We hear the word consistency all the time in dog training. I say it on a daily basis. Whether we are creating a schedule for successfully potty training a puppy, or developing a program for rehabilitation work with an aggressive or nervous dog, in order for it to be successful it all comes back to consistency.
The old joke is that the only thing two dog trainers will ever agree on is that the third dog trainer is doing something wrong.
Except we can probably all agree upon consistency, and the need to be consistent with our dogs.
It is very easy to interpret the consistency advice on the surface level, such as how we must *always* walk our dog every day, or *always* have them sit before eating, or *always* make sure our dog isn’t pulling on the leash. While these are all very important points (ones that I recommend myself), let’s also remember that most of us are not operating a military operation with our dog. These types of commands only start to scratch the surface of how to be effectively consistent with our dogs. We’re just tying to live happy, stress-free lives in which we can have a healthy relationship with our dogs and enjoy their company. Simply put, it can be easy to go overboard and become obsessed with some type of hard edged dictator style of rules and structure. I’m guilty of it at times myself.
Consistency. First and foremost is consistency in communication. For everyone out there that believes they have the most stubborn dog in the world, they must first remember that in order for a dog to fulfill that role he must first understand exactly what is being asked of him, and then choose to willfully disobey. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, but I think it is often misdiagnosed.
Consistency in communication is about respect… for the dog. Respecting the fact that your dog is a sovereign, sentient and intelligent living animal. Once we give this respect than we can start to earn their respect. Any problem or issue that we are trying to address as trainers must come back to this foundational work of building communication and respect.
Start with the surface level consistency (commands etc.) but then go deeper and think outside the box. Remember that your dog is yearning for your clear and consistent communication, as it is way too stressful for them to live otherwise.