Try it: sit, stay, fetch the stick, good girl/boy, and see how well it is accepted.
Perhaps the above example Is not a good way to do things, however, the principle is tried and tested, and you may not know it yet.
I have a dog, her name is Rosie and she is a Cockapoo, I have never trained her as such but she does “almost” everything I ask!
I had Rosie since she was a pup, when we first got her she was a proper rug rat and I have the scars to prove it.
She was a pup and learning the ways of acceptable behaviour and boundaries, I told her not to bite but didn’t concentrate on the negative instead I taught her to sit, and when she sat I gave her a treat, when I wanted to put her on a lead I called her over asked her to sit and would give her a treat.
Asking her to “come here” was a positive request and she knew she would get a treat, I would say no when she tried to eat a stick or acorn, and no when she chased a cat, but I did not emphasise the negative, “no, Don’t chase the cat” was changed to a more positive “no, come here” and give her a treat when she came over and sat down.
I do not suggest you carry a pocket full of kibble to give your staff when they behave, but rewarding their good behaviours as opposed to reprimanding their bad is an easier option, this ties into my bullying post previous and that I will further emphasise in time, instead of “you must complete the last 3 deliveries or you are letting the customer down” how about changing it to, “Thanks for your hard work today, I would really appreciate it if you could complete your run to make the customers happy and reduce the burden for your colleagues tomorrow, we will pay your overtime and give you a better run tomorrow.
The overtime would need to be paid anyway and a better run the next day would be better for all because you don’t want a repeat of that day, the most important phrase in the above statement is “Thanks for your hard work today” show appreciation for their hard work is the treat for the dog.
Cockapoos are known for being energetic, slightly mad animals, Rosie is the most patient dog, she spends ages wandering around or sitting down while I photograph nature, she is happy to do this because she is always appreciated and praised for her patience.
I have so many more analogies, many related to animals but how to get the most out of people, people are amazing, people are not the problem, they are the solution, follow or subscribe for further posts.