You're Already on the Wrong Track

If you’re asking, “How do I get my dog to stop…”, you’re heading in the wrong direction—and whatever you’re trying probably won’t work.

Here’s why: the moment you focus your energy on stopping a behavior, you’re actually reinforcing it. Your tone, your eyes, your hands—all of it becomes pressure directed at the dog, and your dog reads that as attention. Whether you mean it to be positive or negative doesn’t matter. To your dog, energy directed at a behavior equals approval of that behavior.

So what happens? The behavior escalates. It becomes more frequent, more intense. Then you start thinking your dog is stubborn, dumb, or just being a jerk. But it’s not the dog’s fault. Your dog is simply responding the way dogs are wired to respond.

See, dogs aren’t biological computers. But they are fantastic input/output machines. Whatever you put the most energy into is exactly what your dog will give you more of. It doesn’t matter if that energy is meant to stop a behavior—the dog still interprets it as reinforcement. That’s a huge difference between how dogs and humans process behavior and communication.

So if you actually want to change your dog’s behavior, you need to flip the question. Don’t ask, “How do I stop my dog from doing (X)?” Ask, “What do I want my dog to do instead?”

Once you’ve got your answer, grab a leash. Use it to prevent the behavior you don’t want. When the leash blocks the dog from acting out and he gives up, that’s your window. Guide him into the behavior you do want. As soon as he does it, mark it with your voice and pay him with a treat. Now your energy is going into what you want—not what you don’t.

And when you pair energy and reinforcement during the right behavior, it outperforms any effort to correct the wrong one.

Let’s use jumping as an example.

Don’t waste time yelling “No!” or trying to push your dog down. Instead, clip on a leash. When your dog tries to jump, step on the leash or use your hand to block the motion. Don’t talk, don’t touch, don’t even look at him while he’s trying. He’ll quit. When he does, make eye contact and ask him to sit. If he sits—boom—praise and pay. Rinse and repeat. Hundreds of times if needed.

Do that consistently, and your dog will figure it out.