Train for Joy
Jenny of Dogminded started this fabulous hashtag over on instagram. This movement encourages folks to prioritize their dog’s emotional response over strict “obedience” during training and to foster enthusiasm! To get jargony for just a second, this is based on Dr. Susan Friedman’s description of “discretionary effort” in training: “positive reinforcement produces greater discretionary effort than other approaches, i.e., learners exceed the criterion required for reinforcement.” To simplify, force-free training produces learners who go above and beyond because they enjoy the process so much. Would you prefer a dog who slinks over to their place when told to do so, or a dog who leaps and flies over to their place with a wiggly body? We think the answer is obvious.
A few years ago, we were holding a group obedience class in a public park and another training group happened to show up in the same area. The more the merrier, in our book! In another stroke of pure coincidence, we were working on recalls, and so was the other group. What are the odds! Between the groups of dogs, however, we saw a massive difference in body language. In our circle, we saw wagging tails, bright eyes, and bouncy movement from dogs rocketing back to their humans, eagerly anticipating their rewards. Looking across the park, we observed stress signals, hunched postures, low heads, and tucked tails as the dogs slowly returned to their people. Then we saw it. The glints of metal prong collars around their necks and the physical corrections given if their responses were not quick enough for the handler’s liking.
The difference between training approaches had never been demonstrated so clearly right in front of us before! Thinking back on it, we wonder if the other group looked over at us and thought, “look at how wild and out of control those dogs are!” It’s possible. All we know is that we will always pick enthusiasm and joy over compliance and fear. Our best friends shouldn’t have to behave like robots to exist in our world.
So this year, train for joy with your dog. Because how your dog feels during training matters as much as what they are doing. Don’t get us wrong; as trainers of course we value seeing results in the form of new skills being learned and meaningful behavior change being made. But we don’t think it’s ever fair to sacrifice your dog’s emotional wellbeing in the name of training.
There are a lot of ways we can train for joy! It might be as simple as changing up your frame of mind during training. We notice that many dogs in our group classes exhibit more enthusiasm for trick behaviors than “obedience” behaviors. There’s really nothing explicit that distinguishes a trick from a “useful” behavior, but us humans tend to treat them very differently when training them. If your dog holds a stay, they might get a treat and a simple “good boy.” If they roll over or high-five though, they usually get a much bigger response! We see pet parents laughing, clapping, cheering, and getting silly with their dogs while training tricks in a way that they typically don’t during an obedience class. Let’s bring more of our own enthusiasm into our dog’s “serious” behaviors!
On the flip side, we could also opt to just teach something silly on purpose! Trick training is a great way to bond with your dog and bring the fun back into training. Think about the things your dog already enjoys and expand on them. Does your pup like to carry things? Why not teach them to carry a basket this year? Maybe you have an athletic dog who just loves climbing up on everything. How about you dabble in some dog parkour (aka: urban agility)? Can’t keep your dog’s nose up off the ground? Go enroll in a nosework class!
We got into training in the first place because we love dogs, and we value the unique connection between humans and canines. So if training ever feels like a chore, or if you find yourself or your dog becoming frustrated, try training for joy instead.