Have you heard of manding?  It is a concept I use all the time with my puppies and is a powerful tool.  Manding helps shape a young puppy’s mind into a curious and willing student of life.  It helps to accelerate the unspoken connection we have with our dogs over time by encouraging them to seek out what is right.  It harnesses their desire to communicate and gives the puppy a way of communicating.  So what is manding when it comes to puppies?

In simple terms, as it relates to puppies, manding is the puppy asking you for something. When it comes to training, we think of a puppy doing what we ask it to do…with manding, it starts with the puppy doing something we want without asking and rewarding them for it.  You likely already do it, for example, a dog learning to paw you to indicate it wants a pat.  The dog is manding.  You did not ask the dog if it wanted to be pat, it ask you and you reinforced the behaviour by rewarding it with a pat.  Manding is just that.  Catching your puppy doing something right and then praising it to reinforce the behaviour.  

Some examples to clarify: I catch my puppy looking up at me during play…I respond with an excited “Yes!” and a treat. This will lead to my adult dog often checking in with me during play.  Catching my puppy sitting at my feet…again with a “yes!” and treat and a pat.  This will lead to my adult dog sitting quietly to get a pat.  The same if my dog lays at my feet, asks to go out by sitting at the door, voluntarily drops a toy at my feet.  By reinforcing these desirable behaviours, or mands, I am showing my puppy which actions will communicate with me.  My puppy is is learning without ever being ‘taught’.  This concept is especially potent with poodles, who are inherently inquisitive pleasers.