How to stop your dog or puppy's "BAD BEHAVIOUR"

Doreen Potter Author

Is it really BAD BEHAVIOUR?.................READ ON

NO… OFF…. AHAH…..GET DOWN SHEP………….

Do you find that you are always correcting your dog or puppy?

No matter how many times you so NO, or correct your dog or puppy, it makes no difference.

Most behaviours that us humans label as "BAD" are natural dog behaviour. 

Your dog or puppy has not read the human rule book, and needs help to understand how to fit in to the human world.

Think of it this way……….

If you had a manager at work, that asked you to complete a task, but didn’t explain or show you what you need to do to complete it. 

So you have a go, hoping that it’s what your manager wants.

Then the manager then corrects your attempts or criticises your work or reprimands your every attempt to get it right.

How would you feel?

Maybe you should try a different way?

Maybe you should try harder?

But you still don’t get it right.

You are left feeling confused, maybe frustrated, even angry, and who would blame you.

You are worried  about trying, in case you get it wrong again.

You dread going to work.

Feel anxious and stressed.

How do you feel about your manager?

How much better would you feel if your manager spent time to show you what they wanted, and rewarded your attempts at learning that new skill.

Gave you a bonus when you actually achieved it. 

Now, how would you feel about your Manager? 

Dogs learn through being rewarded for making the right choices.

Problem being, they don’t know what the right choice is, until we show them.

It is up to us to help them learn, by rewarding those little tries they make trying to understand what you are asking.

Your dog will want to try harder to get his reward/praise.

The more he is rewarded the more he will offer the behaviour we want.

You will be surprised just how quickly your dog will repeat those little tries.

Reward doesn't always have to be food either, but in the early days of teaching a new behaviour it is best to have high value food. (Sausage, cheese, hot dog, chicken etc)

A good boy, a game of tug or a gentle stroke, whatever your dog finds rewarding.

When they get it right………………BONUS TIME 

Breaking down each task into manageable bits and rewarding for even trying.

The more times we reward the behaviour we want, the more likely the dog will repeat that behaviour.

What is rewarding for your dog ?

I know I would find a square of dark chocolate very rewarding, but a choc milkshake.......no thank you.

I know that I work and get a wage for doing so, would I work for a piece of dark chocolate ?.......

No, 

I deserve to be paid what I am worth and the effort I put in.

Would I love to receive a box of dark chocolate as a bonus ?

Yes please,

It is nice that my hard work and effort is appreciated. 

So find out what your dog finds rewarding, what would make them repeat the behaviour you want?

If you constantly say NO……AHAH………OFF……….DOWN………STOP, you may eventually get the behaviour you are looking for, but at what cost?

Remember the manager…………….. How did you feel about him/her ? 

Here is an example of a behaviour you maybe don't like :-  

"Your dog jumps up to say hello".

Cute when they are small, but not so cute as they grow.

Of course your pup is going to find this behaviour really rewarding, lots of fuss and loving every time they jump up..

Now you don’t want that behaviour anymore.

"He is getting too big, his claws hurt, he could knock me or someone else over".

You have tried all the suggested training tips out there.

Turn your back

Ignore the behaviour

Ignore the dog

Push him off

Raise your knee

and many more.

None of them have worked. ( and some have made the behaviour worse)

So just think.......

How would you like your dog to behave instead?

Maybe coming to say hello and keeping all feet on the floor.? ? ? 
Jumping up for your dog was rewarding now we have to replace it with another behaviour.

Here is a little video from me  to show you how to achieve just that.

Notice there are no OFF - STOP- NO - AHAH or GET DOWN SHEP to be heard.

Categories: Dog Behaviour, Dog Training, Puppies