Choice: Too Much Or Not Enough

Choice: Too Much
Or Not Enough?

Choice is such a hot topic in the pet industry and amongst dog training professionals. “Give your dog choice,” they say…. “Don’t let your dog walk all over you.”... “Be a good leader.”... “Your dog must listen to your commands or they’ll take over the world.” Here’s the thing though...it’s not this black and white...we’re missing the grey area in between. 

Autonomy through choice can be hugely beneficial for the captive animals living in our homes for a number of reasons. The confidence our dogs build when being able to opt-in or out of interactions is tremendous. Top that off with the trust built between the human and their dog partner when they know we aren’t going to pressure them into potentially unsafe circumstances without their consent. Providing choice to participate in species-specific activities like sniffing, shredding, foraging, and play is satisfying and enriching for our dogs on a whole other level. Giving our dogs choice throughout their day is really really important, but are we doing them a disservice when we give them too many choices? Are we asking too much of them when we ask them to make choices they aren’t fully prepared to make?

“So Tiffany,” my high school counselor would ask, “What do you want to do when you graduate?”

The answer to that question proved to be more complex than I was prepared to handle. There was so much pressure placed on my developing adolescent brain to make this astronomical choice amongst these long lists and categories of potential fields of occupational practice that would ultimately determine my path, education, and lifestyle…..and it became too much. I hopped around from college to college, switching schools 4 times and majors 3 times, and ultimately dropping out of college. I had no idea what I wanted to do...and my indecision created a huge amount of stress that led to some poor decision-making and hefty school debt.

Kim Brophey explains this “decision fatigue” with a beautiful analogy:

“It’s like being asked to fly a helicopter, but having no idea how to fly a helicopter. Too many choices, without the affordances or preparation to make these choices, creates indecisiveness….and Indecision is aversive. Read that again.”

👏 Read…That…Again! 👏

Finding The Sweet Spot

I’ve had a number of “nervous of new people” pups that, if put in a situation without restraint, with plenty of space and freedom to choose how to respond to a new stranger in the vicinity, would walk right up to a person and lunge, bark, and potentially bite them. Under these circumstances, this particular dog (let’s call him Fido) does not have the affordances or set of skills to cope with these types of interactions freely. Fido is being asked to decide how to proceed in an interaction that appears to be unsafe (from his perspective), and he doesn’t know how to respond….except the way he’s responded in the past that seems to work to get that scary heckin thing out of here: bark → lunge → bite. Perhaps Fido was given too much choice in this particular situation. 

Now, on the flip side of the coin, providing minimal or no opportunities for our dogs to make choices can be just as debilitating. “Do this. Sit there. Eat this. Don’t do that. No barking. No jumping. No running. Don’t be a dog. Don’t think for yourself. I’ll think for you. Good robo-dog.” When we micromanage all of their choices without any consideration for their comfort or individual abilities and preferences, it can leave our dogs in a compliant state of learned helplessness. They are given no allowance to make any choices, so why bother trying? 

So where is that happy medium choice sweet spot? Well, the answer is one I give all too often: It depends. It depends on the dog in front of you...the set of skills they have in a given context...the affordances they have to make that particular choice. It’s important to understand that each individual dog is going to have varying capabilities of handling their decision-making depending on their Learning experiences, Environmental influences, Genetic predisposition, and their current Self and state of mind, health, age, etc. All of their LEGS play a role in their ability to make (or not make) self-sufficient choices. Understanding your unique dog and discovering how their LEGS impact their behavior will give you a leg up (pun intended) in setting your dog up for success. 

Rather than, “Ok, Fido, let’s put you in the driver’s seat. Fingers crossed!”....We can offer our dogs some options to choose from, and provide them with skills and information to be able to make these choices we’re laying in front of them. “We can do this, this or this...what would you prefer?”. Give your dog choices within parameters that make sense to them, that are aligned with what is socially “appropriate” in our modern world, and pay attention to the moments when your dog needs you to make those choices for them because they have no idea what to do. Can your dog make that choice? Should they have to? Don’t worry, Fido, we’ve got your back!

If you’re interested in diving deeper to understand your individual dog’s L.E.G.S., and what makes them uniquely who they are, check out Kim Brophey’s book Meet Your Dog.