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What is Impulse Control?
What is Impulse Control?
A dog with no self control does exactly as he pleases. He doesn't listen to commands, is impulsive and demanding. It is our job to teach our dog some self control through positive training, encouraging our dogs to make good decisions and rewarding them each time they do.
To improve impulse control, our training needs to focus on helping to re-programme our dogs minds, rather than simply following their primal instincts. You are teaching your dog to make a good decision, rather than a hasty one! With appropriate training, all dogs can learn not to snatch our food, to wait for their turn, to come when called and to listen to our instructions.
Training Impulse Control
Training Impulse Control
Here is a simple game that teaches your dog to Stop and Think before helping himself to the biscuits. You will probably be amazed how quickly your dog picks this up. The dog in the video is very reactive and needs to learn some manners and some boundaries before he can find a home.
We played this for less than 10 minutes and he nailed it!
Hold some treats in your fist, your dog will try to help himself
When he steps back (he will eventually) own your fist, but if he tries to help himself then close it again
If he waits nicely, you can feed him a treat from your hand
Training for multiple dog households
Training for multiple dog households
If, like me you have multiple dogs in your household, then learning some self control is even more important, but very hard to train. I find as soon as treats are involved, then they all come rushing in, jostling for position. Furthermore if one dog goes wrong, then they all start getting impatient.
I started to train some self control with this simple training game that we play at dinner time. It takes five minutes and it keeps all the dogs calm and focused. It is very much work in progress for us, but I am already seeing the positive impact of our training.
Start by putting all dogs in a DOWN position in different areas of the room.
Keep rewarding the dogs for maintaining their DOWN position.
Gradually single out each dog at a time for 1:1 attention, whilst training the others to stay put. Keep rewarding the others for their self control.
Once you have mastered this inside, then you can start to use the same technique outside, or in places where there are more distractions.
Playing "Find it"
Playing "Find it"
Playing "FIND IT" using a pouch filled with treats helps to teach great impulse control as the game involves "STAY" whilst you hide the pouch, "FIND IT", and then "GIVE" to get the dog to bring the pouch back to you to get their reward.
Otto absolutely loves this game and is amazing at it.
Training impulse control with a flirt pole
Training impulse control with a flirt pole
A flirt pole helps you play a great game to build impulse control. Properly managed play with flirt pole will help your dog:
- learn to wait without snatching
- learn to drop when you ask
- listen to your instructions
- practice your cues of sit, down, wait, drop it, in a fun way
- and it will really wear him out - mentally and physically
- its good for grabby and mouthy dogs as you maintain some distance from the toy so are not likely to get bitten
What is a flirt pole and where do I get one?
What is a flirt pole and where do I get one?
This is a long pole with a rope or elastic attached to a toy at the end. There are many types available to buy or you can make your own.
https://www.alfiesleads.co.uk/product/flirt-pole/
https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/how-to-make-a-flirt-pole-for-dogs
How to play
How to play
1. Practice “wait” so the dog must sit or lie down, look at you, leave the toy alone, and wait for you to release them, before playing.
2. When you tell them to “get it”, then they get to chase the toy that you drag along the ground.
3. After a few passbys, allow them to catch the toy. Don’t let it go too long or make it too hard or your dog will lose interest.
4. Let them play with it for a while then ask them to “drop it”. To start with you may need to exchange high value treat for the toy, but after a few cycles, restarting the game may be enough to help them learn the “drop it”.
5. Make sure they are calm before starting again.
A few DOs and DON'Ts about playing with a flirt pole
A few DOs and DON'Ts about playing with a flirt pole
DO change direction every once in a while, so your dog isn’t always running one way
DON'T ever raise the toy high so the dog might jump and injure himself
DO take a time out if your dog is mouthy or jumping on you: make sure he knows its “game over” and then try again when he has calmed down
DO end the game with a “all done” and scatter some treats in the grass to get your dog sniffing them out and calming down after all the running.
DON'T play this game if:
- Your dog is injured or at risk of injury from running around (its a high impact game)
- If your dog is likely to be so over stimulated that they can’t calm down after
- Your surface is slippery and your dog cannot grip (best played on grass or carpet)
- You don’t know the dog and don’t yet have a relationship with them. You need the dog to be able to listen to your cues.
- Your dog seems anxious playing or some dogs just don’t like to chase so they may not enjoy it - this is fine too!
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