The Three "C"s of Communication

Today I'd like to discuss the 3 elements of good communication - clear, consistent and calm.

If communication with our canine companions is not CLEAR, we won't be teaching effectively and may be causing confusion and stress. Too often, training approaches are based on human-centric theories and thinking vs practical observations. For example, it's common for many to believe removing attention from a dog (turning their back on a jumper), or redirecting a dog (giving a toy when a dog is chewing on the owner), will improve these behaviors. While this may seem entirely logical, in practice I see these tactics fail miserably every week. The few dogs that do improve, do so after many months, not days. Why? Because doing these things is not really clear (and therefore not significant) information to a dog.

I also believe dogs can do math. If you are effectively communicating displeasure with an undesired behavior, the next priority is being CONSISTENT. If a dog is doing something you don't like, and he/she gets away with the behavior (without clear owner feedback) 50% of the time, you're not likely to see a lot of improvement. Getting away with a problem behavior half of the time will seem like good odds to a dog, and most will continue the behavior. Consistently dealing with problems at a level of 80-90% (or more) will make all the difference.

And finally, being CALM goes a long way toward teaching your dog you're confident and in control. I discussed previously how emotional energy plays a huge role in how a dog sees its owners. "Calm and confident" inspires dogs to be attentive and want to please. Chaotic and energetic interactions, generally cause more excitement and bring further issues and chaos.

So while training is a great inter-species language, it MUST be effective language in the eyes (ears?) of your dog to produce desired results. How do you know if your training and language is effective? Well, good communication and teaching will bring results quickly (days to a couple weeks). If you keep facing the same problems for months on end, or if obedience isn't improving (including around distractions), may I suggest you re-examine your communication skills or approaches.