Stop Relying on "No" When Training Your Dog | Pupford
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Are you obsessed with the word "no" when it comes to training your dog? While the word 'no' can have a time and place in training, it isn't a 'behavior'.
Too often as pup parents, we become obsessed and oftentimes overreliant on the word 'no'. The problem with the word 'no' is that it doesn't teach our dogs what we DO want them to do!
The key to training is communication, and if the only thing we communicate to our dog is 'no' or 'stop', we've only done half the work.
If your sports coach stopped practice and just yelled 'no, no, no' with zero explanation, would your team know what to do to improve?
No, you need your coach to tell you what went wrong and what they want you to do instead. And the same goes for our pups!
We have to change our communication from 'no, no, no' to 'do this' or 'try that'.
So if you're overwhelmed by your dog barking at the door, teach them what you want them to do when someone comes to the door... instead of just saying no.
If your dog jumps on people while on walks, teach them that you want them to sit and stay when they're being greeted... instead of just saying no.
If your dog pulls on the leash, teach them where you want them to be and reward heavily when they do that... instead of just saying no.
SMART X50
Kathy Sdao coined the phrase and technique called SMART x50.
SMART stands for See, Mark, And, Reward, Training.
This technique can help you overcome your reliance on 'no' and start to focus on the good things your dog is doing. Here is what you do!
Grab a bowl and put 50 treats (Pupford ones work great!) in the bowl out of your dog's reach.
Throughout the day, look for 50 opportunities to find good behaviors your dog is doing. This shouldn't be during 'dedicated' training sessions, but rather just moments when your dog is doing something good.
Here is an example.
See- Your dog comes and lies down by your feet without being asked
Mark- Use your marker word or clicker to let your dog know that behavior is desirable
Reward- Give your dog one of the 50 treats from the bowl
Then repeat that 50 different times throughout the day!
This act of focusing on the good can not only help reinforce good behaviors (which will make those behaviors happen more frequently), but it will also help you avoid using the word 'no' too frequently.
RECAP
It's not feasible to never use the word 'no' with your dog, but you shouldn't become too reliant on it.
Focus on teaching your dog what you DO want them to do! And of course, try out the SMART x50 method for at least a few days and see what it does for your communication and relationship with your pup!
So happy that it made sense to you, thanks for listening! Any other topics you’d like me to cover in the future?
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Krista01/26/2025
I agree!
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Ryan01/26/2025
Oh yes…my 1 yr old has started playing keep away purposefully with things he knows are “leave it”. I believe for the high value treat. Very frustrating.
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Helena01/26/2025
Thanks Devin! Very well explained and makes so much sense. Going to implement this with our 4 month old puppy.
J
Janice01/26/2025
Imagine you are a student and you teacher doesn’t ever tell you what to do—the “right” way to do something. All he or she ever does is yell “NO!” (and maybe even pinch or shock you). It’s going to take you a LONG time to figure out what your teacher wants (if you ever do). You’ll probably feel pretty frustrated before long. It’s the same with our dogs. Don’t just tell them what NOT to do, tell them what you’d like them to do INSTEAD. Example: Our newest little boy just loves people and he sees a person, he gets very excited and begins to bark and pull toward that person (“A person! I just know they’re going to pet me and tell me how handsome I am and maybe they’ll give me a yummy treat! Oh boy!”). Even tough this is a small dog, that behavior is annoying and we don’t want him doing it. We’re teaching him that when he sees a person, he’s supposed to sit and look at us (rather than bark and pull on the leash toward that person) and sometimes he’ll get petted and given attention (but not every single time). And this doesn’t happen overnight. It can take several months to train.
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66 comments
Leave a CommentSo happy that it made sense to you, thanks for listening! Any other topics you’d like me to cover in the future?
I agree!
Oh yes…my 1 yr old has started playing keep away purposefully with things he knows are “leave it”. I believe for the high value treat. Very frustrating.
Thanks Devin! Very well explained and makes so much sense. Going to implement this with our 4 month old puppy.
Imagine you are a student and you teacher doesn’t ever tell you what to do—the “right” way to do something. All he or she ever does is yell “NO!” (and maybe even pinch or shock you). It’s going to take you a LONG time to figure out what your teacher wants (if you ever do). You’ll probably feel pretty frustrated before long. It’s the same with our dogs. Don’t just tell them what NOT to do, tell them what you’d like them to do INSTEAD. Example: Our newest little boy just loves people and he sees a person, he gets very excited and begins to bark and pull toward that person (“A person! I just know they’re going to pet me and tell me how handsome I am and maybe they’ll give me a yummy treat! Oh boy!”). Even tough this is a small dog, that behavior is annoying and we don’t want him doing it. We’re teaching him that when he sees a person, he’s supposed to sit and look at us (rather than bark and pull on the leash toward that person) and sometimes he’ll get petted and given attention (but not every single time). And this doesn’t happen overnight. It can take several months to train.