Ugh, you are on a very important Zoom call and your dog will not stop barking at your feet! Or your doorbell rings and your dog begins barking, twirling and jumping on you as you go to open the door. You are frustrated. You want to stop your dog’s bad behavior. This is a reminder to you…the time to teach your dog what behaviors you would rather him do in any given situation is often NOT when that situation is happening. Plan ahead. Put management into place. Teach your dog good manners behaviors ahead of time. Practice. And practice more.
Remember, your pet is doing what behaviors work to get him an outcome he values. Barking can get your dog social interaction or distance, depending. Jumping on people can get social interaction, mental and physical stimulation (or even a means of expressing anxiety and wanting distance). Pawing at people who are eating a meal can get a treat or social interaction. Growling at the hands coming near a valued toy can get hands to move away.
For a bird, screaming can also get attention or distance. A bite will most often get unwanted hands to move away.
If you are frustrated with your pet, know that he is just doing what experience has taught him works to get a need or want fulfilled.
Looking For Pet Problem Behavior Solutions
Knowing that behaviors help gets needs met, it is only fair that we look to pet behavior change solutions that involve helping our pet to still get those needs met as much as possible, while incorporating creative management to prevent practice (and reinforcement) of our pet’s problem behaviors.
Think about behaviors you would rather see your pet do, that can also help your pet get those needs and wants. Or think about what behaviors your pet already knows that you can teach your pet to do in certain situations to get certain outcomes.
And the time to build value for those alternative behaviors IS often NOT when YOU want them to occur. It is in advance.
Here are some examples:
Anytime my maltipoo dog, Dawson, wants to communicate with me NO to anything, he has a spot where he goes. When he is in his Leave-Me-Alone spot, I leave him alone. Period. The beautiful result of this lesson is that, when I listen to him, he usually will then choose to re-engage with me. Here is a blog post on what we do.
In this video, I began teaching Bella that *four paws on the ground* was how she got social interaction with me – petting, attention, sometimes treats. I began this lesson after she had been around me a few minutes, NOT when she was in the height of arousal as I arrived. THEN after more practice, we practiced when I arrived.
If you would like for your dog to settle at your feet while you attend that Zoom call, practice teaching your dog to settle at your feet before the Zoom call. Practice. And practice more. Do a Zoom call with yourself and ask your dog to settle (or just teach your dog the contextual cue that *when you are working at your desk*, that means *you* (dog) settle. It may be helpful to give your dog an activity to do before the call so that he may value that resting time more.
Want your dog to sit while you attach a leash instead of running in circles, jumping and barking? Teach your dog that sitting gets good stuff to happen. Then practice teaching your dog that sitting gets leashes attached outside of the context of a walk. Then practice before a walk. You can see a video that may help in this post.
Wanting To Stop Your Dog’s Problem Behaviors (or parrot or other type of pet)?
Identify each problem behavior or set of behaviors you are wanting to change, when that behavior is likely to occur and what is maintaining that behavior (what does your pet ‘get’ from doing the behavior in that context).
Ask yourself what you can do to prevent your dog from practicing that behavior in that context.
Identify an acceptable, other behavior, that your pet can do instead to access an outcome of at least the same value.
Teach and practice that other behavior over and over.
My Last Reminder
Remember, if you have not trained to the level of incorporating the other behavior in the context you need it, manage to keep your dog from practicing (and getting reinforcement from) the unwanted behavior.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with your saying you will just continue to use management to solve the issue. However, know that management can fail.
