Talk and Point, Point and Talk

Posted on May 17 in Small Dog Behavior, The Small Dog-Human Bond, Training A Small Dogby Jeff K.Print

As a pilot walking through the concourses of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, I frequently encounter people from other countries who are seeking directions to their departure gate. I’ll tell you how these encounters go in just a moment. First, let me tell you how I see other people handle giving directions to visitors who do not speak English. Here is an example:

“Disculpe me. ¿Donde esta la puerta E-cinquinta de San Salvadore?” (Pardon me. Where is gate E-15 for San Salvadore?)

“I don’t speak Spanish. I don’t know what you want,” says the person whose help is being sought.

“¿Que?” (What?)

The person speaks to the visitor in a louder voice, almost shouting. “YOU SHOULD TRY TO FIND SOMEONE WHO SPEAKS SPANISH BECAUSE I CANNOT HELP YOU!! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!”

“¿Que?” (What?)

Why am I talking about this situation in a website about small dog care? The airport situation I have just described is metaphor for how some of us try to communicate with our dogs.

Typically, when a dog does not seem to understand us on the first attempt, some of us try some rather crazy methods to get our point across, and yes, shouting is one of those methods. It gets very weird when we try and fail. Instead of trying something new, we do the same thing over and over again with increasing intensity: “I don’t speak Spanish. Understand? I don’t speak Spanish. I DON’T SPEAK SPANISH!! UNDERSTAND?! ARE YOU DEAF?!”

I have to quote Einstein, who said “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Punishing our dogs for bad behavior is one of those things we try over and over again. Even though punishment rarely works as intended, we keep turning to it, especially when we are frustrated with our dogs’ behavior.

How I Help

Here is how I try to help a lost passenger from another country. First, I point to the boarding card that the passenger is typically holding. When the passenger gives me the card, I look at the passenger’s name, the destination, and the departure gate, all of which are clearly printed there. Next, using a combination of the 20 or so Spanish words I know, I speak single words as I point to the overhead airport signs that are printed in different languages. Gestures and single words usually get the job done. If the passenger still seems lost, and I have time, I will lead them to the gate or at least to the correct concourse and then point in the direction of the gate. It gets the job done.

“Gracias, senor. Gracias!”

“De nada.” It really is nothing. We tend to complicate communication unnecessarily.

What Your Dog Understands

Here is how this is relevant to your dog. First, whether or not you have trained your dog using commands, your dog understands at least a few words of English simply through everyday experience. It is likely your dog knows, for example, “Walk,” “Out,” “Treat,” or “Cookie,” “Car,” or “Ride,” “Food/Dinner,” and, most importantly, “No,” and “Good dog!” He may pretend he does not know the words “Quiet,” and “Stop,” and “Get the hell off me,” or some variation of these. He probably does know what these mean and chooses to ignore them out of self-interest. If you would, hang on to the idea of dogs acting in their own self-interest. I am going to use this thought to tie everything together towards the conclusion of this article.

Second, your dog can read you like a book. If he is interested in doing so, he can probably read your body language and facial expressions. He is acutely attuned to your moods. (See my article “Barometer Dog” for more on your dog’s sensitivity to your moods and behavior.) There is even some evidence to support your dog’s ability to detect your general disposition using scent. (“Oh brother, this guy stinks like anger!”) This is important to keep in mind because it implies you do not have to clobber your dog over the head to get your point across. Your dog usually knows which way your thoughts are heading, sometimes even before you do.

Here is where we are so far. Through practical experience, you and your dog have some verbal language in common. Two of the most important words you share in common are “No,” and “Good dog!” You and your dog also have a non-verbal language in common, largely thanks to your dog’s sensitivity to your moods and behavior. Sounds like you have a great starting place for getting your point across to your dog.

