Obedient Vs Well-Behaved

I do not like micromanaging others. I loathe being micromanaged by someone. However, I recognize that some folks love being micromanaged and micromanaging others. If you fall into the pro-micromanagement camp, then you want an obedient dog. If you are in the anti-micromanagement camp, then you want a well-behaved dog. What’s the difference? 

Obedient dogs respond properly and reliably to cues. They do whatever is asked of them. However, when left to their own devices, they don’t always make home-friendly choices. This is the dog that you always have to tell what to do because otherwise they often misbehave. This is the dog who tears through your home, shredding pillows and dog beds, unless a “down stay” has been cued. 

Well-behaved dogs make self-directed good choices in your home. They know when they should join activities and when they should go somewhere else to settle. They can “read the room”. This is the dog that you can trust not to interrupt your backyard BBQ. This dog may or may not also be obedient. 

In my opinion, well-behaved dogs are much easier to live with than obedient dogs. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t train your dog to properly and reliably respond to cues. You absolutely should! In addition to that, you should teach your dog how to be well-behaved.  

The foundation of a well-behaved dog is management. Let your home do the teaching for you.  In order for your dog to be able to "read the room", you must give them a compelling plot to follow. Make your home a mistake-free learning zone by preventing bad habits before they start. 

Anticipate the temptation of non-dog items and put them away. Close doors. Put up baby gates and x-pens to help prevent bad habits. Rotate the toys in your dog’s toy basket so he shops his toy basket for novel things rather than the laundry basket. 

Encourage good habits like giving your dog a “takeout meal” in a food puzzle on a mat or in a crate while you eat dinner. Have kids who love to sneak your dog food while they eat? Instead of becoming exasperated by your child teaching your dog to beg, crate your dog and give him a long lasting chew during meal times. Soon your dog will see you sitting down for dinner and dive onto his mat or into his crate expecting his takeout meal! 

Here’s an example of how to combine obedience with being well-behaved. In addition to teaching your dog to sit on cue, reward your dog for offering a sit. Think of your dog’s offered sit as your dog politely asking to do something. Your dog sits at the door? Praise and open the door to the fenced yard. Your dog sits when she sees the leash? Praise and put the leash on. Your dog sits when a person approaches? Praise and feed!  

Reward offered behaviors that you like. Set up your home so your dog defaults to making home-friendly choices. These are the essentials for creating a well-behaved dog. These proactive habits will make life so much easier than running around reacting to all kinds of dogsasters.