Lorrie [00:00:00]:
Are dogs really stubborn? I see some variation of this question online at least once every week. How do I teach my stubborn dog to (pick a behavior)? Spoiler alert. I don't believe that dogs can be stubborn. Find out why in this episode of the Maximum Fun Agility podcast. Welcome to the Maximum Fun Agility podcast. I'm Lorrie Reynolds, owner of Maximum Fun Dog Sports. We help your agility team build your relationship, communication, confidence, and fun in training so that you can joyfully succeed on any course. Can dogs be stubborn? Stubborn implies a level of critical thinking that I honestly don't believe dogs are capable of.
Lorrie [00:00:52]:
It assumes that the dog is hearing the cue, understands exactly what you want, and consciously decides that he's not doing that today. Also lovingly described as flipping the owner the paw, the belief in stubborn dogs isn't limited to pet owners. I've seen it in dog sports as well and even said it myself once or twice in the distant past. As with all aspects of life, we learn, we grow, we understand, and we hopefully do better. So if dogs aren't stubborn, then what is going on? I know what you're thinking. My dog knows how to do this. He's refusing to. If that's not stubborn, then what is it? The answer might surprise you.
Lorrie [00:01:36]:
Here are some things that could cause you to think your dog is being stubborn. The first thing to consider is physical issues. My friend's dog started refusing to finish the weave poles. She was super frustrated with her dog because he had always had decent weave in the past. Because he was still running fast, playing normally, and not showing any signs of pain, she figured it couldn't be a physical issue, but it was. She finally took him to the vet after a couple of weeks of missed weaves, and they found a minor injury to his spine. It wasn't enough to slow him down when playing or during normal activities, but the back and forth torque that he was putting on his spine while weaving was painful. Another friend had a dog who started refusing to sit.
Lorrie [00:02:23]:
He was an older dog and was always good about listening to cues... until he wasn't. After taking him to the vet, she found out that he had arthritis in his hips, and it was no longer comfortable for him to sit. If your dog stops performing a behavior that he has been well trained on, check for physical injuries or conditions first. His apparent stubbornness might be the only way he has of telling you he is in pain. Sometimes dogs are under stress or become fearful of something that they haven't had issues with in the past. My well trained agility dog started refusing to perform the dog walk, but only in one arena and only when it was in a specific and unfortunately frequently used place in the ring. Someone asked me why she was being so stubborn and balking. Thankfully, I knew that stubbornness wasn't the problem.
Lorrie [00:03:17]:
Pixie was relatively sound sensitive, and while she was on the dog walk during the previous trial, a kid who was watching accidentally dropped a metal water bottle down the steps of the metal bleachers on the same side of the ring as the dog walk. I heard it happen, saw her reaction, and knew we were going to have some issues to work through. For the next few trials in that location, when they had the dog walk next to the bleachers, I spent my time in the ring convincing her that it wasn't a scary place. For an onlooker, it probably appeared that she was being stubborn because she had no issue with the dog walk any other time, so they knew she could do it. The reality was she associated the loud scary noise with the dog walk being in that one spot and was afraid that it would happen again. I'm just thankful that she didn't decide dog walks are scary in general, or I would have had a bigger problem to work through. The next question to ask yourself is, have I trained enough for my dog to generalize this behavior in enough situations that are distracting? The more things dogs learn, the easier it is for them to generalize behaviors to new places or situations. When they first start learning, they are very dependent on environmental cues.
Lorrie [00:04:33]:
I give the example of being taught to sit in the kitchen facing west, not translating to sitting in the backyard facing east. We have to teach behaviors in various locations and situations as if we were starting from scratch because in essence, we are. Over time, dogs learn that a cue is a cue regardless of the setting, and the training process in each location becomes much faster, but that takes experience. If you think your dog is being stubborn and not performing a behavior that you taught him, consider the environment. Has he been on multiple teeters in different settings? Has he learned that they are the same obstacle even when they look different? Has he had experience with the differences in the rate they drop and the location of the tipping point? If not, that stubborn behavior might mean he just needs more experience in different locations with different equipment. How valuable is the reward you are offering your dog for doing the behavior? While I don't think that dogs have the cognitive ability to consciously be stubborn, I do think there is an unconscious calculation of effort versus reward. Many times, a dog will decide to quit being stubborn if whoever is training him finds a reward that is worth working for. Rewards are determined by the dog, not the owner.
Lorrie [00:05:53]:
So if you are offering your dog kibble and what you're asking him to do merits steak, he may not do what you ask. Chalk this one up to basic biology. If the effort to chase a bird expends more calories than the dog would get if he caught it, the reward value isn't high enough. If you want to know more about the dog determining the reward, listen to episode 14. What teaching methods have been used or are you using with this dog? If you've known me very long, read any of my articles, or listened to other podcast episodes, you know I'm a proponent of positive methods for teaching. One of the reasons I believe so strongly in positive reinforcement is because of so called stubborn dogs. As of the date of this podcast, I'm on rescue dog number 11 and have helped many other people with their rescues. There is one thing I frequently see with rescues that looks like the dog being stubborn, but isn't.
Lorrie [00:06:51]:
Dogs who have been physically forced to do things, trained using punishment-based methods, or who haven't learned that they have choices can appear to be stubborn. Even though they look like they're refusing to do something, they are really just waiting to be told exactly what to do so they don't get it wrong. It's fascinating to introduce these dogs to clicker training and watch the light bulb go on as they figure out that they can initiate behaviors and get paid. How consistent are your cues? Dogs read very subtle movements. If you are inconsistent with your cues, using one physical cue sometimes and a different physical cue at other times, for example, dogs can become confused and appear to be stubborn. They really are being geniuses and assuming that the other cue means something different, and they are waiting to learn what that is. Before you chalk up your dog's hesitation to perform a behavior as stubbornness, make sure you are consistently giving the same cue when you want them to act. A frequent complaint is that a dog is being stubborn because he won't come back to the handler when called.
Lorrie [00:08:01]:
When I dig deeper, I usually find that the dog was doing something instinctual when he refused to come to the owner. Without extensive training and a great history of rewards, it's almost impossible to compete with instinct. For a terrier, a mouse in the field is going to be way more exciting than you are unless you have built value for yourself. A sight hound will find bunnies mesmerizing and may not hear you call. A bloodhound that finds a tantalizing scent will look like he is being stubborn, but he is just following his nose. Teaching consistent recalls is a subject deserving of an entire course, but here are a few tips. Don't ever call your dog to do something unpleasant like a bath or nail trim. Only call your dog when you are 99.99% certain he will come to you.
Lorrie [00:08:52]:
Practice recalls in low distraction environments to build a huge reward history before trying to move to a busy area. If you need your dog to come to you, but aren't certain he will, keep him on a leash or a long line. Before you write your dog off as hopelessly stubborn, dig into the reasons why your dog might not be doing what you ask. Most of the time, a dog who appears to be stubborn has a different issue going on, and the good news is that most of them can be fixed. Thanks for listening to this episode of the Maximum Fun Agility podcast. If you want to build a successful agility team where runs with your partner feel flowing and in sync, join us in The Agility Playground. The Agility Playground is a low-cost membership that meets you where you are on your dog agility journey and helps you propel your team to new heights. You can check out The Agility Playground and join our community at www.maximumfundogs.com.
Lorrie [00:09:56]:
See you next time.
