When Saying “No” Actually Hurts You and Your Pup’s Relationship
At Little Paws Academy, we advise new pet parent’s to refrain from telling their pups “No!” While this might have some readers thinking, ‘What? How will my puppy know when he is wrong?’ We do understand that there are times that “No” can be used successfully. However, the truth of the mater is that puppies do not come preprogrammed knowing what the word “No” means. While yes, when used correctly, pups can learn “No” means to move away, check in with the the pet parent, or pause for a moment until further instruction, we find that far too often pet parent’s who have used “No” have used it to the point of no return. In order to reset the pup and pet parent relationship, refraining from using “No” is a must.
Reprimanding your pup can have many negative affects such as your pup learning to be sneaky and just doing the “naughty” behavior behind your back, ignoring you all together and continuing to do the “naughty” behavior, and even weakening your bond and causing your pup to fear you. No one wants to be around someone that is telling them “No” all the time.
I know what you’re thinking, “If I can’t say “No,” what do I do?” We want to set our pet parent’s up on a successful training journey at the start so we can avoid fixing mistakes wherever possible. If you’ve been saying “No” and it’s not working, we recommend you remove “No” from your vocabulary and try these 3 steps instead.
Set your pup up to be successful by preventing her the opportunity to practice the unwanted behaviors and reward her when she is doing wanted behaviors.
Practice training exercises to teach your pup an alternative behavior to do in situations where he exhibits the unwanted behaviors. Think 4 paws on the floor instead of jumping when meeting guests.
If your pup does an unwanted behavior, gently interrupt and redirect her to an appropriate behavior you would rather her do.
Not quite sure exactly how to implement these steps in your home? We got you covered. Contact us for a consultation and start your training journey with us today!
