YNP #080: Why I Don’t Teach “Off”

2023-05-08

Most of the time we want to use the cue "off" to tell our dogs to "get down". For example, when they jump on us or our guests or when they jump on the table or counter. I have nothing against teaching this cue, I just approach it in a different way. If we think about it, what we really want to teach our dog not to jump up. So, if we need to use the word "off" that means they're already preforming the behavior we don't want. BUT if we teach our dog a habit of keeping four paws on...

Most of the time we want to use the cue "off" to tell our dogs to "get down". For example, when they jump on us or our guests or when they jump on the table or counter.

I have nothing against teaching this cue, I just approach it in a different way.

If we think about it, what we really want to teach our dog not to jump up. So, if we need to use the word "off" that means they're already preforming the behavior we don't want.

BUT if we teach our dog a habit of keeping four paws on the ground then the cue "off" becomes irrelevant. So this the behavior I like to focus on.

Essentially we want to teach our dogs that all the attention, fun, play, food, etc. only comes when four paws are on the ground so they never even think about jumping up!

In this episode I talk about: