Are You “Suppressing” Your Dog’s Behavior?
One of the most irritating comments I see from other dog trainers are around “suppression”. That’s because when you punish or correct your dog’s behavior, that is suppression by definition. Suppression is putting a stop to something.
So in reality if you stop any behavior from being displayed that is suppression. Does suppression mean that the behavior will regenerate or resurface? No. Does it mean that it won’t? No.
Behavior is moving all the time! But knowing how to stop it is crucial to having a well behaved and safe dog. Being responsible about the situations you put your dog in is also crucial. Some folks seem to think that all dogs should be like stuffed animals with zero ability to bite or react in any and all situations and that is a wildly unrealistic expectation that would result in nobody being able to keep their dog.
We always take the approach with all layers. We train the dog to be respectful, we train the dog to be very reliable and obedient, we build a relationship of standards and accountability, we address and punish bad behaviors directly, AND we take responsibility for the situations we put our dogs in!
In this episode I’m breaking all this down and talking about what suppression really means and how and why a dog’s behaviors might regenerate.
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Minute-by-Minute Breakdown
- 00:00 – Kati introduces Off Leash and Unfiltered and asks listeners to subscribe.
- 01:00 – She says ‘suppression’ is often discussed and sounds negative, so she’ll clarify it.
- 02:00 – Suppress means to put a stop to a behavior; reducing or eliminating behavior is suppression.
- 03:00 – Trainers regularly suppress behaviors; Kati considers it a specialty.
- 04:00 – Whether a suppressed behavior returns depends on many factors.
- 05:00 – Some behaviors, like door bolting, are easier to suppress than guarding.
- 06:00 – High-arousal, poorly regulated dogs are more likely to regenerate old behaviors.
- 07:00 – If you keep seeing behavior, you likely failed to punish it effectively.
- 08:00 – Correction intensity affects durability; weak consequences won’t prevent repeated theft.
- 09:00 – Suppression’s permanence depends on genetics, relationship, and handler skill.
- 11:00 – Train by marking ‘no’ when needed and following with a meaningful consequence.
- 12:00 – She describes a golden retriever with severe resource guarding despite intense training.
- 16:00 – Good training doesn’t guarantee a dog won’t bite if provoked unexpectedly.
- 26:00 – Kati advocates a two-prong approach: train dogs and manage situations to inhibit dangerous behaviors.