Field Guide · Glossary
Impulse control
Skills and cuesA dog's learned ability to want something and wait for it rather than take it immediately.
How it works
It is trained rather than innate, and it is trained by arranging situations where waiting is what produces the thing the dog wants. The door opens once the dog sits, the bowl comes down once the staring stops, the chase resumes once they take a cue. What makes it generalize is practicing it around many different desirable things, because a dog who can wait for food often cannot yet wait for a squirrel. It also erodes under arousal, which is why the same dog can hold a wait at home and fail one at the park.
What it looks like
A dog is asked to sit before the front door opens. The first few attempts take twenty seconds of bouncing. Within two weeks the dog offers the sit unprompted as soon as a hand touches the latch, because sitting is what makes the door open.
Commonly confused with
- Off-switch
- Impulse control is holding still while wanting something specific. An off-switch is coming down from arousal generally, with nothing in particular to wait for. A dog can have one and not the other.
Related terms
Gear that helps
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High-value freeze-dried training treats
The paycheck. For reactive work the reward has to beat the trigger, so we keep these tiny, soft, and genuinely exciting, not everyday biscuits.