Under Control: Using Checks and Balances - a podcast by Ty Brown

“Checks and balances” is a term that we use frequently in the United States to describe politics. We often use it to describe the three different branches of government: legislative, judicial, and executive. (I can’t believe I remembered those!) Ideally, the legislative checks the executive branch, the executive checks the judicial branch, and so on. As a result, a single branch can’t run away and do whatever it wants. Whether that works well is a topic of hot debate.

This is also a term that I use a lot in dog training, in a very similar way. In government, this system helps to balance each branch. What we end up with is something that works much better. Dogs are much the same. If we allow one mindset to continually get its way and go without any sort of balance you almost end up with problems, such as aggression, anxiety, or hyperactivity. That’s just the reality, and that’s why I talk so much about creating checks and balances in our dogs’ lives.

Dogs’ minds and bodies are very intertwined, and they’re not terribly imaginative. Now, as humans, we have highly connected bodies and minds, but our behavior can be determined by imagination or anticipation of something that hasn’t happened yet, or memory of past incidences. Dogs’ behavior is also influenced by those things, but they live so much more “in the now” that their bodies and minds are the same. What their body is doing, their mind is doing as well.

We’re not like that. People can sit on the couch watching TV, for instance, while being absolutely terrified about how they’ll find the money for their bills or whether they’ll ever get their kids to behave. You don’t see that behavior with dogs. They don’t simmer. You don’t see a dog’s body sitting there while its mind is freaking out.

If we can put checks in front of body motion, we often find balance. A “check” might be something like making your dog wait at the door, so he isn’t rushing physically or mentally. Or maybe sitting for a treat or a meal, so he isn’t just getting food because he feels like it. Or, when you’re on leash, ask your dog to walk properly by your side to restrict his ability to pull and jerk on the leash. The list goes on and on!

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