Self control, the ability to moderate one's own behaviour given circumstance or environmental change, isn't something I see very often whilst out and about observing people and their dogs.
The majority of dogs charge full tilt into people, other dogs, things and trouble without a moment of pause or thinking time.
Once a dog has matured into adulthood, self control is difficult, but not impossible to teach. It is almost (99%) impossible to teach in an antisocial or dangerous dog because you need an element of freedom to allow self control to develop.
So how does a dog develop self control naturally?
Unbelievably, it begins the second they're born. The environment a puppy is born into, coupled with his mother's ability to parent and the support she has received whilst growing and learning herself are all very important factors. First time or overwhelmed bitches are often very controlling. Bitches who are stressed, overly controlled themselves, or living in an uncomfortable environment will be very intolerant of puppy behaviour, which will go some way to inhibit useful learning in the pups.
So the very, very first opportunity for self control comes as soon as the puppy is born. If the litter is kept on a warm, soft bedding substrate, on top of a hard, cold substrate - eg vetbed placed on a tile floor, away from walls, the pups will automatically keep themselves on the warm, soft vetbed from birth. The second they are born, they are given agency and self control over their own comfort. If they're healthy, they will be fully capable of commando crawling back to the warm, soft bed should they find themselves off it.
The knock on from this spectacularly simple piece of environmental control is enormous within the first two weeks of the pups life.
The pups are overall quieter because if they find themselves 'lost' they can find the soft warm again. This reduces stress placed on the bitch because she doesn't have to round up 'lost', howling puppies constantly.
They are less likely to be squashed (to death) up against walls, because there aren't any near the vetbed so they stay away from them naturally.
The person raising the litter will have less monitoring to do because the pups will self-monitor. This means everyone involved is better rested, better able to function and less likely to be snappy or cross with anyone else.
The pups begin to develop self control. Right there on that first step away from the vetbed - they have the feeling of "I can leave, but I won't because it's not a good idea". As opposed to constant monitoring from a person who either puts them back every time they roll off the vetbed (no learning for the youngster available there), or puts up walls and bumpers to prevent rolling off (no learning available there either).
This is the psychology that they take on into the weeks where they begin walking and exploring, and here the lack of walls becomes SO key to the development of self control as to be impossible to generate with walls.
Once they're up and walking about with their eyes open, not having walls to contain them in the immediate vicinity creates a strong sense of self control. They are careful of edges, sometimes they flop off them as this is part of learning, so the available edges need to be very low - a plank of wood on the floor is enough initially. They don't stray too far from the nest.
So around three weeks when the pups start exploring properly, they will take themselves away from the nest area to use the toilet if given the opportunity. If they are kept on a substrate that feels the same everywhere, they won't go very far to use the toilet and house training will be a tiny bit harder. If they have a soft, clean, dry nest, they will work to keep that clean naturally. Again, developing self control.
The most important bit of self control is about boundaries and people. If the pups are allowed to jump up at the walls, doors or breeders legs, a dog without self control will develop. A dog that doesn't respect physical boundaries develops, because they have learned to fight them until they collapse, or to scrabble at them until they're released, they escape, or are picked up. This is where the seeds for 'separation anxiety' are planted - nurturing them is easy and often accidental.
The very best scenario for a puppy to develop self control they can confidently take on into adulthood, starts in the nest as described above, grows as they reach the edges of their own confidence when leaving the nest, without reaching physical boundaries (which naturally encourage a puppy to push beyond their own comfort or safety zones), then when they are given enough room to explore in relative safety, they can find the edges of their confidence and grow their comfort zone themselves. If they reach peak boredom early on in a small, sterile environment, they will push against any or all boundaries as entertainment. If they are given incremental freedoms slightly ahead of development, they will never feel peak boredom and subsequent frustration, and self control will remain.
Once they have done this, by the time they reach eight or nine weeks, they will be very comfortable (hopefully a tiny bit bored) in their own surroundings and ready to go and explore their new home. The same way a child should hopefully have developed enough confidence and self reliance in primary school to make the step to secondary without too much stress at the change.
Dogs that are allowed the freedom to develop self control and self-reliance (assuming they are also taught the rules of human society and are largely unafraid within it) become wonderful go anywhere, do anything adults. They can be afforded the maximum freedoms within human society because they are trustworthy. They tend not to injure themselves too often because they look before they leap. They tend to live long lives because everything comes from and returns to, relaxation.
It's all about freedom. Not too closely monitored freedom. It's not about fences!
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