Simple Language and Good Timing

Using simple language and, even more importantly, gestures and other physical signs, you can have a simple and effective conversation with your dog. It is, for example, completely unnecessary and even counter-productive to shout at your dog when he barks non-stop at something through the window. Your response? “Royce, stop barking this instant or I am going to come in there and let you have it!” Better to get your point across with a calm and assertive “No!” along with a snap of your fingers that implies, “Pay attention to me. I’m not happy with you at the moment.”

Timing is also critical to communication with your dog. Have you ever listened to one of those interviews on a cable news show in which the reporter and the interviewee are on opposite sides of the world? The reporter asks a question and it take several seconds for the interviewee to answer. It is so strained, it is almost embarrassing and it is certainly hard to follow. Sometimes, if the topic is rather dry, you might feel like changing the channel rather than enduring the long gaps in conversation. Same thing with your dog. If you take too long to respond to your dog’s behavior, your dog will change channels. By “too long,” I mean seconds. Your dog has an extremely short attention span. If he pees in the house and you respond to the accident more than a few seconds later, your dog will make no connection between peeing in the house and your response of displeasure. None, zero. To sum up, in order for your dog to connect what he has done and your response, you must respond within a second or two of his behavior. There is no exception to this rule.

Self-Interest

Let’s wrap it up with a discussion of self-interest. When a foreign passenger asks me for assistance, I’ve got that passenger’s full attention. He knows if he does not get the information he needs from me or someone else, he is going to miss his flight. Most international departures only happen once per day and most flights are usually fully booked. If he misses his flight, he is not only going to wait a full day for another chance, he might also not get on the flight leaving tomorrow. Earlier I said even though your dog may know the word “Quiet,” that does not mean he will respond to it. If there is a bigger payoff, (in his mind,) for continuing barking versus going quiet on your command, he is definitely going to continue barking. Even if he shuts up on command, he will likely resume barking after a few moments if that remains the best deal for him.

You can work your understanding of self-interest to your advantage. No matter what you want your dog to do, you will get your best results if you create a situation in which it is in the dog’s best interest to do what you want. The process is intuitively simple. If you want your dog to do something, praise and treats in response to good behavior is a must. If you want your dog to stop doing something, not only tell him what you want, give him a better alternative as well. “Hey buddy, let’s go play ball.” Let me be clear about that last part. Never bribe your dog away from bad behavior. For example, offering a treat to stop barking may seem like a good idea. Your dog’s simple logic will twist that treat into a reward for barking. I know some people who throw cookies at their dog’s feet to get him to stop jumping up on guests. Bear in mind they don’t tell the dog to stop jumping up. They bait the dog off people by throwing cookies on the floor while the dog is jumping up. Here is the result:

“I jump on people, and I am rewarded. Jumping on people is good.”

The correct strategy is to use good, clear communication to stop your dog from doing a bad behavior, and then, once the bad behavior has stopped completely, offer an alternative that the dog enjoys. This method becomes a 3-step process:

1. Tell your dog what you want using verbal and visual signals: “Royce, down.”
2. Give praise for a proper response: “Good boy!”
3. When your dog stops jumping up and is calm: “Let’s go play ball buddy.”

One More Alternative

Before I close, let me offer one other alternative for you. When in doubt, ignoring bad behavior is far better than punishing it. Given a dog’s short attention span, if his bad behavior is not getting the result he seeks out of self-interest, the bad behavior will die of neglect. At Kelsey’s Dog House, I will occasionally take a seat in one of the daycare rooms. Almost immediately, 3 or 4 dogs will begin balancing themselves upright against my legs. They want to get up in my lap. My response is to pretend they are not even there. I don’t speak to them. I don’t look at them. I don’t touch them. Within 30 or 40 seconds, without fail, all of the dogs who were seeking my lap will give up and walk away.

Telling a dog what you want is very simple. We humans, being complicated creatures, tend to complicate our communication with dogs. We find it hard to believe we can get our point across with single words, spoken calmly, using gestures to make our point.

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