“Compliance” in dog training.

The difference between "obedience" training and that of compliance often leads to frustration.

It's so important for the general public to understand that all "obedience" training is, is subscribing meaning to verbal cues and directives. That. Is. It. It's "brain training", and speaks only to the mental aspect of the dog.

*Compliance* to these directives is connected to other things that must be spoken to and developed, which goes beyond "obedience" training.

1. Relationship. Building relationship through meeting the needs of the dog (instinctual, individual, breed-specific). Showing up and following through every day. Are we perceived as the dog's bestie, playmate, and equal... or do we represent any level of authority? What type and level of relevance do carry in the eyes and in the mind of the dog... as well as when the context changes?

2. Drive. There are a lot of subordinate drives (levels of motivation) dogs have (e.g. ball drive, food drive, etc.), but the 3 main ones are: pack drive (relationship oriented), prey drive (hunt/chase/capture prey), and defense drive (fight, flight, freezing up, "hoodwinking", and avoidance). These will vary in intensity from dog to dog (low, medium, high), and can be up-played or downplayed, built upon or diffused, etc. through lifestyle and training.

3. Understanding. Our level of expectation must be in alignment with our level of effort. Have we actually invested our time, energy, and attention into *teaching* the directive? Do we understand how to communicate with our dogs *clearly* so we can impart this information and help them connect the dots?

4. Practice. Have we invested our time, energy, and attention in *practicing* these directives in various contexts? Building upon them : in the house, in the backyard, in a park, in a store, in a trafficked public setting, near a busy playground, etc.

Oftentimes dogs are blamed for non-compliance and "selective hearing" when one or more of these things haven't been developed and spoken to.

Using food to help a dog connect the dots and reinforce is *excellent*, but we should not be using it to "get compliance". The difference in this is huge. One is teaching and reinforcing, while the other is bribery and ends up replacing the elements that need to be spoken to above. We don't want any behavior to become "food dependent" nor do we want people to become "food reliant". Compliance should happen because we're a team. There's relationship, partnership, and we've invested the time building and speaking to the above.

Awareness followed by effort followed by consistency is key.