Dog Behavior and Discrimination how come my dog listens to my husband but not me

I know, nowadays the word "discrimination" can be a negative thing. As socially conscious humans were not supposed to discriminate - at least when were talking about certain human characteristics. But trust me, we discriminate all the time - and its a good thing, as youll see below. How does discrimination relate to dog training? First a general definition of discrimination: 

• the recognition and understanding of the difference between one thing and another: discrimination between right and wrong | young children have difficulties in making fine discriminations.
• the ability to distinguish between different stimuli : [as adj. ] discrimination learning.

With consistency, and precise timing, we can actively teach dogs to discriminate. Check out the video of me and Poncho the dog. Im teaching him to discriminate when to jump through my legs. Turning my right leg out is the cue for him to jump through. Turning my left leg out, he isnt supposed to. He got his reward for staying put. 

Poncho learned pretty quickly that: right leg turned out = jump through = gets rewarded. Left leg turned out = stay = gets rewarded. If he didnt jump when he was supposed to, or jumped when I didnt want him to, then Id give him a "too bad", which is the cue for "no reward". The punishment is he doesnt get a food reward, and he has to wait to try again. 

Another human world example:

• Green light = "go", Red light = Stop, Yellow light = "slow down in preparation of stopping" (although some folks define the yellow as "speed up and get through the intersection"). 

In this example we, as humans, discriminate between the different colors of the traffic signal, and based on what weve learned, we know what to do for each one. I dont know about you, but when I was a child, I quickly learned which parent to go to for what, and when to ask. This is example of "discriminative learning".

As a certified pet dog trainer, I often hear comments or get questions, either from my manners class students or my Noozhawk advice column about "Why does a dog do one thing for one person and not another? Why does my dog pull on leash with me, but not my spouse?" Well, the simple explanation is: One person is more consistent with teaching and rewarding what they want and/or punishing out what they dont want. In a case like this, the dog in question has been able to discriminate which parent to go to for what! 

Dogs, just like small children, dont have the mental capacity to distinguish between right and wrong. They arent born with the section of the brain that is wired for it, and they never really develop it. However, they are very good at differentiating between safe and dangerous. Along with discriminating between safe or dangerous stimuli, they are masters at discriminating between finite cues - provided passively or actively. For example:

• Passive cue: sneakers = going for walkies, dress shoes = dog stays home while human goes to work. 
• Active cue: human places specific blanket (environmental cue) on couch = dog gets to hang out on couch. No blanky on couch, doggy isnt allowed on couch.

So, if your dog is behaving differently for you than they are for someone else, ask yourself: 

• What am I rewarding or not rewarding my dog for?
• Am I being consistent?
• What cues am I giving my dog?
  

Then, once youve answered yourself, you can then fix the problem, if there is one. 

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Dog Breeds When is the Discrimination Going to Stop

I know that dogs were bred for specific traits, and that is what makes each breed different. But there are days when I get a little vexed every time I hear someone say "My (insert name of dog breed here) is so: 

• smart
• stupid
• stubborn
• aggressive
• dominant
• talented
• lazy
• intelligent 
• scared of everything
• obnoxious
• and the list goes on and on... 

because s/hes a (insert name of dog breed here, again)."

UGH! Okay, yes, there are times when Ill look at my own dog Poncho and say "Oh, youre being such a terrier!" Why? Because his behavior displays more of the "grab-shake-kill" personality - which terriers were bred for and are known for, right? But hey, Im Irish and Russian - and Im not much different than most of my non-Irish non-Russian friends... except maybe I sunburn more easily. I do however know a few Irish and Russian folks with olive skin that tan beautifully! So there ya go, once again I cant discriminate. 

I think its important that we look at our dogs as them being just that: dogs. Yes, each were bred for specific traits - but that doesnt mean they will display those specific traits. It also depends upon environment, upbringing, how behaviors are learned and reinforced... which brings me to a very important question for you: if your dog is doing something specific, are YOU the one rewarding that behavior? And then, are YOU the one blaming the dog for behaving a certain way? Hold yourself accountable before blaming their breed. No excuses for your own behavior! 

So if your dog is "smart", then I can conclude that 1) your dog is motivated to learn 2) that youre pretty darn good at teaching them 3) maybe you took them to a dog training class and learned a few things. 

If your dog is "stubborn", then maybe its because 1) you havent taught them what you wanted in a way they understand 2) you have unrealistic expectations 3) you assume because they do something once that they actually know what youre asking them to do. 4) you need to take them to a dog training class 5) youre impatient and get frustrated - which is normal human behavior, therefore, I wont think youre "stubborn". 

So before you start labeling and discriminating against dogs and their breed, ask yourself these questions: is my dog just being a dog? Have I been the one rewarding the behavior? Have I not been rewarding a behavior? Is it MY fault my dog isnt doing what I want him/her to do? 

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