YNP #080: Why I Don’t Teach “Off”

Most of the time we want to use the cue “off” to tell our dogs to “get down”.  For example, when they  jump on us or our guests or when they jump on the table or counter.   I have nothing against teaching this cue, I just approach it in a different way.  If we think about it, what we really want to teach our dog not to jump up.  So, if we need to use the word “off”  that means they’re already preforming the behavior we don’t want.  BUT if we teach our dog a habit of keeping four paws on the ground then the cue “off” becomes irrelevant.  So this the behavior I like to focus on. Essentially we want to teach our dogs that all the attention, fun, play, food, etc. only comes when four paws are on the ground so they never even think about jumping up! In this episode I talk about: Why I don’t teach off (not that I have anything against it). Why to focus on the behavior not the cue.  A different way to look at this type of training. Examples of alternatives to teaching “off”. Press play and enjoy! Other resources mentioned and related to this episode: YNP #008: When Your Dog Jumps Playtime Paws Academy:  A brand new program for dog and humans no matter where you are in your training journey.