Understand How Using Your Hands Impacts Your Dog

Training a dog can be frustrating for both of you. After all, your dog does everything using dog logic and you are operating from a place of human logic. This disparity in communication can sometimes be problematic, tempting you to use your hands to force your dog to do what you want. This type of "hands on" approach is more harmful than you realise. Here's what you need to understand about how using your hands impacts your dog.

Trust is everything

Your dog needs to be able to trust that you have their best interest at heart. An unexpected "show of hands" like a smack or swat could break that trust, but even innocent grabs can have the same effect. Grabbing your dog by their body or even their collar to stop them or force them to move can make them lose trust in you. They'll be wary of any contact and may not follow your directions because they won't be able to anticipate whether or not they'll be grabbed when they do.

Understanding your dog

Your dog wants to please you, but they have to learn what is expected of them first. Because dogs don't think the way we do, we need to understand how they do think and lead them using techniques they understand. They do not understand smacking or hitting when they don't follow your commands. They will understand when you encourage them to complete a behaviour with gentle encouragement and praise.

If your dog refuses to do something, you need to look at the reason from their perspective. Are they afraid that their movement will result in a smack? Dogs crave consistency, so if you suddenly start grabbing them when they disobey, does that mean you'll grab them when they're being good, too? This type of confusion can be stressful for both of you, so it's best to adopt a "hands-free" philosophy when it comes to your training. Hands should only ever be used for grooming, patting, and loving your dog.

Fortunately, there are plenty of training techniques that you can use to teach your dog.

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