From your point of view, it may make sense to slather him with affection, coo sweet nothings to him, ask him if he’s hungry/thirsty or wants to go play outside, give him treats and toys, let him do what he likes, go wherever he wants, lounge on your sofa and snuggle in bed together.

From his perspective, he’s only met you once and dogs tend to see all of these gifts of freedom and affection as extreme weakness – in people who cannot be trusted or respected as leaders. Since that is the case, they need to take on the role as leader, by telling you what to do – perhaps by barking at you demandingly, physically leaning or stepping on you, pushing or pulling you around, or even by biting you for not obeying them.

Putting your new dog in the position of being in charge isn’t doing them any favours either; it is stressful for them! Dogs who are stressed may show this by chewing themselves, scratching incessantly, whining, barking, destroying your stuff, going to the washroom in the house and a whole range of other things no one likes.

Giving your dog important jobs to do is giving them a purpose. It makes them feel valuable, useful and satisfied. It takes away the stress of not knowing what to do with themselves. Without something to do, they’ll have to make up their own jobs, which tend to be things we don’t like… such as chasing the cat, barking all day at the window, unpotting your houseplants… you get the picture. You can help your dog to be awesome right from the start!

Begin your relationship as though you are a very savvy and fair employer, with your dog in the role of a smart, keen new employee you’ve just hired.

Your new employee has only met you once in an interview, and now that they have arrived at their new workplace (your home), your job is to set the tone for how things work and to show the new guy the ropes. So you start off by showing him where the washroom is, where his “desk” is (his Place cot), show him where the lunch room is (his water bowl in his crate), show him how to politely enter and exit important thresholds (doorway manners – giving you a respectful moment and waiting to be invited in/out of cars, crate, front/back doors, gates). You demonstrate clearly where he is allowed and (with a leash) guide him to do what he should be doing, so he’s not feeling lost and at loose ends in a new place with no friends around. You take him for a structured walk, at a heel with him following your lead. You do a few minutes of recall (“come”) with a longline or leash, rewarding your dog with their regular meals. Then you give him time to process all of this in a quiet safe place – his crate.

Imagine if it was you who was on your first day at a job and it was you who had only met your new boss once at an interview. So you show up all excited for your first day, ready to work and impress them with your awesomeness, but instead they say that you can take a 4 hour lunch or show up late and get paid anyway, or your new boss reaches out to play with your hair and starts talking to you like you’re a baby! You would probably feel that you could get away with ANYTHING here! Clearly this job is a joke and you can make up your own rules. You may even call the Human Resources department or get a restraining order because your new boss is molesting you at work. Seriously, you barely met this person – how inappropriate! Imagine they threw you a party on your first day and expected you to slow dance with a bunch of strangers. That would be super weird, right?! 

Now that you’ve looked at things from your new dog’s perspective, you see why you must restrain yourself from too much talking (especially soft cooing or high pitched questions) touching/patting, or doling out huge rewards (free roaming, access to furniture, treats, food, toys) to your dog for doing absolutely nothing special. 

Reserve all of these extremely valuable things to reward your dog for doing their very best work. This will teach your dog to look to you for all good things and motivate them to earn your trust and respect, then eventually deserve your love and affection.

You’d likewise refrain from throwing them a party or introducing them to all of your friends or extended family at once, because it would be overwhelming for your new dog to be touched and stared at by a bunch of strangers. Instead focus on building trust with the core group slowly and calmly.

If you ignore this advice, be prepared for problems because your dog doesn’t trust you or respect your authority. Why would a dog listen to someone who is soft, weak, and pays them for not even showing up for work? Whether you like the idea of being an authority figure or not, the fact is, in order to keep your dog safe out in the human world, you need them to listen to you in order to be a good guardian and protect them. Dogs don’t understand traffic lights, how to use money to buy food, why they need to go to the vet, or the groomers, how to turn on water taps, or how to unlock doors. Your job is to be their protector and trusted advisor. You become that trusted and respected role model by laying out the structure for how to behave and reward your dog for doing their work in appropriate measures.

Have fun building a great relationship with your dog through work (obedience and respect training). Ensure that everyone who lives with the dog also does the same, so he learns to listen to everyone and builds a healthy relationship with your entire household.

