Impulse Control Games for Dogs: Teaching Self-Control!

Dogs don’t come pre-programed with impulse control. It’s simply not something that is naturally part of their behavioral repertoire, nor is it something that they learn from mom. 

Instead, impulse control is something humans must teach their four-footers. It is a life skill every dog needs to learn. 

But don’t worry! We’ll help you do exactly that — and it’s not a particularly difficult skill to teach, either. In fact, you can teach your dog to have better impulse control by playing games.

We’ll outline some of the most helpful impulse control games for dogs below, but first, let’s take a step back and discuss what we mean by impulse control. 

Impulse Control in Dogs: The Basics

• Teaching your dog impulse control requires that your dog learn that he must sometimes wait patiently to enjoy something fun or rewarding.
• You can teach your dog impulse control by playing fun games with him. Some of the best include SMART x 50 and “It’s Yer Choice!”
• You’ll need to be consistent and practice these games frequently to help your dog develop good impulse control skills.

What Does “Impulse Control” Mean? 

Impulsivity is acting on a whim with little forethought or consideration of the consequences. 

Lack of impulse control in humans can have detrimental effects, such as gambling or drug abuse. But in dogs, impulsivity often results in behaviors like running out an open door anytime they get the chance or stealing food from the counter (“counter surfing”). 

Dogs have many strengths far beyond our scope of perception, but they don’t have forethought or self-reflection like people do. Dogs are opportunists, and they do what works best for them in the moment. 

But we can teach our dogs that certain situations require them to wait and be patient.  

For example, we can teach our dogs to wait politely at the door, we can train them to wait patiently for their dinner, or we can teach them to greet their friends in a calm manner and not jump on guests. 

These lessons will not only help your dog learn some manners, but they can also help to keep your pooch safe.

Signs Your Dog Needs to Work on Impulse Control 

Impulse control is something I teach all new puppies and something I also integrated into my puppy class curriculum. All dogs will benefit from learning to control their urges. 

That said, some dogs certainly need impulse control training more than others.  

It’s probably a good idea to teach your dog a few impulse control games if she:

• Charges the front door 
• Hardly waits until the car door is open before rushing to exit
• Pulls on his leash 
• Runs to greet people and other animals at full speed
• Snatches treats from your hands or the floor
• Puts everything she sees in his mouth
• Jumps on people
• Chases cats or other animals

7 Dog Impulse Control Exercises 

There are several dog impulse control games and self control exercises you can do with your dog. Teaching impulse control can be fun and it is a great way to bond with your pooch. 

You can pick whichever game seems best for you and your pet, but I recommend trying several to help drive the lessons home.  

Game #1: Wait For Your Meal 

If your dog dives nose first into his food bowl and is done eating before you even stand up again, teaching your dog to wait for his dinner is a great idea. 

You could use a slow feeder bowl to make your dog take his time, but with this game, you can get your dog to slow down around eating time as well as teach impulse control.

Follow these steps to teach you pup to wait politely for his meals:

1. Start with his food bowl in your hand.

Hold the food bowl off to one side at about hip height or a little higher. Tell your dog “Wait!” as you lower the bowl slowly in small increments (this could be as little as an inch or less to begin).

Take a piece of kibble treat out of the food bowl and feed it to him for waiting patiently and remaining still not moving every time you lower the bowl.

It doesn’t matter what body position he chooses to wait in; the important thing is that he stays put and doesn’t advance towards the bowl as you lower it. Repeat this step several times.

If he moves toward the dish more than once, you have advanced too quickly. If this happens, raise the bowl back up to make it easier for him to succeed and try again. Just be sure to move the bowl down gradually.

2. Once the bowl reaches the floor, reward him by giving him a piece of kibble.

Once you reward him, pick the food bowl back up immediately. Repeat this process several times to drive the lesson home.

3. Once he is successful with step two, start to leave the bowl on the floor longer before you reward him.

Try leaving the bowl on the ground for a second or two before offering a reward.

If he waits patiently, give him a treat, pick up the bowl, and repeat the process several more times.

4. Increase the length of time he must wait and add distractions. 

For example, instead of hovering over the bowl while making him wait, you can begin to stand up and step away momentarily before giving him a treat.

5. Once he has mastered step four, teach him a release cue.

Now, he’ll need to wait patiently until you give him the go-ahead to eat. Instead of giving him a piece of kibble, his reward for waiting is dinner!

After he’s waited patiently for a moment or two, tell him “Okay!” and let him enjoy the rest of his meal at will.

This is a great dog self-control exercise that shows your pooch that awesome things happen when he can control himself!

Game #2: It’s Yer Choice 

“It’s Yer Choice” is a game designed to teach your doggo that in order to get what he wants, he must first do what you want.

