A happy dog is easier in every way. That is why I make happiness a priority in all my dog training programs.
When a dog is afraid, they basically have 3 options: freeze, run away, or make the threatening thing go away. When afraid, dogs have a hard time recalling past training or learning new things. If you have ever worked with a dog that is freaking out, you’ll remember that there wasn’t much you could do with that dog in that mood state. Similarly, when a dog is anxious, to the point of panic, a dog can’t do much more than be hypervigilant of everything, they are restless, inconsolable, and can lash out with just the smallest provocation.
Happy dogs, on the other hand, have more options as to what they can, and are willing to, do.
Some situations are just happy by themselves without much human influence. Other situations, which might normally provoke fear or anxiety don’t evoke any happy moods and without help, a dog can’t cope very well. Helping dogs to discover that these situations can be happy occasions, is a primary focus of behavior modification efforts.
But, even in obedience training, I want a dog to discover that the completion of requested tasks leads to happiness. The better I can train a dog to make that discovery, the better the dog will perform. If they feel they can choose happiness in these circumstances, then that makes the work even easier for the dog and the humans involved.
I have spent years figuring out ways to make dogs happy. Simple stuff, like giving a dog a treat, pretty much everyone knows. But that is only a start, and not durable enough for major changes in many situations. Breaking through with a dog that is timid, afraid, or anxious takes time and special efforts. I see people making mistakes in this area all the time, misinterpreting the solution: get rough on the dog. I have had students get offended when I told them that they needed to back off on their dogs. I even had one student physically shove his dog towards me when the dog wanted to hide behind his desk instead. That kind of solution never works, and he was making the situation worse. He figured since he could “man up” in difficult situations, he could force his dog to do the same. But it doesn’t work that way. Animals don’t have the kind of willpower to face down things to overcome them.
A happy dog is easy, obedient, and social in appropriate situations. The opposite is also true. Look at your dog at random times. Ask yourself, is my dog happy? If the answer is “no”, then you have some work to do. Help your dog to discover how to be happy instead.