Why "no" doesn't work

Do you find yourself shouting "no" at your dog to stop them from doing something and find it works sometimes but fails at others? Let’s have a look at some of the reasons that's happening and alternative (more effective) options.

"No" doesn’t mean anything to your dog.
We are humans. Humans are generally verbal animals. We love words - reading them, writing them, and saying them with our mouths. Gotta love a word. Dogs, on the other hand, do not understand words. Much as I would love the Disney movies to be true to life and have my dog burst into song about how much she hates cats, dogs can’t speak. They do not come with an inbuilt dog-to-human translator. They don’t know what words mean until we pair them with a consequence.

Think back to when you taught your dog "sit." You likely lured your dog's front end up with a tasty piece of food, and when their bum hit the floor, you told them "good" and fed them the food. The dog learned that when the human says "sit," if they put their bum on the floor, they are likely to be given a piece of food.
Word + Action = Consequence

Now think about when you habitually say "no" to your dog.

• Is it when they jump, muddied from a walk, up onto the couch?
  
• Perhaps when they see and lunge at a squirrel?
• Do you shout "no" at them when they are hoofing off across the park after another dog?
• Maybe "NO" reverberates through the woods as you see your dog about to get shoulder-deep in an enormous fox poo?

Each of those "no"s means something different -

• Get down
  
• Don't pull
• Come back here
• Do not roll in that poo!!!
  

So they actually mean nothing to your dog, really.

At best, you will say, shout, or scream the word at a high enough volume that you successfully interrupt your dog, but they haven't learned anything other than that you sound scary sometimes.

What could you do instead of "no"?

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You first need to assess what your dog is doing, why they are doing it, and then think about what you would like them to do instead.

You can approach this in a few ways without having to resort to "no," depending on your situation.

Mutually Exclusive Behaviours
If your dog is jumping up at you or guests, it's likely they want attention.
When they jump up, they get the attention they want - whether that's you telling them "no" or giving them fuss, so they are more likely to repeat that behaviour in the future.

We can teach a dog a mutually exclusive behaviour as a means for them to get their attention but in a way that's more suitable for polite society. A mutually exclusive behaviour is something that can't be done at the same time as the thing you don't want. For jumpy dogs, teaching them to offer eye contact when they want your attention is a great option - they can't be giving you eye contact when they're bouncing up and down, so it should limit the rehearsal of jumping.
If you really want to double down, you can teach your dog to sit AND give you eye contact, no jumping up while that's going on.
Teaching mutually exclusive behaviours is a good way to get a dog "automatically" doing the right thing. If it's less energy-intensive to do and still gets them what they want, they'll likely choose it over something that takes more physical or mental effort.

Cues with Meaning
Instead of relying on the generic "no," you can teach your dog cues to direct them to something fun and rewarding. Used often, these cues become things your dog enjoys and responds to regardless because these cues aren't only rolled out when you need the dog to stop doing a thing. Sometimes we can use cues like "recall" ONLY when we need them, at the end of the walk, to call the dog away from something or someone, meaning the consequence of your dog complying isn't as rewarding as whatever they are doing already. The dog learns that the cue is associated with their fun stopping, so they may well second guess what you are asking them to do.

Think of the times when your dog is doing the thing you don't want them to do and what might be useful for them to be doing instead.

Your dog runs off after other dogs because they want to play with the other dog, that's fun! When they run off, they often get to play with the other dog, so they are likely going to do that again.

You could teach "this way" to let your dog know you are changing direction, but also do a little bit of a run as you change direction, then chuck them a treat when they catch up with you. This not only tells them "I'm off over here" but gives them a bit of a fun game to play with you.
THEN when it comes to one of those moments where you need it, you already have a well-practiced and well-reinforced cue that doesn't mean anything other than "the human is off being fun in that direction."

Clarity and consistency are key when teaching a dog what you would rather they did. You can't wave a magic wand and stop your dog from doing something they have built up a history of doing. You also will need to practice your own defaulting to "no" when they are playing silly beggars. The more you practice, the more fluent your dog (and you) will become at doing the "right" thing.

Depending on how long your dog has been ignoring your "no," you may need to help yourself with using management. If your dog frequently runs off after other dogs, put them on a long line while you practice your direction changes. If your dog jumps up like a jack-in-the-box at yourself or guests, you may need to have them behind a barrier in the early stages of teaching them to give a mutually exclusive behaviour. If you limit your dog's opportunities to do the things you don't want them to do, you'll have more chance to reinforce the things you do want them to do.

If you approach the situation with "why" your dog is doing this, "what" your dog is getting out of doing this, and then "what would I prefer them to be doing instead," you will probably not have to resort to "no" quite so often.