It's Ok to say "NO!"

Originally posted 10/28/23

In a recent Facebook post, a dog owner with a 6 month old pup is worried her pup will hurt her cat because the puppy plays so rough when he's overexcited.

Looking through the suggested solutions by other dog owners, I saw lots of good advice about redirecting the pup, as well as rewarding him for making the right choices.

But not a single person mentioned correcting the puppy.

Meanwhile, back at the Front Range K9 Academy training facility, we see countless dogs who have never been told "No!"

Many of these dog owners are truly at the end of their ropes, often describing just how awful their dogs are, and some considering giving up on them.

At our first meeting, during temperament testing and consulting with these owners, we are no longer shocked at the number of times a simple "No!" paired with stern eye contact, and a quick squirt with one of our trusty (and CHEAP) squirt bottles immediately stops the barking, lunging, frothing at the mouth and snapping, 'terribly aggressive' dog in its tracks (can you hear the sarcasm as I type?).

We - the trainers - are not surprised.  But you could knock some of these owners over with a feather.

Given the amount of money some of our poor clients have spent elsewhere on other trainers, and some really outrageous 'training equipment' and methods, the trainers at FRK9 and I have often joked that we need to make up some t-shirts that simply say, "Squirt Bottles are Cheap." 

There is a growing, and very worrisome trend in the dog world lately that needs to be talked about.

On social media groups, in dog training articles and blogs, on the evening news... there is a strong resistance by some dog owners (and by many dog trainers) to embrace the concept of "NO!"

I am here to state, for the record:

It's Okay to tell your dog "NO!"

Whether we're talking about a verbal "NO!", a hard stare, or a physical correction, it's not only okay, but sometimes it's downright vital to correct your dog.

When we use verbal or physical corrections, we are helping our dogs learn what is acceptable and what is not.

I think every dog owner and dog trainer out there would agree that this is important.  After all, if WE don't tell the dog what is absolutely NOT OKAY in our human world, they are likely to make a lot more mistakes than if we do tell them.

Now, before you get your panties in a bunch about corrections - let's define what a correction is.

A correction can be anything from a "No!" or "Ah! Ah!" (or any other sound you use to signal to your dog to stop doing something) to shaker can full of coins that startles a dog and stops a behavior, to a squirt from a squirt bottle, to a quick tug & release on leash & collar, or a tap on a remote collar - really, a correction is anything that stops your dog from doing something.

And a correction is just that - a correction of an incorrect behavior.  

It's not mean. 

It's not abuse. 

It's not going to emotionally scar your dog, or damage your relationship with it.  In fact, I'll go so far as to say NOT correcting your dog will do much more damage, in the long run.

I am increasingly worried about the number of times I see dog owners asking questions that reveal they've been brainwashed into believing anything other than treats and redirecting a dog is downright cruelty.

I am not sure if this trend is due to the white-washing of advice found on the internet (as dog trainers, most of us are all too aware of the Animal Rights groups out there that are gunning for us, and really gunning for dog & pet ownership in general), or if our culture really has changed so much in the 33 years since I started training dogs.

Either way, the simple fact remains that dogs need BOTH types of information to succeed.

Let's use the 'roadmap' analogy to make this clear.

If you and I are in a car, and you are driving us to St. Louis, MO, and our GPS system is broken (humor me) - how long do you think it would take to get there if I ONLY tell you when you're going the right direction, but I sit quietly when you make a wrong turn?

If this is the case, we may NEVER get there.

The same is true if I am ONLY telling you when you're going the wrong way, but never acknowledging when you're headed in the right direction.  This will only lead to you being nervous and very stressed and lost.

But, if I am telling you BOTH when you're headed in the right direction, AND when you've made a wrong turn, we should have a pretty smooth trip.

The same is true for your communications with your dog.  If you are ONLY rewarding good behavior, and never correcting bad behavior, it will take much longer (if ever) for your dog to understand what is okay, and what isn't.

The same applies if you are ONLY correcting bad behaviors and never reinforcing good ones - you will create a nervous, anxious, and possibly aggressive dog.

It's only when you give your dog the WHOLE PICTURE that you can move forward smoothly - and much more efficiently and quickly - with your dog's training.

Why wouldn't you want to give your dog a roadmap to success?

That's it from this end of the leash.

Jennifer Hime is the Owner & Dog Training Director at Front Range K9 Academy in Wheat Ridge, CO.  She can be reached at:  k9counselor.com