This game is based around something known as the Premack Principle. In a nutshell, the idea is that a dog will perform a less desirable behavior for the chance to do a more desirable behavior.

It’s the “If you eat your vegetables, then you can have dessert” of dog training! 

For example, if a dog gets overly excited and barky when it’s time to exit his crate, you could teach him that if he remains quiet (something he doesn’t particularly want to do), the crate door will open so he can run free (something he wants very much).

Keep in mind, the Premack Principle is not ideal for stopping behaviors that are never acceptable. For example, my pup would really love to tug on shirt sleeves — but this is obviously not acceptable behavior.

So, I will not reward his calm behavior by allowing him to grab onto my sleeve and have a good tug! I’d instead use treats to handle this type of situation.

Here are two ways you can use the Premack Principle to teach your pup impulse control:

1. Food in Your Hand 

Start by holding several treats in your hand. Close your fingers and present your treat-filled hand at his nose level (or a bit higher to start).

Let your pooch sniff your hand so he knows treats are inside. Ignore any interaction he makes with your hand such as pawing, licking, nipping and chewing.

As soon as he gets bored and stops interacting with your hand, start to open it.

When he sees your hand opening and returns to investigate, quickly shut your hand closed again.

Repeat this step until he is deliberately staying away from your hand while the treat is sitting on your open palm.

Once he can observe the treat in your open hand and not dive for it, you can reward him by using your other hand to reach over and lift the treat from your open palm, and then feed it to him.

Continue the game until all the food in your hand is gone. As he progresses, you can make the game a bit harder by delaying the rewards, which is essentially asking him to demonstrate more self-control.

2. Food (or Toy) on the Floor

Once the dog has mastered the game with food in your hand, you can move the food to the floor in order to increase the difficulty of this dog self control exercise.

The same steps apply as when the food was in your hand, but in this case, just place a few pieces of kibble on the floor and cover them with your hand or your foot.

If your dog tries to advance toward the food, cover it back up. Only allow him to enjoy the kibble once he’s patiently waiting for your permission (“Okay!”). 

Game #3: Learn to Earn

In this Learn to Earn program, (aka, Nothing in Life is Free), your dog will learn to earn everything he wants by sitting politely.

This program works by teaching your pup that the only way to earn rewards is to automatically say “please” by sitting.

This can be a useful tool to teach your dog that before he gets anything he finds rewarding, he must sit. 

This means he must sit before walks, he must sit before you start playing, and he must first sit to get in or out of the car — whatever gets his motor revving.

Your dog will soon associate sitting and being patient with the opportunity to have fun and engage in enjoyable activities afterward.

This is personally not my favorite choice of games as it is quite restrictive, and I don’t necessarily require my dog to sit for everything.

For starters, “Sit” isn’t an ideal task for all dogs. Some dogs actually find it difficult or uncomfortable.

I also like to allow for choice. My dog, Juno, prefers to lie down rather than sit. It doesn’t matter to me what body position she chooses, I am simply looking for her to choose polite, calm behaviors and to demonstrate self-control. However, it is an undeniably useful focus game for some dogs. 

This is also a great way to start rewarding your dog with things other than food. Instead of food being the primary reward, getting to go through the open door, get into the car, or play tug with you are the rewards!

If having your dog sit before anything and everything feels too difficult, the SMART x 50 game is another great impulse control game that’s a bit less demanding.

Game #4: SMART x 50

SMART x 50 is a great game for teaching dogs impulse control. The “SMART” part stands for:

• See
• Mark
• And
• Reward
• Training

The 50 refers to the fact that you will reward your pup 50 times a day!

The game is pretty straight forward.

First, start off each morning by counting out 50 pieces of kibble or treats and placing the pile in an area that’s easy for you to access (like the kitchen counter or your living room mantle).

If you see your dog doing something you like, mark it by saying “yes” (or clicking) and reward him with a treat from the pile. Lather, rinse, and repeat 50 times each day. It’s that simple! 

The best part of this game is that your dog will start offering good manners and desired behaviors without any cues or direction from you. He will start making good decisions on his own!

For example, using SMART x 50 I have taught my pup to lay with her head on my lap when she gets excited, to lay on a mat when I am making dinner, and to be calm when I come home.

Best of all, I don’t have to ask her to perform any of these behaviors!  I simply seized each moment of desired behavior, rewarded her constantly, and good habits formed!

This game is simple, easy, and incredibly powerful, but it does require a lot of observation and consistency on your part. You’ll need to constantly keep an eye on what your dog is doing and reward him whenever you see something you like!

