There are occasions when you know your dog is going to do something that you don't want. You just know it. You know your dog and you can tell. You almost can see the dog thinking - 'should I or shouldn't I do this'.
You can borrow a page from what the mother-dog does with her litter. Instead of a low growl, you can say something like 'ack', 'don't', or some consistent sound that encourages the dog to rethink the decision. A mother-dog would issue a low growl. That is enough to persuade pup to think about what it is deciding to do.
The reason that "no" is inappropriate is that the dog has not done anything wrong - yet. The dog is thinking about it. The word "no" should be tied to a physical behaviour. You know your dog well enough to read its body language. For example, just think of when the dog spots a squirrel. The dog's eyes focus; the set of the body changes; the ears are up; the tail is pointed - and you just know that the dog is thinking of bolting and giving that squirrel a good scare. This is when you want to interrupt the dog with an "ack". It just reminds the dog that this is something that you don't want to see happen. This is just another small behaviour that establishes you as the leader of this small pack.
Using "ack" also allows you to guard the "no" command. You do not want to use "no" indiscriminately and unfairly. You want to save it as something that the dog knows is serious.
And again, there is nothing magical in the word itself. Just select a word that comes to mind readily. If you consistently use that word/sound, the dog will learn to attend. It is just a sound to disrupt the dog's focus and remind the dog that you know what it is thinking - and you disapprove. When your dog makes a good decision and doesn't decide to cause problems, praise. Positively reinforce the dog for not doing something. Praise lavishly for good decision making. It will give the dog confidence. The dog made a great choice and you need to acknowledge that your best friend did well.
Catherine Forsythe
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Comments
mypsyche, a bump or a tap of the finger on top of the head works too. However, I always want to have control at a distance and a sound will do that for me.
I will try to post on the barking issue within the next month or so...
It would be completely wrong to say "no" to the dog at that point. It would confuse the young retriever and possibly take the enthusiasm out of the dog. A well time "ack" would remind the dog that he/she was suppose to be sitting. The hunters may see another flock of birds coming. By avoiding the "no", the hunters did not tell the dog that retrieving was wrong. The dog simply had to wait to be told to go. And when released to retrieve, it was glorious to see. The dog would experience pure joy. That was what Mother Nature had gifted that breed and that dog. Retrieving answered a call from its very DNA. And the dog never heard "no" in that situation. It only would have confused matters. That dog's skill and enthusiasm meant that there would be a fine meal of wild game that evening.
My sister uses baby gibberish and it never works, LOL