Animal Behavior
Training: It's In Everything We Do
By Eve Molzhon
In a dog daycare, we’re always working on training dogs. This training involves either encouraging good behavior or stopping unwanted behavior, like jumping or bolting out the gate. We’re all acting as dog trainers—some of us are just freelancing as dog handlers.

One key thing to a successful dynamic in a dog daycare is consistent verbiage among the staff. This means that everyone uses the same words and commands. In addition to keeping it simple for your team members, it also helps the dogs understand what’s expected of them within your daycare environment—even if they only come to the daycare occasionally.

If one person uses “off,” another person uses “down,” another uses “no” and another uses “ahn-ahn,” eventually the dog will probably figure out what everyone means, but that takes too long. And in the process, your team members have likely gotten a bruise or a scratch from the dog jumping up on them. Instead, if we’re consistent with our verbiage, the dog learns much faster.

It may help to think of your dog training vocabulary like learning a foreign language—is it easy to learn that “no,” “stop,” “off” and “down” all mean the same thing? Or are you better off to have all your team members use “ahn-ahn” to tell the dog that means they need to stop what they’re doing regardless of the behavior? The more consistent that you and your team can be, the easier it is for the dogs to understand what you’re saying and create that memory loop.

Now, let’s talk about the behaviors we want to encourage. First, it’s important for a dog to know their name and come to you when called. This is useful when they’re playing in a group or need to come inside after a let-out. We also work on stopping negative behaviors, like humping or rough play, using the “no” or “ahn-ahn” to tell the dog that we don’t like the behavior that they’re displaying, followed by their name with the “come” command to call them away from the other dog(s) they’re bothering. Whether you have free-play daycare (with or without treats) or an enrichment-based daycare focused on activities, the goal is to help dogs fit into the daycare routine and act appropriately.
For gate control, we might use hte word "back" or "wait" to communicate with the dogs and train them that we need them to move and wait rather than all rush the gate or door.
For gate control, we might use the word “back” or “wait” to help communicate with the dogs and train them that we need them to move and wait rather than all rush the gate or door. Again, choose the command words that you and your team will be using, and make sure everyone uses them consistently. Utilize spatial pressure as needed at the gate to show the dogs that you need some space to let dogs in or out. Not only using words but also tone and physical movement helps communicate effectively with the dogs.

When we’re trying to stop a behavior like jumping or play-biting, we can use treats, body language or our tone of voice. The way we speak to the dogs matters. Whether it’s a high-pitched, cheerful “Hi, Fluffy!” or a low-pitched, stern “ahn-ahn,” dogs pick up on our tone and that helps them understand what we want.

Why is all of this important? Because training dogs to behave well in our daycare keeps them safe and happy. We’ve all seen those unruly dogs that are jumping, mouthing and causing trouble. Nobody enjoys that, and it’s not good for the safety of the dogs or your team members.
Whether we're encouraging good behavior or discouraging bad behavior, we need to be consistent so everyone has a safe and enjoyable time.
Whether we’re encouraging good behavior or discouraging bad behavior, we need to be consistent so everyone has a safe and enjoyable time. In the end, we are all dog trainers trying to make sure the dogs have a happy, safe and fulfilled life, whether they are with us for a day, a week, a month or a year.

We aren’t just simply taking care of dogs—we’re helping to mold their future lives. Always consider how the dog feels about their behavior. Doing so will make sure dogs are happy and feel safe in our dog daycare.

Eve Molzhon is the creator and owner of Dog Handler Academy. Dog Handler Academy is a 100% online, automated employee training program designed specifically for dog daycares and boarding facilities. Our real-life daycare videos and online quizzes fast-track your new hires into understanding dog handling and care, saving you time and money. Courses cover basic and advanced dog handler skills, social cues and safety, client relations, and more. The mission of Dog Handler Academy is to provide employers training new hires with comprehensive material in a cost-efficient, consistent, and effective program. Our end goal is to create better handlers within our industry to ensure the proper care of animals.

Back to Issue