Hey everyone, today I’m going to be talking about how to interrupt undesirable behavior, in your puppy or dog, without having to use physical or psychological intimidation to do it. A lot of people have the misconception that if you’re using positive reinforcement to train your dog that you’re supposed to ignore unwanted behavior. This is simply not true. And also a really bad idea because most of the behaviors that we find undesirable in dogs are usually self reinforcing. In other words the dogs enjoy doing them. For example chewing on your furniture or barking when they see a dog passing in the street. If you just ignore these behaviors they’re going to gather a reinforcement history. And they’re gonna be really hard to get rid of in the future because your dog has been rehearsing them for for a long period of time.

So I suggest in your training, it’s really important if you see a behavior that you don’t like you have two options. Number one, figure out a way to prevent that behavior by managing the environment as you train your dog appropriate behaviors. Or number two, you need to interrupt that behavior as soon as you see it.

So if you see your puppy going to chew on your furniture you need to interrupt your puppy immediately. A lot of people believe that you have to use punishment to interrupt undesirable behavior. But this is really not true. I’ve been training dogs with this method for over 15 years and I’ve never seen any issues arise from this method. And I actually believe it’s a better way of training. The reason I use it because you don’t get any of the side effects that are associated with punishment.

I don’t believe that it’s cruel or inhumane to tell your puppy or your adult dog no when they do certain behaviors you dislike. But I really believe that by using an interrupter that you’ve trained with, like a cue, that tells your dog what to do is a much better way of training because you don’t get the baggage of punishment.

Here’s a list of the different ways that you can interrupt your dog without using physical or psychological intimidation:

1.) Attention noise
2.) Recall
3.) Leave it
4.) Stationing behavior
5.) Drop it
6.) Let’s go
7.) Alternate behavior
8.) Treat lure
9.) Release cue
10.) Move the dog

First you need to set up training sessions to train your dog these behaviors. You might only need one or two depending on your situation. But once you’ve trained your dog the behavior you then need to prove the behavior in proofing sessions. This simply means asking for the behavior in different scenarios and different environments to make sure the dog understands that no matter what situation the same behavior is required.

1.) Attention Noise

Now I’m going to discuss all those different behaviors on the list starting with the attention noise. I think this is the easiest and the quickest interrupter to train. I use it with new rescue dogs and puppies who haven’t had any prior training because it’s quick and easy. Now all you have to do is make a kissy noise and when your dog looks up at you you mark and reinforce your dog for looking at you. Once you’ve trained and proofed that behavior then if your dog is doing something that you don’t really like you can make the kissy noise your dog looks at you to say what?

Then you tell your dog what you do want them to do.And if they don’t know any cues yet you can show your dog. So say if your puppy is chewing on a chair you can make the kissy noise and then show them their ball. Now it’s really important when you’re interrupting behavior that you understand that it’s not the interrupting of the behavior that is important in creating a well-mannered dog. The really important thing is training your dog what you do want them to do. Puppies chew. So if you are simply just trying to punish them for chewing your furniture they’re going to keep wanting to chew. The best solution is training them what to chew on which is their dog toys, their bones, etc.

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In this post I’m talking about interrupting behavior. But if the only training that you do with your dog is interrupting them then that’s the only time that you’re giving them attention. So if you were to use punishment and you were telling your dog no every time they touch things, and ignore your dog all the other times, your dog is going to start to want to do undesirable behavior to get your attention. Therefore with this training it’s extremely important to reinforce the behaviors you do want your dog to do like relaxing calmly when you’re ignoring your dog.

2.) Recall

The second interrupter is a recall. Say your dog is at a distance and you need your dog to move away from something. You can teach them to come to you when you call them. When they come to you they are moving away from the thing you wanted them to get away from. The recall response seems to come naturally to some dogs. For others, it’s a hard-won behavior. The good news is it’s not as hard as you might think. It just takes a commitment to regular practice, keeping it fun and happy.

Start by “charging” your “Come” cue. This will be a word that will always mean to your dog: “Absolutely wonderful stuff is about to happen and you better get over here fast or you’re going to miss out!” Say “Come!” in a loud, cheerful voice and feed your dog a very high-value treat – chicken, steak, whatever they think is totally wonderful. Repeat many times, until your dog’s eyes light up when they hear the cue. Always treat your dog or puppy nicely every time they come to you — kind words or a pat on the head are a must because little treats reinforce the good feelings.

