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Is Your Dog Good
at Being Bad?
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"Never
let them practice it wrong - because they get really good at it."*
I stole that quote from trainer Becky Schultz's recent article in the Association of Pet Dog Trainers' Chronicle of the Dog because it is such a wonderful way to remind us of the importance of managing a dog's behavior so that bad behavior isn't learned in the first place or reinforced after it is in place. What in the world am I talking about, you ask? Well, here's an example. Let's say your adorable little puppy, Fluffy, jumps on your guests when they come through your door. Each time a guest comes to the door, Fluffy gets to practice her jumping and the behavior is reinforced. This may be true even if your guest pushes Fluffy off or scolds her for jumping up because, much to our dismay, dogs often find even negative attention very rewarding. Thus, even if Fluffy's behavior is met with scolding or other negative attention, the end result is practice and reinforcement of the behavior. |
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As
you can see, it's therefore important to prevent Fluffy from getting
to practice her jumping at all. Prevent the jumping up behavior
at the same time that you reinforce a more desirable alternative
behavior. For Fluffy, this may mean using a baby gate by the front
hall to prevent her from getting to the door at all. Or, train an
alternative behavior so that Fluffy prevents herself from practicing
the behavior. For example, teach Fluffy to automatically go to her
bed or to find a special toy when the doorbell rings. To find a
trainer who uses positive reinforcement based training to help you
with this, go to the Assn.
of Pet Dog Trainers.
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Other
times you may consider behavior management: A similar use of baby gates and exercise pens should apply to a dog with destructive behaviors such as chewing. It won't do you any good to punish your dog when you find that he's eaten your show while you were at work. It will help to prevent that behavior in the first place. For a young puppy who might get into trouble around the house, keep the puppy with you when you are home as well. The puppy can be kept in the same room or area as you while he learns what behaviors are acceptable and which ones are not. Schultz advises owners to be aware that management is needed in the backyard as well as in the home. To prevent your dog from developing nasty behaviors like excessive barking or digging holes in your garden, monitor your puppy when she's outside in the yard just as you would when she's inside so that you can teach proper behavior before the bad habits are developed. |
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Page 1 
Does our next pet of the month live in your home?
