Ditch Your Dog’s Aggression in 5 Steps

Hardwired to Focus on the Negative

by Denise Mazzola, CPDT-KA


I think the question I get asked the most is, “how long do I need to use treats” and my answer, “how long do you want to get paid for working?” Humans are stingy.


Scientists have shown that humans are hard wired to remember the negative. When we were dragging clubs and slaying dinosaurs we needed to remember the negative, it was about survival. If we forgot where the dinosaur lived we might walk into it’s cave and be eaten. Even today, to a certain extent we need to remember the scary or negative things for survival, but not like humans did thousands of years ago. However, our primitive brain still focuses on the negative. This can be detrimental when working with dogs (and children)


When my three daughters were young it seemed all I would do was focus on 1003587_10152052402617734_1101632045_nthe negative, “Please hang up your coat, put your toys away, how many times do I have to ask?” You get the picture. Then I took parenting classes, (yes parenting classes from Bonnie Harris in Peterborough). I was training myself to focus on what they did right! Seems so basic, but what a challenge. I posted notes on the refrigerator (thankfully the kids couldn’t read) reminding myself to tell them what I wanted and when they did to give specific praise. For example: “Thank you for putting your toys away when you were done playing. I really appreciate it.” The most amazing thing happened, they put their toys away more often when I was specific about praise. It was a bit shocking, but amazing all at the same time. We don’t need to remember or focus on the negative with our dogs or children in order to survive.


Just as we are hard wired to remember the negative so are our dogs, because they are functioning from their primitive brain much more often. They are always determining what place or situation is safe for them and what isn’t. For example, when the puppy I was working with caught her paw in a door, she was then very hesitant about passing through any other door. She had instantaneously determined that doorways were not safe. Sometimes people lose their dogs and spend hours calling them, then they make the mistake of yelling at them, scolding them or doing something else that from the dog’s perspective is negative and/or scary. Fairly quickly, the dog determines that coming when called is not safe and will not come to you the next time.


I once had a client tell me that he expected his dogs to come when called because he fed them and put a roof over their heads. I politely explained that dogs do not feel appreciation, nor do they manipulate us. They would rather come when I called them, even though I didn’t regularly feed them or house them, because I was generous with my treats in both quality and quantity. Being generous with your dogs during and after training is similar to being specific with your praise. We need to focus on what our dogs are doing right and consciously reinforce those behaviors. By doing this we’ll get more of those wanted behaviors. Be specific, if you really liked the dog’s behavior, be generous with the liver worst. If it was just ok, then deliver just one piece of a crunchy treat. If the dog ran one hundred yards to get to you, you better empty the refrigerator on him. You will get more of what you generously reinforce.



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