Game #5: Tug & Settle 

This is a little different than the other impulse control games listed so far, and it’s fantastic for highly excitable dogs. It does, however, require your dog to already know a few commands, so it isn’t ideal if your dog still needs to work on the basics.

To play this game, your four-footer will need to understand how to “Drop It,” “Sit-Stay” (or “Down-Stay) and a release cue such as “Relax.”

It is important to build the intensity of this game slowly, so your dog can remain calm throughout the exercise. 

1. Teach the basic rules.

You will start by initiating a game of tug with your pupper.

After just a few seconds, use your cue for asking your dog to “drop it.” When he drops it, immediately give your release cue and then start the game again.

Repeat this step a few times until he understands that dropping the toy is what will keep the game going.

2. Add in the sit or down.

Now you are ready to add in a cue for down-stay.

• Start the game of tug as before, request for him to “Drop it,” and then cue your dog to “Sit” or “Down.”
• As soon as his elbows hit the ground for his “down,” give your release cue and start the game again. 

3. Wait for down to be offered.

After a few repetitions of this, ask your dog to drop the toy and then wait for your dog to lie down without you giving him the command.

Try to give him a chance to figure it out on his own, and resist the urge to tell him what to do. When he finally lies down, immediately release him and initiate another round.

4. Increase the length of time he must remain seated.

Once your pupper is sitting or lying down immediately after dropping the tug toy, you can start to add some duration before you release him.

Make it easy to start, just two or three seconds, and gradually increase the length of time before you give him the release cue. Over time, he will begin to calm and settle between games.

You can start to slowly increase the intensity of the game so that your dog learns to listen for your cues and stop and settle in the face of mounting excitement.

Game #6: Flirt Pole Fun 

For some dogs, the chase is all the fun! And such dogs often love playing with a flirt pole. 

A flirt pole is a long rod with a rope. Some type of tug toy or lure is attached to the other end of the rope.  

This exercise is especially great for dogs who have a high prey drive. It can also help to control impulsivity and aggression.

The flirt pole is a handy way to teach your pooch that he only gets to chase the lure (which is the reward) when you give him the cue. Teach your dog he needs to listen before, during, and after the game of chase. 

The steps are the same as for the Tug and Settle game, but by using a flirt pole, you can keep the toy moving. This provides more continuous reinforcement for dogs who are driven by the chase more than a tug toy. 

Game #7: Default “Leave it” (aka Sophia Yin’s “Leave it”) 

Teaching a “default leave” is a foundational skill every dog should learn.

Essentially, this means that your dog defaults to leaving something on the ground, rather than gobbling it up as he normally would. 

Imagine, for example, that you drop an entire delicious cake on the floor. If you’ve taught Fido to default to leaving it alone, he’ll stop and look at you rather than diving nose first into the confectionery mess.

This is particularly useful for dogs who get excited to eat everything they find on the ground. But it is also wonderful for dogs who want to greet every person or dog they may come across when out for a walk. 

Here’s how it goes:

1. With your dog on leash, toss a treat out of reach.

When you first start this exercise, try to launch the treat pretty far away,  so that it isn’t directly under his nose. Don’t let your dog enjoy the treat yet.

If your dog is pulling to get the treat, stand still and wait for the pulling to stop. Once he stops pulling and the leash goes slack, reward him with a treat from your hand or treat pouch. 

2. Start making things more complicated.

Now it’s time to make things a bit more difficult! Start upping the difficulty by walking with your dog around the treat. As long as his leash stays loose, you can reward him.

You may also want to recruit some help with this self control exercise if your dog is particularly excited when greeting people. 

3. Continue by having your helper stand out of reach, and don’t allow your dog to approach her.

Have your helper stand a few yards away. Once your pooch stops pulling and trying to interact with the helper, you can reward him with a treat.

Next, make it a bit tougher by getting closer to the helper, until you can be just several feet away without your dog pulling towards the helper.

Don’t allow your dog to greet the person during this exercise, he needs to learn that good things come from you in the face of distractions.

This can also help with dogs who pull on the leash when they see people out and about. 

4. Once your dog can remain fixed on you, have the person start to move around.

The same rules should remain in place: As long as he’s pulling, he gets no reward. He has to stop pulling and watch you to earn his prize. 

At this point, you can ramp things up even more, by having your helper do things like running, jumping, and talking, until your dog is a pro at ignoring them.

The goal of this dog focus game is to teach your pooch that they should always be focusing on you rather than distractions – be they food or people. When your dog chooses to focus on you, great stuff happens to them!

***

Impulse control is the foundation for good manners. It helps our dogs to better navigate this human-centric world and it can also provide your dog with more freedoms. 

What are some of the impulses your dog struggles to control? Have you tried any games or training techniques to address these issues? Let us know in the comments below!