Do you find yourself saying NO on repeat?

My question is does your dog know what he/she is suppose to be doing everytime you say NO?

Because saying NO becomes a habit when a dog is constantly unruly, here is a little clairty on the use of the word .........NO.......

The most common thing people say is... I don't care what the dog does so long as it stops what it is doing and so that is why I say NO.

Okay, so say your dog is instictively sniffing something, going for something, acting too excited, barking or doing what ever behavior that is annoying and you just want it to stop!

Now think, does my dog know how to immediately override this instictual behavior and do something else? Is this always a punishable behavior or do I allow it sometimes? Jumping, barking, play biting...

Regularly throwing out a punshing toned NO very frequently means absolutely nothing. In a session, if a client starts saying NO and I am counting 4 or 5 No's in less than a minute I certainly know that they are both frustrated and confused. When we are in it we may not realize that the dog is not understanding and you are not communicating clearly. I get it, sometimes NO work so we just say it more hoping they catch on. Alot of times they just don't!

While a clear toned NO can signal stop what you are doing it doesn't help your dog change his instinctual reaction and change direction to do something else. This is especially true if nothing in the environment has changed.

If you say sit your pup is suppose to put his butt on the ground. What does NO mean?

How is your dog suppose to know in this very instance what NO means to your right now? The big question, Have you taught behaviors to put in place when they are thrown into an instictive spiral and behaving the way dogs do?

What? I know it seems confusing but let's say, If a dog chases cars and I say NO the dog will still chase cars. The prey insinct kicked in and we haven't worked on turning it on or turning it off. Yelling NO will not get us where we need to be. When we take the time to teach behaviors like sit, heal, leave it, stop and stay then we can switch from the quick instinct brain over to the thinking brain where verbal cues signal appropriate behaviors to put in place and override those instincts. Just saying NO for some breeds of dogs can work. People who have owned the same breed of dog for decades often get that dog that needs us to TEACH our pups to over ride instincts. All dog's are different and some dog's drives and instincts are stronger and harder than others. Some breeds a strict NO will signal to never do that again while others take a very long time and require real training to get through the process.

So if you are repeatedly saying NO, we clearly need additional tactics, patience and teaching and training skills beyond the usual NO. Repeatedly saying NO or other forms of punishment are just not fair.

The word NO in a clear tone should grab their attention but not leave the dog guessing what to do next.

There is no specific behavior attached to the word.

NO, don’t chew on that.

NO, don’t beg while I eat.

NO, get off the counter.

NO, get over here.

No means something to the owner and the dog is just suppose to know what it means in any given scenario. It is so confusing... and unfair when the owner then says the dog knows right from wrong. what ever you think it means without being clear is confusing!!!

Let's begin .. STOP TALKING!!! STOP SAYING NO!

When the dog is doing something you don't want them to do, ask them to do something you know the dog knows how to do such as: instead of jumping on me...sit. Instead of biting my hand…chew on this toy. Instead of getting on the couch…go to place. Decide what you want them to do and teach them that. Teaching replacement behaviors for what comes to them instinctively is crucial to set the dog up for success while in the teaching stages.

If the dog gets into trouble around the house it is usually not being supervised or we have forgotten to take them outside, not picking up our stuff, leaving food on the counter or unattended. Instead of bellowing NO let's TEACH them what to do instead!!

Caught in the act: A mischievous pup confidently disregards the "No Dogs on This Sofa" rule, finding a cozy spot next to the cheeky pillow.