This can be confusing for those thinking that they ONLY want to love their dog, but think of it from the dog’s point of view. If they get everything in life for free – without working to earn it – and even when they behave badly there is no consequence, they have no way to understand that their bad choices are wrong. Then they keep making mistakes & get rewarded anyway, which tells the dog that we like what they’re doing – it reinforces those decisions. So avoid cooing sweet baby talk, or consoling or soothing a badly behaved dog!

Many people imagine that most rescue dogs have been abused, when the fact is that most of them were only abused through OVERINDULGENCE. Yes, it IS a form of abuse. What most think would make dogs happy is often not at all what they need & it only makes them severely unbalanced & confused about their place in the world.

The word SPOIL means to RUIN, yet people often brag about spoiling their dogs. Then they wonder why their dog disrespects them, doesn’t listen to them, or in some cases becomes seriously aggressive or chronically anxious.

Here at Dogology, we teach dogs that their choices matter. When they behave well, they earn enjoyable rewards. When they make poor decisions there are natural consequences that are unpleasant. This is how every being on this Earth learns to make better choices.

Are you sharing too much soft energy with your dog? Are you overly affectionate & coddling? By being firmer with rules, your dog will have more confidence in your leadership & trust in you. If your dog is nervous, shy or has become a demanding tyrant, sharing an unbalanced amount of affection over believable leadership will only lead to more unwanted behaviours from your dog. Set your dog up for success by helping them understand what is required & expected of them.

Dogs actually LOVE having clear rules to follow and thrive with a healthy balance of structure & fun. So keep a careful eye on the balance of what you’re sharing with your dog. If you want to be permissive in some areas, first ensure that your dog consistently provides their very best behaviour and great manners in order to earn those rewards.

Most dogs are living in a constant state of over-excitement, which stresses them out! When dogs are stressed they get into trouble doing things people don’t like. Many people confuse a dog’s stress for signs of happiness (e.g. frantic excitement, running around, panting, jumping). A dog with a calm state of mind is not busy engaging in disruptive, disturbing or dangerous behaviours. Dogs THRIVE when given plenty of structure with clear guidance from their trusted & respected mentors & advocates (that’s you). Life with dependable rules and consistent patterns create a sense of security, increases confidence and reduces or completely eliminates most anxious or unwanted behaviours in dogs.

How do you create a calm state of mind in your dog?

Calmness begins with consistent habits at home. Establish structured routines with predictable, reasonable expectations that your dog can understand, learn & participate in.

By using the “nothing in life is free” method, your dog learns to earn your approval by behaving beautifully. You build a trusting & respectful relationship with your dog by controlling everything in life that your dog values – such as food, water, bed, play, toys, use of space. This makes you relevant to your dog, as you are the source of every good thing.

The Place command teaches doggy meditation, calm on command & impulse control.

Crate training is an essential component to keep dogs from practicing unwanted behaviours while you’re not there to supervise.

Build patience & impulse control by requiring dogs to ask permission to calmly cross thresholds, politely waiting for food, and teach them that all good things come from their calm advocates and respected mentors (you!).

If you’ve been overindulging your dog you may have created a demanding tyrant or even a dog with aggressive behaviours in dogs so inclined. All dogs have deep instinctive needs that must be met. They are not little humans trapped in fur. We can show you how to put your dog’s needs ahead of your own preferences so they’ll behave beautifully.

Calmness is a superpower for humans too!

Become aware of your own energy. Practice being a role model for your dog by demonstrating calmness. Practice moving calmly, without frenetic touching or patting. Practice talking a lot less to your dog and especially avoid loud, or high pitched baby talk or excited questions. Silence is golden while dog training. Actions speak louder than words. The less you talk, the calmer your dog will be.

And of course, satisfy your dog’s basic needs for healthy food, a reasonable amount of exercise, appropriate socialization and peaceful rest periods.

Here’s to your happy life with your relaxed dog!

The Place command teaches dogs how to relax in a specific spot.”Place” can be a dog cot, a bed, a rug, a chair – you decide – and you can change where & what the “place” is that you want your dog to relax. It is helpful initially to choose a location with distinct edges. Using a raised cot makes it easier to teach the dog to remain within the boundaries of this designated location, and it’s comfy so the dog will want to hang out there to rest.

