Our dogs could control their impulses? Just a little.
Actually, dogs are able to restrain themselves. Even puppies. This cattle dog pup showed a lot of restraint: he definitely wanted border collie Bowie’s ball but didn’t dare rush toward it. Smart pup.
Socially normal dogs are superb in teaching youngsters to think before they act. People? Not so much. Our expectations often are out of whack, and our corrections cause fear and damage our relationship with our canine sidekick.
Truth is that we often expect more self-control from our dogs than from our children, and from us. It really isn’t easy for animals, including the human one, especially the young, to patiently wait for something they want. In studies, children could handle a delay only if they were engaged in an activity that was close to what they wanted, and pigeons had a little patience if they could access a larger amount of food, but the delay was brief. When the birdies had to wait for longer, they chose a smaller amount of food that was available right away. The pigeon version of the proverbial ‘a sparrow in the hand is better than the pigeon on the roof’.
Back to people: if we brainies, who can abstractly talk ourselves into waiting for greater gratification some time in the future, have trouble with impulse control, is it fair to ask our dogs to be patient? I’d say it isn’t. Even with positive reinforcement there can be felt pressure.
Interestingly, there might be a biochemical component why exerting self-control is so hard. In humans as little as six minutes appears to lower blood glucose levels and performance of subsequent tasks. Specifically tasks that also require self-control. So success in one area might increase impulsivity in the next. The example with dogs I see all the time is the dog who sits at the door when ordered promptly explodes into yipping, pulling, even leash grabbing, the moment it opens. Another one is the dog told to sit before he is allowed to greet, and jumps on the person as soon as he is released. Replenishing glucose with something sugary reversed that effect in the human study. Maybe there is something to that crap-quality bone-shaped cookie many dogs desire to the point of addiction. Here is an article by the fabulous Dr. Patricia McConnell: http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/self-control-depletion-dogs
And yet, I still want a dog who doesn’t always act in a flash. It’s in them, but we have to teach it the human way—because we are lousy emulators of how a dog does it. “Wait” and “Leave” are two of my functional foundation behaviors, and you can find how I teach these on this website.
Key is to be patient.
In the training context, expectation contrast isn’t always bad because it also fosters learning, but there is a fine line between delaying reinforcement to instil impulse control and frustration tolerance, but not wait so long that internal pressure builds and the dog explodes or gives up. One way to help your dog be more patient is to jolly her up with your voice. Tell her how brilliant she is. That is still reinforcement via social connection, but if it’s the real thing she wants, of lower value than that tangible thing your dog wants at the moment—and is asked to wait for even though she complies.
When you begin to delay the reward, do it with an action your dog is already good at and in an environment that doesn’t present extra challenges. And don’t use a reinforcement that's at the top of her value hierarchy list. Eventually you will get a few moments of patience when the stakes are higher, but don’t start there.
A brief delay at first, and increasing duration very incrementally.
Don’t follow one self-control exercise with another that requires patience, but interact in fun stuff that has no demands attached or let your dog chill—whatever she prefers.
Like it is with anything else, practice makes masters. With people it also appears that self-control in one area in time transfers to other situations, and that it leads to overall less frustration in the future. That is certainly a skill we want with our dogs.
Needless to say but I do so anyway, never punish your dog if his performance lacks. Having asked to be patient for too long could be one of the reasons. His glucose levels might be depleted and you don’t have that starchy treat on you. Be as patient as you ask your dog to be. It’s only fair.
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