Choosing Games: Changing Dog Behavior One Step At A Time 

Choosing games

This isn’t about choosing which games to play with your dog, but it is about games that involve making choices. 

Playing ‘choosing games’ with your dogs for the first time can be a transformational experience. 

At the heart of every choosing game lies a light bulb moment for the dog that plays it. 

Because what the game does, is teach your dog to work with you as a team. Instead of competing with you for resources and access to fun.

How untrained dogs see the world

In their natural state dogs will use every skill they have and every ruse in the book to get what they want. 

If they can smell food but not get at it, they will jump, paw, claw and tug at whatever is between them and that food. They are in effect competing with you to get to the food before you stop them or take it away.

They see you either as an obstacle to their enjoyment, or at best as no help in getting them access to it. 

Many dogs spend their entire lives in this state of semi-competitiveness. Dashing for doorways before they close, and racing to grab food or toys before they are snatched away.

Which is kind of sad. And pretty stressful for the dog. 

How trained dogs see the world

A well trained dog sees the world very differently. They see their human as an ally. A person to look to when they want something. 

And they know how to bargain with humans to get what they want and need. 

This ability to negotiate for your needs is truly liberating for a dog. It’s the key to the door. 

Instead of dashing through that door, the dog can now ask a human to open it for them. 

And instead of grabbing and snatching at food the dog knows how to offer the human a behavior that is appreciated (such as a ‘sit’), in return for being given the food voluntarily. 

It makes for a much more peaceful life. For both of them.

The great news is that you can teach your dog this skill very quickly using some simple games. Here’s an example:

‘Unlock’ – game steps

We call this game ‘unlock’ because the dog learns how to unlock your hand. You may also hear it called ‘Doggy Zen’ 

You’ll put some treats in your hand and curl your hand into a tight fist around them. The dog has to figure out how to get the treats. 

The purpose of this game is to teach your dog that by giving you what you want, they can get what they want. The two of you work together to unlock the treats in your hand.

Your job is to observe the dog and respond to the behavior you like. Their job is to figure out which behavior you like and repeat it. 

Here are the steps:

Step 1

Make a fist around some food. Hold the fist out towards the dog and keep it still. 

Step 2

When the dog stops trying to bust into your hand, start to uncurl your fingers. Snap them shut again if the dog moves towards them. 

Step 3

When you can keep your hand open without the dog trying to take the treats, start to feed them the treats one at a time, using the other hand. 

You can find a video of the ‘unlock’ game in our Puppy Games course.

What might happen?

Dogs that have not played this game before will often attempt to get at the treats by force. At the very least they will sniff and prod at your hand. 

If the dog is really rough and is hurting you, you can wear a glove. But it’s important that you don’t snatch your hand away or give the dog instructions. The whole point is that the dog is learning to figure this out for themselves. If you start saying ‘NO’ or ‘gently!’ they will learn nothing new.

So make your hand like a rock, and don’t move it at all until the dog pauses in their attempts to get at the treats. 

When you first uncurl your fingers the dog will renew their efforts to grab what’s inside. So you need to be quick and snap those fingers shut again. 

It’s fascinating to see how fast the dog works out they can control your fingers simply by changing their own behavior.

What about a marker?

You may have heard that using a marker word such as ‘Yes’ or a click from a clicker can speed up this kind of training. But in these types of games, marking really isn’t necessary. And in fact might be a distraction. 

The beauty of the game lies in its simplicity. As soon as the dog starts to back off from your hand, those fingers start to uncurl. And it doesn’t take the dog long to figure out what’s causing those fingers to move. 

What to use for treats?

If your dog is quite greedy, you can use some kibble from their daily allowance. If they are raw fed, freeze dried meat treats can work well. 

If your dog is a bit picky, then something more appetising might be needed. Little cubes of roast meat, or tiny cubes of cheese for example. There’s more information on training with food in this article: Dog Training With Food How To Get Started

When, where, and how often to play

When you first play a new game, its important to avoid distractions. Those come later. 

For now you need a quiet room where your dog is able to fully focus on you and on those treats in your hand. 

Always play new games when your dog is reasonably hungry. Not just after a big meal. 

As for how often, you can play this game as often as you like! It’s a fun way to spend a few minutes with your dog, just the two of you, focusing on each other. And will help you bond with a rescue dog or new puppy.

I hope you enjoy playing unlock!  When your dog has mastered the basic principle, you can use this little game to teach positions such as ‘sit’ or ‘down’ and behaviors such as ‘hopping into a basket’   

That’s for another day, let me know how you get on in the comments below!