If we only say "no" when the dog does something unwanted, but we forget to praise with a "yes" / "good" when the dog does the right thing. How is the dog supposed to learn what is right?
Strangely enough, it is often easiest to remember the "no's" and forget the praise when the dog behaves the way we want it to. Here we often just stay silent and enjoy the dog doing the right thing. These are "patterns" that we can become aware of in ourselves and think about changing if we dare to challenge ourselves and count the number of "no's" and "yes's".
To have a more harmonious relationship with your dog, it can also be a good idea to teach your dog what "no" and "yes" mean. And it can also "pay off" to teach your dog a behavior that can be used instead of a "no". For example, has the dog put something in its mouth that it is not allowed to take? Then it may work better if the dog has learned "let go", because then you can use this word and praise afterwards, and thereby avoid another "no"! And suddenly the situation has turned into a good experience. Also remember that a "no" can become a good experience if the dog learns that it actually gets praise for stopping what it is doing.
It's harder than it sounds though! I still catch myself saying "bad" "no" in situations where I know it won't help and my dogs don't understand the meaning. But I think you can do yourself a favor by thinking about when you use your "no" and then considering whether it can be approached differently next time. Sometimes it can also work well to simply anticipate events so that problems don't arise. When my dogs were puppies, I would remove houseplants or "fence them in" i.e. go and say no all the time when they wanted to tear them to pieces. And when they came out again, they weren't exciting anymore.
I believe that we will have a happier life with our dog if we put on the "yes hat" more often, and remember to communicate and teach our dogs what we expect from them.
What is your ratio of "yes" and "no" with your dog?
Photo credit: Tails by Ragno
About the blogger:
Karoline lives in Birkerød with her boyfriend and their two golden retrievers, Frida and Vilde. Karoline is a trained veterinarian and dog trainer and is co-founder of the dog running club Dirty Paws, where she is also a trainer/rope keeper in the local club in North Zealand. Frida and Line love running canicross together and have participated in many competitions at home and abroad, including the European Championships and the World Championships. Their most important motto, however, is "Better together" - that the trips are about teamwork and understanding for each other. And that everyone can join in. In addition to canicross, they also participate in K9 biathlons (obstacle races with dogs) and do dog fitness. And hiking both in Denmark and around Europe is also a hit.
Frida is a super fast runner when it comes to it. And can hike for hours in the Alps. But she also just loves to be petted on the stomach and sleep for a long time. She can be stubborn as a donkey if there is something she doesn't like. On evening walks, for example, she is the one who decides the route. And she "talks" a lot by purring, including when she thinks she has earned an extra treat.
Vilde is from the spring of 2023 - and in many ways Frida's opposite. She is full of mischief and always happy and cheeky. She can howl like a wolf or jump like a kangaroo when she gets impatient - and otherwise she is a smart and brave girl who loves wild play and training. She will do pretty much anything for a treat.
Frida, Vilde and Karoline can be found on Instagram with the profile @teamgoldenpower