Problems & Conundrums:
Changing Your Dog's Behavior

Other Problems

Many times, our pets can develop a combination of bad habits. In positive reinforcement training, the goal is to figure out what actions, sounds, touch or smell has caused the dog to act a certain way under certain conditions. This is known as involuntary operant conditioning. We may not realize how we are shaping our pets behaviors, but they observe movements, sounds, smells and touch, and process these into a “result” or “consequence”.

An example of operant conditioning is this: If every time the door bell rang you gave your dog a small piece of steak, over time he would learn to look for the steak every time the door bell rang.  An example of bad operant conditioning is in the case of submissive urination. Say the door bell rang and your dog started barking. You in turn, yell at your dog to be quiet. Startled by the sharp tone of your voice, he begins to submissively urinate.  You continue to yell at him, putting him outside, essentially isolating him from you. Over time your dog begins to associate the door bell with being alone and distaste for the bell ringing would worsen. Shaping your dogs behavior with positive reinforcement training will give both you and your pet endless years of bliss.