The 4C's of Successful Canine Behavior Training
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You may know the “4 C’s” of diamonds. If you do, you know that it’s important to understand these 4 C’s to make an educated decision about which diamond to select, since each diamond is uniquely different. Like diamonds, each dog is uniquely different as well – even if they may be the same breed, gender, or even come from the same litter. Some dogs shine and sparkle from the beginning without much fashioning, and others are diamonds in the rough. Regardless of which they are, all dogs have the ability to become a valuable gem to be loved and cherished for many years to come. It just takes an understanding of The 4C's of Canine Behavior Training! |
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1. Clarity
The way we communicate with our dogs is one of the greatest keys to unlocking a good relationship and building good behavior. Dogs and humans speak two different languages, so if we want to bridge that “communication barrier”, we must make sure we know exactly what our boundaries and expectations are and communicate them to the dog as clearly as possible. If your body language says one thing and your verbal language says another, the dog is going to get mixed messages and will not understand what you are trying to communicate.
For example, let’s say your dog is jumping on you or on guests when they come through the door and you tell him “no” but you are laughing and petting him. He may actually think you are pleased that he is jumping on you (and it is, after all, getting him the attention he is demanding) so he will likely continue to perform this behavior next time you are in this situation. It’s so important that we are crystal clear with our communication style or we run the risk of reinforcing the wrong behaviors and ignoring the right behaviors.
The way we communicate with our dogs is one of the greatest keys to unlocking a good relationship and building good behavior. Dogs and humans speak two different languages, so if we want to bridge that “communication barrier”, we must make sure we know exactly what our boundaries and expectations are and communicate them to the dog as clearly as possible. If your body language says one thing and your verbal language says another, the dog is going to get mixed messages and will not understand what you are trying to communicate.
For example, let’s say your dog is jumping on you or on guests when they come through the door and you tell him “no” but you are laughing and petting him. He may actually think you are pleased that he is jumping on you (and it is, after all, getting him the attention he is demanding) so he will likely continue to perform this behavior next time you are in this situation. It’s so important that we are crystal clear with our communication style or we run the risk of reinforcing the wrong behaviors and ignoring the right behaviors.
2. Conviction
Any good teacher must understand and own the material first before trying to teach the student; otherwise it is difficult for the student to be influenced by the teacher. (Have you ever had a leader that just didn’t look like they knew what they were doing? Makes it pretty difficult to follow along, right?) So when communicating with our dogs, it’s imperative we say what we mean, mean what we say, and follow through. I refer to this as conviction. It also means having the confidence to practice with all of our being and not waver from what we are trying to communicate – otherwise, our dogs can tell we don’t know what we’re doing and they won’t respond favorably.
Even if you don’t 100% know what you’re doing, acting like you know what you’re doing will go a long way. Pretend to be confident and a funny thing will happen – you will actually become confident! It’s funny how our bodies work. (If you want a good read or listen about how to “act it until you become it”, check out the book Presence: Bringing Our Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy. It’s well worth the read!) Your dog will see you owning the situation and won’t question your authority or how you would like him to handle the situation. Exuding your own confidence can actually help your dog feel more confident too!
Any good teacher must understand and own the material first before trying to teach the student; otherwise it is difficult for the student to be influenced by the teacher. (Have you ever had a leader that just didn’t look like they knew what they were doing? Makes it pretty difficult to follow along, right?) So when communicating with our dogs, it’s imperative we say what we mean, mean what we say, and follow through. I refer to this as conviction. It also means having the confidence to practice with all of our being and not waver from what we are trying to communicate – otherwise, our dogs can tell we don’t know what we’re doing and they won’t respond favorably.
Even if you don’t 100% know what you’re doing, acting like you know what you’re doing will go a long way. Pretend to be confident and a funny thing will happen – you will actually become confident! It’s funny how our bodies work. (If you want a good read or listen about how to “act it until you become it”, check out the book Presence: Bringing Our Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy. It’s well worth the read!) Your dog will see you owning the situation and won’t question your authority or how you would like him to handle the situation. Exuding your own confidence can actually help your dog feel more confident too!
3. Consistency
When learning, it does us all good to have the ability to practice again and again to build up our skills, and if, in the process of learning, the rules are the same across the board it makes it easier to comprehend the lesson. Training your dog is no exception, especially because dogs don’t think the exact same way that we humans do. Providing consistent direction and feedback during the learning phase is crucial.
Direction involves using one of your dog’s skills to tell him what to do to help him understand your expectation. For example, since you don’t want your dog to go chase the cat while you cook dinner, you will ask him to “down” or “go place” on his kitchen mat and relax while you prepare the food. You will then have to provide him with the appropriate feedback to let him know whether or not he is doing a good job. Feedback comes in the form of either praise or consequences.
In the aforementioned situation, you will want to praise your dog occasionally as he is laying quietly while you prepare dinner (more frequent praise when first learning, then praise can become more intermittent as his skill level grows). You may even give treats/food rewards as additional reinforcement if the situation is difficult for your dog so he understands the work he is putting in is worth it (everyone likes to get paid for working hard!).
