This page is part of the Auxiliary Section of the Beginner's Course of the
D.S. Dog Training Workshop, and an element of the Dog Science Network
The Do This - Not That, Procedure
Before attempting to implement the procedures found on this page, please be sure to read the entire basics of dog training section, and especially make it a point to be conversant in the use of the unsettling voice and the gladdening tone. Also, it will be beneficial if you come to the material that follows with some notion of how those tones of voice come to draw their power from the process of classical conditioning. Indeed, the more powerfully your dog has been conditioned to respond to no and good dog, the more effective your do this - not that, procedures will be.
Introduction
The do this - not that, procedure is pretty much what it sounds like. When faced with a choice, it is a technique that will allow you to quickly bring your dog to an understanding of which of his alternatives are acceptable and which are not. It is quite literally a way for you to convey to the animal that this is okay, so you can go ahead and do this. But that is not okay. So do not do that. Hence, the name - a do this - not that, procedure.
The idea is to rapidly transition between speaking to your dog in your aversive voice and speaking to him in your pleasing voice, and then back again, perhaps several times over in rapid succession, to reflect the relative acceptability of your dog's most recent response.
Let's say, for example, that while you are out for your daily walks together, your dog tends to stray from the sidewalk and to walk, instead, on the well manicured lawns that line the public foot path.
Since you want your dog to stay on the sidewalk, and you don't want him to wander onto anyone's lawn, you can facilitate the one and reduce the likelihood of the other by speaking to the animal in your gladdening voice while he is walking on the sidewalk where he should be, but then, immediately switching over and telling him no, repeatedly, in an abrasive tone of voice, for as long as he remains in the forbidden zone.
If your dog is wearing a no-pull halter or a prong collar , you can also activate those devices in order to add to the intensity of your verbal punishers. However, the instant that your dog steps from the forbidden lawn area back onto the sidewalk, you should immediately remove all aversive tension from the lead and just as swiftly, you should switch over from your unsettling voice and begin speaking to the animal, instead, in gladdening tones.
But then, the instant your dog reverts back to the wrong way of doing things, you should immediately slide right back into your unsettling voice, only to slip right back over into dispensing verbal reinforcement the instant your dog's behavior warrants the swtich.
Thus, every time your dog adjusts his behavior, you should, accordingly, make an immediate adjustment of your intervention to reflect that change.
By making a rapid transition between punishment and reinforcement in that fashion, to reflect instantaneous changes in your dog's behavior, you can define right and wrong for him. By speaking the words of ultimate praise to your dog in your most excellent voice, and then, transitioning between that and the word of rebuke, spoken in an unsettling tone, to reflect changes in your dog's behavior, you can also teach the animal to differentiate between that which is and that which is not acceptable. That's what a do this - not that procedure is all about.
Using the Do This - Not That to Deal With a Dog That Pulls
You can also use a do this - not that, procedure with a dog that pulls against the lead, as you sear him with your unsettling voice when he pulls, but then switch over immediately to call him a good dog in your best gladdening voice, the instant he stops pulling and falls back into proper position.
Do This - Not That and Elimination Location Training
Do this - not that, training also works when you are training your dog to restrict his bowel movements to one particular part of the yard. Just wait until the animal first starts to squat to relieve himself. If he is in an appropriate part of the yard, then, you should reinforce that response by way of your gladdening voice.
On the other hand, if your dog-in-training squats to relieve himself in the wrong part of the yard, you can employ a dog this - not that procedure to shoo him over into the right location. Just keep your hands low to the ground with your fingers pointed down and your open palms pointed toward your dog as you shoo him along with the word of rebuke, in that special, irritating tone of voice. You should just keep going, herding the animal along in that fashion until he reaches the designated part of the yard. At that instant, obviously, you should immediately switch over to your gladdening voice as you begin, once again, assuring the animal that he is a good dog.
And Assorted Other Uses
You can also use a do this - not that, procedure as you work with your dog to teach him your position on peaceful coexistence with other canines. Just sit with your dog near one of the other animals with whom he sometimes grows testy. Then, immediately subject him to your unsettling voice the very instant that he growls, raises a hackle, or displays any other sign of belligerence, only to switch over to your gladdening tones the instant all detectable signs of aggression subside.
If you go on to the advanced dog training workshop you'll learn that the do this - not that, procedure is also a vital part of street safety training, which is just one more of its many potential applications.