As a trainer who uses “positive”/”force-free” training methods, my focus is always on teaching dogs what we want them to do and developing good habits. For example, for dogs who pull on leash, I teach them to heel and focus on the owner instead. I don’t advocate using punishment - such as yanking on a prong collar or choke chain - to make the dog stop doing something undesirable. What comes along with this is that I almost never use the word “no.”
Why is “no” not useful?
The intention of saying “no” is to get the dog to stop doing something. To us humans, it’s obvious what we’re referring to in the moment, eg, no barking, no biting, no jumping, no digging. To the dog, however, it’s not obvious at all! Especially since we tend to use the word “no” in many different contexts. It’s not specific enough to give useful information to the dog.
Some dogs may stop whatever they are doing and give subdued body language when you raise your voice or talk sternly. In those cases, it may seem like reprimanding them is doing the trick. However, it doesn’t tell the dog what you do want them to do, so that they can form good habits. It also doesn’t address any underlying problems that may be causing the dog’s “naughty” behavior. If your dog is barking because they’re fearful of the stranger coming into the house, telling him “no barking” won’t solve the real issue at hand.
Some other dogs just don’t care about their owner getting upset, or at least not enough to change their behavior. In which case, their frustrated owner is repeatedly saying “no no no!” while the dog continues on their merry way. As above, they are not being taught what we do want them to do. How are they supposed to do better next time?
So what should you do instead?
Don’t rely on using “no” to make any lasting changes in your dog’s behavior. Instead, use the following approaches to truly teach him different ways to behave.
Management: Prevent your dog from rehearsing the unwanted behavior as much as possible.
Be proactive: Make sure that your are meeting your dog’s baseline needs before he resorts to chewing up your shoes out of boredom. If you know that he tends to “act up” around a certain time of day, proactively give him exercise and appropriate activities before he starts up.
Redirecting: If your dog does end up jumping, barking, digging, etc, you immediately step in to remedy the situation and redirect your dog to a more appropriate activity or simply remove him. This may involve the use of a positive interrupter, using a leash to physically move your dog away, or getting him interested in toys or treat training instead.
Teach appropriate behaviors: Make sure your dog has a solid understanding of at least one alternative behavior. For example, if you want your barky pup to get your attention in a different way, teach him to sit quietly on cue.
Build good habits: Encourage your dog to rehearse those more appropriate behaviors over and over, until they become his “go-to” choices.
Desensitization and counter-conditioning: This should be applied for any behavior that is rooted in fear or anxiety. It is also often part of the training plan when dogs are over-excited, frustrated, or feeling other “big emotions.”
This video shows an example of a puppy who was biting his harness and owner’s hands every time she tried to put the harness on, despite firmly being told “no.” Chirag Patel showed his owner how to use treat training to teach the puppy to cooperate and easily put on the harness.
Time outs
There are situations I will recommend using a “time out” to discourage unwanted behaviors. A time out consists of 30 seconds to 2 minutes of the dog being removed from the situation in order to emphasize that we don’t want him to do a specific behavior. However this is always used in conjunction with the methods listed above, so that the dog is given information on what we do want him to be doing instead, those alternative behaviors are heavily reinforced, and the owner is using management and being proactive to prevent rehearsal of the unwanted behavior as much as possible.
Actions over words - using “no” effectively
If you are using time outs as part of your dog’s training program, THIS is the time to use your “no” effectively! (Although I tend to use the word “time out” instead, because it reminds me to be specific and consistent.)
Say “no” or “time out.”
Immediately after, put your dog up or remove yourself from the situation.
Now you have a cue that the dog will understand, and you can use it to highlight the exact moment that your dog did the unwanted behavior (eg right as he jumped up or nipped in play). It is your actions that give the cue meaning, rather than your specific wording or tone of voice.
