In today’s quick post, I want to briefly discuss the concept of cause and effect, something puppies love to take advantage of, and how it connects to consistency. As mentioned in How Puppies Learn: Experimenting with Behavior puppies learn through experimentation. This type of learning means they will try things out and see what happens. But this can be taken one step further. Puppies may learn extremely fast that a specific behavior triggers something else that is very specific. Which is why consistency in puppy training is so important. Let’s take a quick look.
Know What to Expect
Is it important for puppies to know what to expect from you. This means boundaries. And boundaries that are consistently upheld. This consistency helps you know what to expect from your puppy and vice versa. If it knows it is not allowed to get on your bed and it has never been allowed to get on your bed, then if it gets up there, you know something unusual is happening (maybe it is scared). Dogs are often very practical creatures, and they are creatures of habit. If they have their own bed and don’t deal with separation anxiety, they usually choose the path of least resistance and least conflict. If they choose something that takes more time and effort or results in conflict, there is a good chance one or more of their needs are not being met.
What To Do
If you struggle to be consistent with your puppy, you need to make it easy on yourself. The most helpful thing I have found is to not only have what your puppy can’t do set in stone but also what it can do. This way, you can quickly identify when it is doing what it should be doing. For behaviors that are a little more black and white, like on the couch or off the couch, make it easy for yourself and your puppy to communicate about what it wants. Teach your puppy how to communicate with you. If it wants up on the couch to snuggle, teach it to come sit in front of you and look at you. Then, you can just slide off the couch and sit on the floor with your puppy. Always remember to keep it simple and easy.