If your dog gets up from his place before you release him, you will fetch him and direct him back into place again (this is a consequence of his getting up before you release him). In the jumping situation, an example of a consequence is you ignoring the dog and walking away – this shows the dog that his behavior is not appreciated and that if he acts like that, what he wants (your attention) will be taken away. Consequences do not have to be harsh (and should NOT come in the form of hitting or adding any kind of aversive like a leash correction or collar shock); they only have to be matter-of-fact and consistent to work effectively.
When learning, it does us all good to have the ability to practice again and again to build up our skills, and if, in the process of learning, the rules are the same across the board it makes it easier to comprehend the lesson. Training your dog is no exception, especially because dogs don’t think the exact same way that we humans do. Providing consistent direction and feedback during the learning phase is crucial.
Direction involves using one of your dog’s skills to tell him what to do to help him understand your expectation. For example, since you don’t want your dog to go chase the cat while you cook dinner, you will ask him to “down” or “go place” on his kitchen mat and relax while you prepare the food. You will then have to provide him with the appropriate feedback to let him know whether or not he is doing a good job. Feedback comes in the form of either praise or consequences.
In the aforementioned situation, you will want to praise your dog occasionally as he is laying quietly while you prepare dinner (more frequent praise when first learning, then praise can become more intermittent as his skill level grows). You may even give treats/food rewards as additional reinforcement if the situation is difficult for your dog so he understands the work he is putting in is worth it (everyone likes to get paid for working hard!).
If your dog gets up from his place before you release him, you will fetch him and direct him back into place again (this is a consequence of his getting up before you release him). In the jumping situation, an example of a consequence is you ignoring the dog and walking away – this shows the dog that his behavior is not appreciated and that if he acts like that, what he wants (your attention) will be taken away. Consequences do not have to be harsh (and should NOT come in the form of hitting or adding any kind of aversive like a leash correction or collar shock); they only have to be matter-of-fact and consistent to work effectively.
4. Commitment
When modifying or building behavior, there is never a quick, easy fix. Behavior is psychological and takes place in the inner-workings of the nervous system. Therefore, it takes time and patience to get a dog’s brain to think and body to work a certain way. It’s a commitment. It could take weeks or months, depending on your dog and the kind of behavior you are working with. But putting the time in at the beginning, whether you have a puppy or are getting a new dog with some years behind him, will save you from having to deal with the same behaviors over and over again for the rest of your dog’s life.
Even if your dog is a little older, behavior can still be modified – it just takes some more time to “rewrite” your dog’s behavior “hard drive” (since you have to clean out some old files first and then replace them with new files!). It’s also easier for all living beings to learn during the younger phases of life when our brains are like sponges and geared for learning. Just like it’s easier for a 5-year-old to learn a new language than for a 45-year-old to do it – it’s certainly possible, but it takes a little more work!
It’s also important to remember that each dog has its own learning curve, just like we do. Some dogs will pick up on things more quickly than others, some dogs have deeper-rooted emotional concerns that take more time to work through, and sometimes we humans have our own learning curve in the process too that influences the grand timetable. It will all come together if we just persist and keep pushing through, and the outcome will be magnificent!
When modifying or building behavior, there is never a quick, easy fix. Behavior is psychological and takes place in the inner-workings of the nervous system. Therefore, it takes time and patience to get a dog’s brain to think and body to work a certain way. It’s a commitment. It could take weeks or months, depending on your dog and the kind of behavior you are working with. But putting the time in at the beginning, whether you have a puppy or are getting a new dog with some years behind him, will save you from having to deal with the same behaviors over and over again for the rest of your dog’s life.
Even if your dog is a little older, behavior can still be modified – it just takes some more time to “rewrite” your dog’s behavior “hard drive” (since you have to clean out some old files first and then replace them with new files!). It’s also easier for all living beings to learn during the younger phases of life when our brains are like sponges and geared for learning. Just like it’s easier for a 5-year-old to learn a new language than for a 45-year-old to do it – it’s certainly possible, but it takes a little more work!
It’s also important to remember that each dog has its own learning curve, just like we do. Some dogs will pick up on things more quickly than others, some dogs have deeper-rooted emotional concerns that take more time to work through, and sometimes we humans have our own learning curve in the process too that influences the grand timetable. It will all come together if we just persist and keep pushing through, and the outcome will be magnificent!
If you add these 4 C’s together, you will also unlock the not-so-secret and ever-so-important fifth C: Connection (for more tips on building a connection with your dog, see New Beginnings and 5 Fun Experiences to Share With Your Dog). When you have a great connection with your dog, the two of you can do practically anything together. Using these 4 C’s, you and your dog will be able to bond strongly, communicate effectively, and live harmoniously no matter what comes up to face you together in the future. When you have the tools, all you have to do is use them and you can always succeed!
Written by Maria Huntoon, Maria G. Huntoon Canine Consulting Services