Note: If you’ve already taught your dog that “Come!” sometimes means “bad stuff” then you’ve “poisoned” your cue, and you need to pick a different word.

3.) Leave It

The third interrupter that I like to use is the leave it cue. A lot of people ask me what’s the difference between a “kissy” attention noise, a recall and the leave it cue. For me I like to train the dog that leave it means don’t bother that specific thing but you can do anything you want. Leave it is one of the most valuable cues to teach a dog, and one of my favorites to train. Teaching a leave-it command is a practical and potentially lifesaving command that every dog should learn.

It works best to spend about 15 minutes per day in 5 minute sessions working on training your dog “Leave it”. Using small, pea-sized, treats to reward good behavior makes learning happen quickly and without overfeeding. If your dog is not interested in treats, you can substitute playing with him or scratching him where he really enjoys it for a few seconds. Try to tailor your training sessions so that they are easy enough for your dog to earn a reward most of the time. Setting him up for success will avoid frustration for the learner as well as the trainer.

4.) Stationing Behavior

Number four is a stationing behavior. Pick an area, or station, for your dog in each room, preferably a spot that is to the side or in a quiet corner. You can teach your dog to go to his bed or go to a crate or some other location. Then you can use that to interrupt behavior you don’t like for example if your dog is starting to play rough or get too excited. You could say go to their bed and then they could take a break. Then you could release them to play again. Or perhaps you have a guest come over and your dog gets a little bit excited. You can tell your dog to go to their bed and then they can relax. And when they feel more calm then they can interact with the guest again.

5.) Drop It

The drop it cue can come in handy if you have a puppy or a new dog that likes to tug on your clothes or pull on the leash. Or perhaps picks things up like your underwear or things on a walk. It’s easiest to start teaching a puppy “Drop It”. But most every dog can learn this cue if you are patient and consistent. You’ll want to keep your training sessions short and sweet. Practice each day for about five minutes at a time starting with low value items. You’ll need lots of yummy Dog Treats, and of course a dependable dog collar and leash for your dog. With your dog on a leash, give them an item to investigate. Make sure you begin with a low value item to start. If your dog loves socks, start with something a little less exciting like a T-shirt.

Place the object on the floor in front of your dog and allow them to check it out. While they are engaged with the object say your dog’s name and then “Drop It” (or whatever your relinquish cue will be). As soon as your dog looks at you say “Yes!” or indicate with your clicker and give them lots of treats. If your dog has a hard time relinquishing the object, use your leash to gently move them away from the object and then reinforce them. Repeat this exercise several times each day.

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When your dog is responding consistently to the “Drop It” cue with low value items, begin challenging them with different objects. You’ll find that your dog will have a harder time with some objects than others. When you identify what objects are of high value to your dog spend lots of time working the relinquish cue. Don’t be afraid to use your leash to move your dog away from the object. But be sure your movements are smooth and gentle and ALWAYS reinforce your dog when they respond correctly.

As your “Drop It” training progresses, practice in different locations. Ideally, you want your dog to be able to drop a chicken bone they find in the alley without hesitation. But remember, this takes lots of practice, so always be patient with your precious pet. With plenty of positive reinforcement, patience and love, your pet will master the “Drop It” cue like a pro. You can tell your dog to drop it and then tell them what you do want them to do.

6.) Let’s Go

Let’s go! This is a cue that means I am moving, move with me. You can use it when your your dog is on a leash. It’s great if you have a reactive dog and you notice that they are getting a little bit worried about something in the environment. You can say let’s go and then move in the opposite direction. It gives your dog the opportunity to know that you’re going to be moving. That’s better than just startling them by pulling on their leash to go in the other direction. Another great use for let’s go is if dogs are meeting on a leash and then you see your dog’s getting a little bit too excited. Or perhaps the other dog is getting too excited. You can say let’s go to teach your dog to move away from that other dog.

7.) Alternate Behavior

Number seven is alternate behavior. If you have a dog that is doing a behavior that you don’t like you can cue them to do a behavior that is incompatible with the one that they’re doing. Behaviors that aren’t rewarded in some way eventually extinguish. Especially if you make it a point to reinforce an alternative and preferably incompatible behavior.

