Cause and Effect

As animals we are creatures of cause and effect - the world either tells us "yes" based on our actions or "no." Mistakes means consequences, and things that work are successes.

Dogs don't speak English (or any human language) so they speak the language of the world: does this work or not?

For instance, if a dog hassles a porcupine, they get the quills. If a dog puts paws on a hot stove, they burn their feet. If they stick their nose to far into the cat's space, they get a good smack. If a dog eats a lemon or lime, they pucker and find it sour. Most of those actions will not be repeated, because the way of the world issued consequences: if you do this, _______ happens. Dogs arn't dumb and usually get the hint pretty quickly - not needing a human to explain to them verbaly, because cause and effect shared a consequence. And (what's most important!) your dog is mentally fine, not terrified or psychology damaged due to life's correction - trust me, if your dog runs head first into a tree while it's playing and really knocks his noggin pretty good, I promise you he won't be afraid of trees but he will be more aware of where they are and his actions around them.

When it comes to inappropriate behavior with your dog, you must share a consequence if you want them to learn yes and no. Remember, they don't speak English, so you can't explain why taking things off the counter is bad, chewing up your furniture is wrong, barking at every person or dog they see needs to stop. 

Actions create results, and lack of a "no" for certain behaviors is really telling a dog "yes" you can keep doing that. Ignoring problem behaviors does not make them go away, because the dog never learns that they are wrong. As a society of verbal language, we want to talk some sense into our dogs, but they don't speak our language and in the end you are setting yourself up to fail. So, if you're having trouble with your dog and talking and ignoring behaviors arn't working, it's probably time for a new approach - particularly if your dog's behavior is becoming more and more serious, stressful, and harmful to themselves or others.