Episode #239 Why “No” Isn’t Training: Teaching Alternative Behaviors That Stick

Saying “No!” might stop your dog in the moment—but it doesn’t teach them what to do instead. In this episode, we dive into why “No” isn’t actually training and how to shift your approach to create lasting behavior change.

You’ll learn how to replace unwanted behaviors like jumping, barking, or chewing with functional alternatives your dog can actually succeed at. We’ll walk through real-life examples, simple training strategies, and the mindset shift that turns chaos into calm.

If you’re ready to stop managing bad behavior and start building good habits, this episode is for you.

🎧 Tune in and discover the power of teaching “what to do” instead of just saying “no.”

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Saying no might stop your dog in the moment, but it
doesn't teach them what to doinstead.
In this episode, we dive intowhy no isn't actually training
and how to shift your approachto create lasting behavior
change.
Welcome to the Puppy TrainingPodcast.
I'm Amy Jensen, founder ofBaxter Bella, the online puppy

(00:20):
school.
Here we are all about helpingyou create the best possible
experience raising a puppy, fromtraining tips to practical
tricks, all aimed at fostering ahappy, well-behaved dog who
truly feels like part of thefamily.
So if you are ready to enjoythe journey and strengthen the
bond with your dog, let's getstarted.
Hey you guys.

(00:45):
How are you today?
Today, I hope you're doinggreat summertime here in utah
and my doors are open.
I'm hearing outside sounds.
Hopefully, you can't hear thosein the background.
I should probably check that,but it is beautiful weather.
We are so thankful for it andmy dogs are loving it as well.
It's a little hot, so they'redefinitely looking for the shade
trees when we're out playing,and they are definitely more

(01:07):
active in the morning andevenings, for sure, but I hope
you're enjoying your summerwherever you live.
Today, we are talking about theword no, whether your dog is
jumping on guests or barking outthe window or chewing on your
favorite shoes, your gutreaction might be to shout no.
But here's the truth.
No isn't training.
It might interrupt the behaviorand, yes, it can be helpful at

(01:28):
times, but it doesn't actuallyteach your dog what to do
instead.
So let's talk about how to stopunwanted behaviors by replacing
them with functional, desirableones that your dog can succeed
at.
So first off, let's talk aboutwhy saying no falls short.
When you say no to your dog,you might get a momentary pause,
and sometimes that's needed.
Sometimes we do need tointerrupt, but unless you've

(01:50):
taken the time to teach analternative behavior, your dog
is still left thinking I don'tknow what I'm supposed to do.
They're a little confused.
Think of it like this If youtold a child don't touch that,
but never explained what theycouldn't touch or why, the
behavior might just come back orthey'll try something else.
That also isn't working.
Dogs thrive on clarity.

(02:12):
No is pretty vague.
It's a stop sign with no detour.
So we do like to use it as aninterrupter.
Just recognize it's not goodenough just to teach your dog no
.
Does that make sense?
Your dog will still be confused.
They'll still be wondering whatthey can do, so let's teach
them.
Let's show them what that lookslike.
Next, let's talk about teachingthe what to do instead.

(02:33):
Let's flip the script.
Instead of focusing on what youdon't want, ask yourself what
do I want my dog to do instead?
Here are a few real lifeexamples that might help you
understand this concept.
So, jumping on guests we canteach our dogs to sit to greet
or go to your mat Maybe yourdog's barking out the window.

(02:53):
We could teach them look at meor go settle.
If your dog is chewing on thefurniture, we could provide a
designated chew toy and rewardchewing on that.
The formula is we want tointerrupt, which you might use
no for.
Then we want to redirect andthen we want to reinforce the
right choice.
We're not just stoppingbehavior, we're teaching better

(03:15):
habits.
Let's talk about functionalbehaviors that work in real
everyday life.
Functional behaviors are skillsyour dog can use in many
different contexts.
They're simple, reliable andeasy to reinforce.
Some of my favorites would be asimple sit.
This is a great replacementbehavior for jumping or

(03:35):
demanding attention.
Anytime I want my dog to askfor something, nicely, I would
like them to sit.
So we teach what we call a sitto say please, here at Baxter
and Bella.
The next behavior I like toteach my dogs is a down or
settle.
It's essentially the samebehavior.
You can use either cue.
We want our dog to be able tolay down on the floor and relax.
I like to use this for calmingoverstimulation or giving your

(03:59):
dog a job when guests are over.
I have my dogs in a down or asettle right now while I'm
recording this podcast, becauseI just want them to be still and
quiet so you don't hear alltheir background noise.
Another cue I teach my dogs istouch, so this means I want them
to target my hand with theirnose.
I use this for redirectingtheir focus or if I need to lead

