Definition of impulse control

Impulse control is the ability not to act on an impulse. The impulse can be an innate reflex or a spontaneous action. Impulse control in dogs means that the dog can control its actions and emotions. 

Impulse control is like a battery and a muscle at the same time. An exercise can only be practised a few times in a row because the battery is exhausted for the time being. This also applies to the rest of the day. The ability to concentrate decreases and the dog is not patient. Perhaps you know this from yourself: You have a very intensive day at work or school. In the evening you can no longer concentrate on even the easiest things. Your battery is exhausted and needs to be recharged - preferably through sleep. The same applies to your dog. After a lot of impulse control and mastery, the battery needs to be recharged. If it is not recharged, your dog will find everyday things difficult. Difficult situations are hardly feasible for your dog with an empty self-regulation battery and are very stressful. The battery can be improved the more often impulse control is practised. impulse control in dogs is important for recall, for example. the dog must learn to resist an impulse by returning to you instead of chasing after the rabbit, for example. without us humans, the dog would follow most impulses at will. impulse control in dogs is not only important for the coexistence of humans and dogs, but also for the coexistence of conspecifics. impulse control is social behaviour. a dog's temperament is positively influenced by trained impulse control, rules and rituals. 

Impulse control in dogs is therefore self-control that needs to be practised in small steps. Impulse control depends on the situation and cannot be generalised. It is good to train impulse control like a muscle so that the dog can remember it better in serious situations and support the dog through management.

"Control of the immediate relationship activity, restraint, sometimes thinking things over, and possibly successfully defending oneself against a strongly emerging need are among the essential prerequisites for being able to live together successfully with closed or other social partners" - p. 140, Gansloßer, U. & Kitchenham, K. ; 2015

Factors that influence impulse control in dogs

The ability to control impulses in dogs is influenced by various factors. While one dog may prove to be extremely patient or obedient in a particular situation, another may have problems showing the desired behaviour under similar circumstances. Genetic influences, but also rearing, have an impact on impulse control and are also influenced by background stressors (illness, increased stress, etc.). The following factors can have a major influence on a dog's ability to control impulses:

• Physique
• Age
• Race
• Stress

Impulse control and physique of the dog You may have subconsciously noticed that large or bulky dogs find it easier to control their impulses than small dogs. Small dogs are then pejoratively referred to as "yappers". In fact, they usually find it harder to keep their impulses in check than large dogs due to their physique. This is not about being overweight, but really about their physique. A small and narrow physique usually has a higher metabolism, which can lead to a weaker nervous system.
	The influence of age on the ability to control impulses Impulse control is strongly age-dependent, with puppyhood and the young dog period being particularly difficult phases of life when it comes to impulse control. Large breeds take longer to develop than small breeds, which is why their development takes longer in the young dog period. Development influences brain development and the areas responsible for impulse control. A puppy or pubescent dog cannot control itself in the same way as a fully-grown adult dog.
Breed-specific differences in impulse control In addition to the visual characteristics that define a breed, abilities and behaviour are decisive factors in breeds. Breed characteristics that have been meticulously bred into dogs for centuries have a major influence on the ability to control impulses. Within a breed, the working line can be geared towards strong stimulus tracking. impulse control in dogs is therefore not only dependent on the breed, but also on the breeding line. dog breeds that have been bred for quick and lively decisions, such as terriers, generally have more difficulty with impulse control than molossers.
	Stress reduces the ability to control impulses The ability to resist an impulse depends on the general experience of stress. You may have already experienced that you react in stressed situations in a way that you don't normally do. You bitch at someone even though you don't want to. Or you get louder even though the person hasn't done anything to you. Stress affects impulse control in humans and dogs. Stressed dogs have the same problem as humans. Stress in dogs has a negative effect on impulse control. If your dog is stressed, it will find it difficult not to act on an impulse and withdraw. Stress can be health-related due to an illness or injury or due to other factors, such as a building site outside the house. Good stress management and relaxation training can be useful before the actual impulse control training.

Promoting impulse control

There are a few tricks that we can use to promote impulse control in our dog in general. These include measures, good management and impulse control training. You should always start with the measures, then plan good management and finally start training your dog.

Measures: Nerve food

Before the actual impulse control in the dog begins, it makes sense to take measures before training impulse control. Self-control requires a lot of energy, which can be positively favoured through feeding, so-called "nerve food". For dogs that have problems with impulse control due to their breed or character, a meal rich in carbohydrates is sufficient before training. Miller et al (2010) showed in their study that dogs have an increased energy expenditure when exercising impulse control. Dogs that were given a glucose drink were able to double their self-control. Carbohydrates that dogs tolerate particularly well are potatoes, rice and pasta. Rice is often used for gastrointestinal problems as it is easily digested and therefore well tolerated. For dogs that do not tolerate gluten, millet, oatmeal and quinoa are suitable, as are buckwheat, barley or amaranth. Simply try out what your dog likes and what he can tolerate. Carbohydrates are the energy source for the dog's brain. We distinguish between long-chain and short-chain carbohydrates. In contrast to humans, dogs require significantly fewer long-chain carbohydrates. With long-chain carbohydrates, the individual "chain links" are broken down by the dog for longer. As a result, long-chain carbohydrates are available in the dog's body for longer, keep it full for longer and do not drastically increase the blood sugar level. Short-chain carbohydrates are quickly available in the body and are ideal for "acute" situations in which nerve food is required.

Long-chain carbohydrates

Long-chain carbohydrates keep the body saturated for longer, so they remain available for longer throughout the day. Long-chain carbohydrates are generally suitable for a strenuous and nerve-racking daily routine.

