IMPULSE ; a noun
a sudden strong and unreflective urge or desire to act - a sudden spontaneous inclination or incitement to some usually unpremeditated action
What is Impulse Control? (or self control)
An Impulse is something that your dog REALLY wants to do, a strong desire to eat the food on the floor, a compulsion to chase the cat, an urge they can’t control to steal the socks.
Improving Impulse Control is usually the key to solving many behaviour issues/problems.
An Impulse is something that your dog REALLY wants to do, a strong desire to eat the food on the floor, a compulsion to chase the cat, an urge they can’t control to steal the socks.
Improving Impulse Control is usually the key to solving many behaviour issues/problems.
Dogs are naturally opportunistic; their philosophy on life is very simple and quite unscrupulous! Their motto is definitely 'carpe diem'! If they come across a situation or stumble upon a chance ... they take it! When opportunities knock at their door, your dog is ready and willing to seize the moment ... now, rather than later, is what they live for! |
Impulse control is probably one of the most important concepts to teach your dog, as it can be at the root of many common struggles.
Often our reaction to a dog’s impulsiveness can be confusing for them. It’s so easy for us to use something in that moment to correct unwanted behaviours – shout ‘no’, push your dog away, hold their collar etc. it’s a natural human reaction …. and yes, you will more than likely get an instant result as the dog may stop that unwanted behaviour with your intervention … BUT ... they are not actually learning anything, and the unwanted behaviour will only happen again the next time the stimuli happens!
Often our reaction to a dog’s impulsiveness can be confusing for them. It’s so easy for us to use something in that moment to correct unwanted behaviours – shout ‘no’, push your dog away, hold their collar etc. it’s a natural human reaction …. and yes, you will more than likely get an instant result as the dog may stop that unwanted behaviour with your intervention … BUT ... they are not actually learning anything, and the unwanted behaviour will only happen again the next time the stimuli happens!
A key factor to teaching good impulse control is teaching your dog to slow down and put the breaks on, think rather than act on their impulses. A dog with good impulse control is able to think, wait and check in with their owner before doing what they want. It doesn't mean that the dog never gets to go have fun - but they learn to control themselves around temptations! |
Essentially dogs are like toddlers, when they want something, they want it immediately! Impulse control is such an important life skill and most training situations require a degree of Impulse Control … patiently sitting for the food bowl ... walking nicely on the lead ... sitting calm to be greeted ... sitting calmly for you to attach the lead ... waiting calmly for a toy or the ball to be thrown etc.
Using fun, Tricks and Games to teach your dog ‘alternative’ behaviours is amazingly effective. What I mean by ‘an alternative behaviour’ is something that would make your dog’s problem behaviour physically impossible for them to do ( an alternative, opposite, competing behaviour) For example; your dog can't bark at the doorbell if they have a toy in their mouth, they can't jump up to great people if they are laying on a target etc.
T.A.G. will help your dog learn to control impulses in everyday life pretty quickly, being able to control themselves in the face of distraction and high arousal.
Using fun, Tricks and Games to teach your dog ‘alternative’ behaviours is amazingly effective. What I mean by ‘an alternative behaviour’ is something that would make your dog’s problem behaviour physically impossible for them to do ( an alternative, opposite, competing behaviour) For example; your dog can't bark at the doorbell if they have a toy in their mouth, they can't jump up to great people if they are laying on a target etc.
T.A.G. will help your dog learn to control impulses in everyday life pretty quickly, being able to control themselves in the face of distraction and high arousal.