(04:19):
my dog away from distractions.
That's a simple cue that theyknow exactly what to do in the
moment.
And because it's such a simpleone, I do use it a lot and I can
reward that, and it's a simplething that they can choose to do
in a lot of different contexts.
Another one would be go to placeor go to bed, go to mat
whatever you want to call it,but this is a good one for

(04:41):
managing when people come toyour door or if you're sitting
down to have a meal as a family,or you just want to prevent
chaos in the kitchen.
Maybe you're walking aroundyour kitchen cooking or prepping
the meal meal and you don'twant your dog to be caught up
under your feet.
Then go to their bed or go totheir mat would be ideal.
And then, lastly, a leave it.

(05:03):
This is ideal for stopping yourdog from grabbing things they
shouldn't, but only works iftaught clearly and consistently.
Now, leave it means take yourattention away from that item
and give it back to me.
Once I have their attention,I'm then redirecting them onto
something better.
So make sure that you're notjust saying leave it and they
stop.
Okay, but now what right?

(05:23):
Take them into that.
Now what space.
So remember, dogs do what works.
For example, if jumping getsthem attention and attention is
what they want, even if it'snegative, they'll do it again.
If sitting calmly earns treatsand affection, guess what?
They'll repeat the sit.
Training isn't about perfectionon the first try.
It's about repetition andreinforcement.

(05:45):
Dogs need hundreds ofrepetitions to really learn a
behavior.
So what we want to do is try tocatch our dog doing it right
and reward that behavior.
If we can set them up forsuccess by managing their
environment.
That's going to help them getmore of those rewards, which
means that repetition and thatlearning is going to happen
faster.

(06:06):
I also like to practice thealternative behaviors, often in
different locations andsituations.
We want to prove thesebehaviors that we're teaching
them, not just having them sitin my living room.
I want them to know how to siton cement, on grass, when people
are around, when kids arerunning through the house, right
.
Lots of different situations.
We want to make sure that theyunderstand the cue in these

(06:27):
different contexts.
The more our dog learns thatthis behavior behavior A equals
good things, the more they'regoing to choose it on their own,
which is a really fun thing tosee.
When you're training a dog, youcan see their wheels turning
like how do I get that next?
Yes, or that reward from Amy,oh, I remember.
Sit to say please works great.
And then, instead of themdemand barking at me, they just

(06:48):
come to my feet and sit.
So here's your takeaway fortoday.
We want to try to replace nowith here's what you can do
instead.
Now, if you want to use no asyour interrupter, great fine.
Just don't stop there, right?
Don't think that.
Oh, how do I just teach my dognot to do that?
No, we want you to think well,what do I want them to do

(07:10):
instead?
And teach an action or abehavior that they can do and
that they can get rewarded for,and they'll choose that behavior
more often.
So training isn't just aboutstopping behavior.
It's about teaching our dogwhat to do and reinforcing it so
it sticks.
Remember, they're dogs andwe're expecting them to live in
a human world which they don'tknow about.
It's not natural or instinctualto them to do human behaviors.

(07:33):
They do dog behaviors, so wehave to show them.
This is actually how I need youto behave in this moment in a
human world.
Now, a well-trained dog isn'tjust one who avoids trouble,
right, we're not just managing,but we're going to teach them
and show them what we want themto do and reward them for it,
and then they're going to startmaking better choices.
Thanks for listening today.

(07:54):
If you found this helpful,share it with a fellow dog
parent or leave us a review.
It helps more families buildbetter behavior from the
beginning, and the earlier youstart, the easier it is to
change these things or to justprevent them from happening in
the first place.
But hey, we are all indifferent places of our training
journey.
So if you have an older dog ormaybe you just got a rescue dog
that's a little bit older aswell and problems crop up, we

(08:18):
can help you at any stage of thetraining process.
So feel free to reach out to uswith any questions that you
come across.
And remember, training our dogsis a conversation.
We don't want it to be aconfrontation.
Let's keep that conversationgoing.
Until next time, happy training.
Thanks for tuning in to thePuppy Training Podcast.
I hope today's tips help youfeel more confident and excited

(08:39):
about raising your dog.
Remember, with a littlepatience and consistency, you
can create a loving bond and awell-behaved pup who's a joy to
have in your family.
If you found this episodehelpful, be sure to subscribe,
leave a review and share it withfellow puppy parents.
For more resources, visitBaxter and Bella online.

(09:02):
Until next time, happy training.