• Rice
• Wholemeal noodles
• Potatoes
• Nuts
• Oat flakes
• Millet
• Quinoa
• Buckwheat
• Barley
• Amaranth

Short-chain carbohydrates

Short-chain carbohydrates only satiate the dog for a short time. Your dog can process the short-chain carbohydrates more quickly, so they are available more quickly. The quick availability makes it particularly helpful to use short-chain carbohydrates in the form of treats for training sessions. 

• some types of fruit (fructose)
• some vegetables 
• Honey
• Dairy products (e.g. cheese)

How many carbohydrates your dog can tolerate is very individual. A study by Erik Axelsson (2014 and 2016) investigated the copy number of the AMY2B gene in dogs. This gene is associated with carbohydrate digestion. Significant differences in the ability to digest carbohydrates have been researched within the same breed. In order for dogs to digest cereals well, rice, pasta etc. must be cooked long enough to be able to utilise the starch they contain.

Management: Positive experiences

Management in dog training prevents dogs from making mistakes. When, where and how do you train with your dog? You always organise a training situation in such a way that your dog can get into the wrong behaviour as little as possible. All impulse control initially means stress for your dog. Sometimes this stress is high, sometimes low. In this sense, stress is not a bad thing. When exercising impulse control, stress must not be added. To enable your dog to train impulse control, you should only build up the training in a positive way. Start with uncomplicated exercises that your dog already knows. Build up the exercises in small steps and create many opportunities for success. Use short units with a high probability of success. Food is ideal for training because your dog receives it after the exercise and this enables two positive experiences: confirmation through food and the above-mentioned nerve nourishment that it needs during impulse control. If your dog doesn't like food, then you can reach into the bag of tricks of great treats and use cheese, sausages, etc.

Training: Exercises for impulse control in dogs

Impulse control can be developed excellently in puppies and young dogs. Even older dogs can still learn impulse control and should do so regularly. Impulse control cannot be transferred to any number of situations, so it cannot be generalised, but a general development can still be very useful. Just because your dog waits patiently at the food bowl, it will not chase after a rabbit at the same time. Nevertheless, well-trained impulse control in dogs ensures controllability in everyday life. We explain how you can gradually build up and train good impulse control with your dog in separate training courses. Our training courses on impulse control in dogs will take you to training for beginners, advanced and professionals.

Beginners

Training impulse control for beginner dogs involves patience in the form of food release. Food release is achieved by orienting your dog towards you using the Premack principle. Your dog can only get the food by cooperating with you. Generalising the position "sit" not only teaches your dog to signal safely, but also that "sit" simply means "down". The last exercise of counting treats teaches your dog that numbers have a meaning in connection with the patience you require. In addition, food motivation is built up, which works well for both food-loving and non-food-loving dogs. The fact that your dog receives every single treat keeps the motivation level high. 

Advanced

Die Übungen der Impulskontrolle für Fortgeschrittene setzt beim Anfänger-Training an. Die Generalisierung der Position “Sitz” wird nun durch schwierigere Aussenreize ausgeweitet. Reize in Form von Bewegung fordern von deinem Hund eine höhere Impulskontrolle. Dein Hund muss einer bewegten Verleitung widerstehen – vor allem für bewegungsempfindliche Rassen wie Terrier sehr schwierig. Die Übung “Türsteher” ist ein gutes Training für viele Bereiche der Hundeerziehung. Jeder Hundehaushalt sollte Regeln haben. Eine wichtige Regel ist es, dass der Hund nicht zuerst aus der Tür stürmt. Diese Regel hat gar nichts mit Dominanz oder dem Anspruch nach Alleinherrschaft zu tun. Der Hund sollte rücksichtsvoll in Kontakt mit dem Menschen bleiben. Der Mensch wiederum muss jede Situation gewissenhaft leiten können und das erfolgt nun Mal, sobald der Mensch zuerst vor die Tür tritt. Die letzte Übung bei der Impulskontrolle für Fortgeschrittene berücksichtigt einen Rückruf unter Ablenkung. Dein Hund le 

Profis

Die Impulskontrolle für Profis beinhaltet Übungen für die Impulskontrolle in der Königsdisziplin. Das bedeutet nicht, dass sie deinen Hund vom Hasenjagen abhalten, aber sie schaffen eine sehr hohe Akzeptanz beim Hund einem Impuls nicht nachzugehen und sich in Selbstbeherrschung zu proben. Die erste Übung ist die Impulskontrolle während der Leinenführigkeit. Die fehlende Impulskontrolle und eine falsch ausgebaute lockere Leash stellen für die meisten HundehalterInnen eine Herausforderung dar. Das Training des Aktionsabbruchs ist äusserst anspruchsvoll für deinen Hund und sollte penibel und kleinschrittig aufgebaut werden. Eine Aktion abzubrechen, erfordert hohe Disziplin und ist die perfekte Voraussetzung für ein Anti-Jagd-Training. Eine weitere Übung für die Impulskontrolle, die eine Aktion abbricht und die Signalkontrolle fördert, ist das Futterwerfen mit Basic Signalen. Der Aufbau verleitet Hunde zu Fehlverhalten und sollte deshalb erst bei besonders guter Impulskontrolle trainiert werden, um 

Training impulse control is essential for dogs. Every dog needs to learn and train self-control. Our exercises will show you how to practise impulse control with your dog. Impulse control is very stressful for your dog. Concentration decreases with every exercise in impulse control and makes all situations in everyday life where impulse control is required (e.g. dog encounters) more difficult. 

On days when you are training impulse control, you should organise a calm daily routine with lots of rituals. We advise you to avoid challenging situations for your dog on training days.

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