Proper Correction – Part One – Correction vs. Reaction
A couple of decades ago I met with a gentleman and his 3 year old male Golden retriever in his home in the bucolic town of Lincoln, Massachusetts. He complained that his dog jumped on him repeatedly whenever he returned home. He would also mug any arriving visitors who ventured across the front door threshold. “How long has Brady been doing this,” I inquired. “Ever since he was 5 or 6 months old – but,” he added hastily, “I never let him get away with it. I make certain I correct him every time.” “Hold on a second,” I answered quickly. “Assuming he jumped on you once daily, over 3 years, let’s see – that would mean he’s jumped on you a minimum of 1000 times. And you’re telling me you don’t let him get away with it? Malcolm, you’re not correcting him at all; you’re merely reacting to his behavior!
Correction vs. Reaction. In the former we effectively help the dog to learn that a specific behavior is, simply, inappropriate, while with the latter there is a total absence of correction. Let’s look at what we want to accomplish through correction and then list the ingredients necessary in a recipe for effective correction.
First, there are short term goals and a long term goal. Short term goals to:
- Help the dog understand the specific behavior is unacceptable.
- Make certain he is calmer at the conclusion of a correction then he was before
you began correcting. If you read this month’s dog problem you will understand
about learning vs. teaching. In order to focus on you, he must be calm. We don’t teach our, we help our dog to learn.
- The long term goal is simple: to improve the relationship.
Second, now let’s open the cabinet and find the necessary ingredients.
- To be effective, your dog must understand that you are the leader, he/she follows.
- Loudness is not Firmness. It is, in fact, the antithesis of firmness. Loudness is merely a vocal expression of our emotional state – frustration and/or anger.
- Correction requires what I call Quiet Firmness. Firmness is an attitude rooted in confidence.
- The correction must, in addition to being effective, allow the dog to keep his dignity.
- YOU WILL NEVER GAIN THE LEADER ROLE THROUGH CORRECTION. More on this next month in Part B.
- Anger is counter-productive which can corrode the heart of the relationship.
- Eye contact, some physical contact (holding the dog properly), and something verbal are all necessary to proper correction. Part B (next month) explains the one exception to this rule.
- Correction long after the behavior probably makes us feel better (spiteful little bastard, he’ll think long and hard about repeating that one), but is counter-productive.
- Don’t be what I call an 80% er. When you correct, you must be 100% focused on your dog. If some of your mental focus is on work, picking up your child at soccer, or the apple pie in the oven, don’t correct. Don’t worry, he’ll do it again.
- Multiplicity of corrections – read problem of the month as to why.
There you have it - 10 ingredients. I could list a few more, but the ones listed are sufficient. Always remember, a good dog-owner relationship depends upon mutual trust and respect.
Proper correction requires a proper mindset. Feeling guilty over correction negates any possibility of the correction being effective. Learning how to correct is an art and, as such, requires practice. Understanding your dog’s temperament will greatly factor how you correct. Many clients have, over the years, consulted with me for just one thing – demonstrating to them how to correct properly and effectively.
Lastly, never allow your ego to take charge of correction. The ego never corrects the dog properly. It cannot; it is always too absorbed within itself. In India there is a great saying over the doorway in many homes. Translated it reads, “Leave your ego with your shoes.” If you must, remove your shoes before you correct your dog.
Copyright 2010 by Ray McSoley.
