Reward Yourself: Invest In 'Nothing'

Are the cockles of your heart warmed when you look into the eyes of your best canine friend?

Yet he or she may also exasperate the hell out of you - by barking at the slightest noise, or jumping at the bench when food is being prepared, or being generally impatient – along with a myriad of other annoying habits.

It is the easiest thing in the world to become irritated with his or her unwelcome habits, but how often do you reward your dog for behaving just the way you’d like?

For example, a couple of years ago I had a housesitting job with a young, rambunctious Dobermann. This boy tested my patience for a month! He had a very expressive face though, and I loved seeing his reaction when he knew I was happy with him. He was praised for sitting and waiting before his walk, for sitting calmly when I prepared his food, for greeting other dogs politely and more.

This type of communication had a great impact, especially when he began to understand that the behaviour that I didn’t find acceptable elicited no interest, response or eye contact from me. A completely disinterested human will devastate a friendly dog!

Everyone’s situation will differ, and it will depend what areas you are looking to improve, but saying ‘What a good dog!’ when they are doing something simple, such as lying quietly on their bed, is a good starting point. You will need to remember though, that in order to elicit a calm response to your praise, you need to be calm. Dogs pick up on their humans’ emotional state quickly and will respond to it. And keep in mind that a gentle scratch under the chin, or a tasty treat dropped between the paws will also be rewarding to your dog!

You could make a list of things that your best canine friend does that happen to get on your nerves! Then when, for example, you are out in the car together, and your dog DOESN’T bark at people walking, it’s happy praise-time!

Some ideas for praise-worthy moments:

• NOT jumping up (on you or the bench or table etc.) when food is being prepared
• Lying quietly near you and your friends when you're sitting around at home socialising
• Hanging around and checking back with you when off lead
• NOT barking at small noises
• Lying quietly at your side at the cafe, just watching the world go by
• At the dog beach, sitting patiently next to the car, waiting for you to unpack your gear

This method is a great way to foster clear communication between you and your dog. You can test your reflexes, and with practice you will spot opportunities to praise. This also gives you the chance to be able to recognise the happy acknowledgement from your dog, when he or she knows exactly why you are also happy!

Interacting with your dog in this way gives you a great foundation for training. And by the way, when the Dobermann’s family came home and contacted me, the first thing they said was, ‘What have you done to our dog? He waits now and is so polite! Thank you!’

By Kylie Hildebrand

If you are interested in further enhancing the communication between yourself and your dog, look into Norwegian dog trainer Turid Rugaas and her DVD ‘Calming Signals: What Your Dog Tells You’ – her website is www.canis.no/rugaas/

Download a PDF version - Reward Yourself: Invest In 'Nothing'