The many Benefits of the Place command for dogs

Whether your dog is demanding & pushy, or shy & nervous, or anywhere in between – the Place command is a game changer.

Daily practice of Place work is extremely beneficial for dogs to learn to relax and it’s a key part of teaching a dog to be calm on command. With a little practice every day, your dog can become a zen master! This is super handy when you have guests visiting, or have household tasks to do.

We initially teach the Place command and then pair it with the Down command, so dogs learn to associate Place with laying down. Where the body goes the mind will follow. Since laying down is naturally a relaxing position that is related to taking a snooze, your dog will begin to calm down more readily in this position. Gradually your dog will be chilling out on Place for longer periods of time, (from an hour to several hours at a time) and as long as they stay on Place, they are free to stand, sit, or lay down comfortably. If they step off of Place, we simply say “no” in a calm tone of voice and lead them back into Place.

When a dog is new at this exercise, we begin with a leash and with very short duration and few distractions, while remaining close (distance) to the dog. With practice each of these 3 D’s are gradually increased until the dog is a pro at remaining on Place without constant supervision.

If your dog hasn’t mastered this skill yet and you need to come & go from the room, you can use a tie-back to tether your dog to something solid. This is to prevent the dog from getting too far or into mischief if they do step off while you’re not looking. However, never leave your dog unattended while tethered for more than a few minutes when you are home, and definitely don’t leave home with your dog still tied. It is illegal to tether a dog in Ontario for more than an hour in any situation. Besides that, the whole exercise is about teaching your dog to master their impulse control. The dog should not be spending any length of time with tension on a leash with them struggling to escape. Instead the dog is holding themselves on Place with their own will power. That is the magic of the exercise. The dog remains in place of their own accord. This is hard work at first. Dogs love to have a job to do and Place work is a fantastic job for dogs.

Transforming dogs with stress/excitement related issues

The Place command is an essential skill that every dog should master. Every noise, smell, or movement is not something a dog needs to be reacting to. No matter what exciting distractions are happening in the house, or outside the window, a dog can learn to chill out, because those things are not their concern. We show our dogs that we have everything under control so they don’t have to worry about that stuff.

This is how we create calm dogs that are not constantly in motion, persistently pestering people, or stressing themselves out with things they cannot control. Running and jumping around the home is not normal dog behaviour. Once your dog has mastered the Place command, you will be able to get things done around your home, such as vacuuming or other cleaning, laundry, cooking, eating, exercising, homework, projects, etc. If you want to stop a dog from getting underfoot and stressing out, the Place command is life-changing.

A dog cannot be barking, destroying things, pestering people, chasing the cat, or any other unwanted behaviour while they are resting calmly in place. Impulse control is a big part of growing up for all of us. Although many dog owners don’t realize it, training CALMNESS is the key ingredient missing in their dog’s lives.

Place work is ideal to rehab dogs with separation anxiety

Dogs need leadership and guidance to help them be really clear about what to do and where they should be. This is especially important for anxious and overly reactive dogs, but it’s helpful for everyone. It’s our responsibility to help dogs get it right. When they have been given clear information they can make the right decisions, then we get to praise and reward them and they can relax. The Place command is a key element of avoiding or eliminating separation anxiety, since Place teaches dogs that it’s okay to be away from you. The dog’s new job is to stay put and relax, rather than stressing out and following their human around like a shadow.

Interpreting emotion – Is your dog actually happy or just stressed?

Most people see an over-excited dog and say something like, “Look how happy that dog is!” However, excitement in dogs is more often an expression of stress and anxiety rather than joy & happiness. On the flip side, people may see a calm dog and wonder why the dog looks so sad when the dog is actually peacefully relaxing.

It is not healthy or natural to remain in an adrenalized state all of the time. There is a time for exuberant frolicking, rambunctious play and enthusiastic exercise. And then there is the normal state of calmness when nothing much is happening. For much of the time, nothing much is happening, so our dogs are not helped by remaining in a high-energy state during most of the day. The Place command is an essential tool to teach dogs how to meditate, remain peaceful and simply chill out.

Dogs who live in a happy, mentally relaxed space get to be included more in our everyday lives.