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Problems & Conundrums:
Changing Your Dog's Behavior
We can all agree there is
nothing quite like the unconditional love of a dog. While many of us choose
different breeds for different reasons, we can all agree it’s the companionship
of a dog that we enjoy most.
But when their behavior does not fit in to our
“vision” of a perfect pet, problems start. Your role in your dog’s life should
be one of leadership, similar to parenting. The popular idea that you must
“dominate” or be “top dog” has led to many misconceptions. The popular phrase
used in mainstream dog training is “you must always win”. If this is the
approach we take in training our dog we go into the process as if it were a
competition and in a competition someone always loses.
Instead, understand the
role of your pet in your life and household. If your goal is for him to be a
part of your family, then leadership and teaching him “manners” is a more
correct way of thinking. Blue Prints’ goal is to help you and your canine
companion live a healthy, happy life together through positive means of
communication your dog can understand.
Chewing
Chewing is,
in part, our dog’s natural instinct. It is important we allow them time to chew
using “legal chew toys” such as Nyla bones or smart toys such as Kongs, Buster
Cubes or plastic treat balls. When chewing interferes with their safety or our
pocket, then it has become a problem.
Be sure the life of your pet is balanced
with social activity and that none of the “nine ingredients” (learned in
puppy
kindergarten) are being left out. Teaching your dog what and where to chew not
only helps him release the urge, but maintains order and safety in your house.
Schedule two 15-30 minute quality play, exercise and socialization
times each day. Incorporate
supervised chew time during their “play session”. When finished, put all chew
toys away for the next time. A dog that is stimulated is less likely to vent
his boredom on destruction, like chewing.
Barking
Barking is
one way your dog communicates. There are three, basic types of bark: the alarm
bark, play bark and the aggressive bark. Barking can become a serious problem
when you cannot get your dog to stop when asked.
To teach your dog how to be
“quiet” when asked, choose a word he will associate with the distraction you
present to him. When barking begins, first, understand what has caused him to
bark. Once you have established that things are “OK,” distract your pet with a
sound and word of choice. Be sure the sound you use (i.e.: clicker, kiss noise)
sounds “positive” and interesting. As soon as you have made eye contact with
your dog and the barking as ceased, give your pet a treat and some love.
Housebreaking
Housebreaking your dog is probably the single most important thing to
teach, and it is important to set a strict schedule when teaching her to
eliminate outside. Here is a guideline for scheduling your times.
-
First
thing in the morning when you get up
-
15-30
minutes after eating
-
After any
stimulating activity such as play
-
When you
first get home
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Early
evening
-
Just
before bed
-
During
the night ONLY if necessary
If your dog
is still a puppy, we invite you to come to our
puppy kindergarten to learn more about the 9 ingredients to a happy and healthy
puppy!
Biting
Nothing
hurts our feelings more than when our pet chooses to growl or worse, bite us.
Growling and biting are instinctual protective reactions to something uncertain.
Dogs must learn how to use their mouths and voices at a very early age.
If your
puppy is biting too hard choose a word such as “ouch” and be sure your dog
associates it with a certain tone. Over time, he will learn to use his mouth properly.
Monitor play time with soft squeaky toys. If
you don't
watch your pets interaction with his toy, there’s a good chance he will rip
it up, reinforcing rough play with his mouth.
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.
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