If a behavior produces a consequence of value to a dog or other animal, that behavior will continue and even strengthen. It is so easy to reinforce behaviors in our pets that we don’t want to see without even realizing we are doing it. Sometimes that reinforcement is coming from the environment (such as sensory, tactile or social reinforcement). Always know that if you are dealing with an ongoing behavior issue, something is occurring after it to give that behavior value.
I’m sharing this story of a family’s hope with dog aggression, as I am so extremely proud of the progress we are making, and to educate and offer hope to other families. In complex dog behavior cases like this, it is important to look at the impact of many variables – genetics, physiology, environment, learning history among them.
As people, we can have a tendency to refer to our pets as either GOOD or BAD, but the truth is,
our pets really don’t see things the same. GOOD or BAD are really just examples of labeling your dog or parrot (or other type of pet). Let’s explore this topic further.
Contact :
Lisa Desatnik
CPDT-KA, FFCP, FDM, CPBC