8.) Treat Lure

Number 8 – Using a treat lure to interrupt behavior. I like to use a treat as a lure to interrupt behavior. Especially in training sessions when I’m training behaviors. For example a down stay. Lets say that the dog was in a down stay and I raised criteria too quickly (walked too far away) and the dog doesn’t understand that to get the treat they need to stay. If the dog was to get up and follow me I could quickly get a treat and lure the dog back into the position (lure them into the down stay) with the treat.

I would not give them the treat because I don’t want them to learn that getting up immediately gets them the treat. Then I make the criteria a little bit easier than the last trial. Meaning maybe I went 30 feet away before and now I’m just going to go 5 feet away. And then I reinforce the dog for staying in the down position with a treat. From that point I would increase the criteria little by little.

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The reason that I like to use this way of interrupting behavior is because if I set the training up to be too hard for the dog why should the dog be the one who gets punished for my crappy training plan. So I say to myself oops I messed up I’m going to reinforce this dog for an easier behavior. And then figure out a way to raise criteria where the dog is understanding what I want every step of the way.

9.) Release Cue

The 9th interrupt is using a release cue to interrupt behavior. I like to use the release cue for a sit stay or down stay for my dogs. I like to use this for dogs who guard space. So for example if a dog guards the couch and the dog has a sit-stay where the owner says sit and then they say release and the dog runs to them happily.

You can use that cue, which has a conditioned emotional response of “yay I love getting up”, for the resource guarder. Say your the dog’s laying on the couch and another dog comes over. Then you see your dog about to guard the couch you can release your dog off the couch by saying “free”. Then when your dog comes to you, if they haven’t guarded yet, you can reinforce them with a treat.

But if they have guarded you could then wait a little bit and use a different behavior that you like. Use something that in the future they’re going to do to reinforce that new behavior instead. You don’t want to always reinforce your dog quickly after you’ve interrupted them from doing a behavior you dislike. The important thing is doing training sessions where you build these cues to be reinforcing for your dog. Then they want to listen to you and they want to be doing these alternate behaviors. Use the cue to interrupt behaviors but don’t give them a treat. Instead give them a treat for an old alternate behavior, that you like, throughout the day.

10.) Move the dog

The final behavior that I’m going to be talking about involves moving your dog when your dog can’t listen to you. Either they’ve not had enough training or they’re too excited or fearful or scared. In that circumstance you need to move them. For example you have a puppy and they’re chewing on a power cord. You make your kissy noise, you try to encourage them to get away from the cord and your dog is not listening to you. Then need to move your dog. You also maybe don’t want them chewing on your really expensive furniture and your puppy’s not listening to you when you tell them to stop. Pick the puppy up and move them away.

Now you don’t need to do this in an intimidating way. The idea is that you don’t want to use intentional physical or psychological intimidation. Now it could be true that you pick your puppy up and they’re like whoa I don’t really like that. Then you say to yourself, “oh no my puppy doesn’t like being picked up”. So instead of just always picking your puppy up and turning being picked up into a punishment you want to spend many sessions training your puppy to like being picked up. Especially if you have little dogs. It’s so convenient to be able to pick up your little dog without them feeling like it’s some type of intimidation game.

Now for bigger dogs. If you have a very large dog and you can’t pick them up you’re going to need to take their collar and move them away from whatever dangerous situation they’re in. Or some behavior that you really don’t want them to learn. For example, putting their paws up on the stove. You want to get them away from that stove as quickly as possible before they get hurt. If they’re not listening to you you are going to take their collar and you’re going to move them off the stove or move them with your hands.

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Now the idea is that if you don’t do any training most dogs find physical movement, pushing, shoving, moving them by the collar, really not fun and very punishing. So you have to set up training sessions where your dog understands that these behaviors are cues to mean move with me.

Say you’re walking down the street and you see a bicycle coming and they’re not gonna stop for your dog. You need to move your dog if they’re not listening to you and you. You say “let’s go” you stay calm and your dog doesn’t move you have to move them. So when you pull them on the leash most dogs don’t like it very much. They find it punishing. So what you need to do is set up training sessions where you teach your dog that when they feel pressure on their leash it simply means to turn and come with you. That way when you need to use leash pressure in emergencies the dog understands what you want them to do. And it’s been a reinforced behavior so they don’t find it so averse.

It’s great to use leash pressure with dogs who are fearful or reactive with other dogs. Because sometimes when they alert on the thing that they’re scared of you can prevent them from reacting by saying let’s go and if they’re not listening moving them further away on leash to an area where they can relax.

I hope you found this post helpful and it didn’t put you to sleep like it did my dogs!

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