Spare the rod. Train the dog.

We've discussed the notion of punishment several times in past posts. When your dog is doing something objectionable, or even downright crazy, it's really hard not to verbally or physically intervene.

The problem with this reaction is that, most of the time, this sends precisely the wrong message to the dog. Who doesn't remember the Far Side comic with the owner going off on a diatribe and the dog (Spike or Fido) sitting patiently starring as though understanding every word when in reality it sounds to the dog like "blah, blah, blah, blah, spike, blah, blah, blah...."

OK, so if punishment is out, what should you do?

Well, according to my friend, colleague and animal behavior mentor, Dr Debra Horwitz, you should use something called "Classical Counterconditioning to change the emotional state."

In a nutshell, that means you teach the dog to associate the stimulus for the bad behavior with something positive that results in a more positive reaction to the original stimulus.

Sounds a little complicated and let me state at the beginning that if your dog has a behavior issue that requires counterconditioning it would be best to spend some time with an expert like Dr Horwitz or another board certified veterinary behavior expert before you try this at home.

Counterconditioning is used in a variety of behavior situations and is commonly used in behavior modification involving aggressive behavior. There are a number of different types of canine and feline aggression including territorial aggression, human directed, dog directed, fear or defensive aggression and so on. The one common aspect to all these problems is that some form of stimulus incites the behavior.

Let's say that your dog has territorial aggression and goes nuts when someone comes in the yard or even walks by the house. These dogs often patrol the windows and doors just waiting for the invasion. If you react by yelling or running over to whack the dog when they go nuts you may think you are discouraging the behavior. In reality you are reinforcing the anxiety associated with the initial reaction to the stimulus.

One of the principles behind counter conditioning is basically to change the subject in the face of the stimulus. To do this you have to get the dog to focus on you, the owner, as opposed to the stimulus for the bad behavior. To get the dog's attention usually requires a highly valued reward.

In other words - people food .

Try to figure out what your dog really loves. Doggie treats might be OK, but a piece of liver may be so excellent that your dog will focus on that over the daily visit from the arch enemy in the Post Office garb. It's OK to have second string treats, but you want to grade them from really desirable to less desirable because you may need the really desirable treats when the behavior stimulus is really strong. Like when the mailman is opening the gate.

To be successful at this you also have to create situations in which the level of stimulus is varied. You start with situations where the stimulus is low. In the case of the mail man that might be when he is three houses down the street or when he pulls into the neighborhood with his mailman vehicle - what ever it is that initially gets the dogs attention.

Starting when the stimulus is low, the trick is to get the dog to focus on you as opposed to the trigger. This is as simple as using the "A" treat along with a simple command such as "focus" or "watch me." The ultimate goal is to train the dog to pay attention to you with eye contact for several minutes if need be.

To do this, have the treat ready and set up a low stimulus situation where the dog is aware of the impending trigger but still able to focus on you. With the command "watch me" start feeding the treat to gain the dogs attention. Keep repeating the command along with the treat.

Phase two is to establish a retreat protocol and have the dog actually "leave" the anxiety producing situation. This can be as simple as "let's go" or "follow" after you have gained the dog's attention. It can be very helpful to employ a "Gentle Leader" collar in these situations to facilitate the escape.

These two techniques in combination are the core techniques of counterconditioning. If you can gradually increase the strength of the stimulus while controlling the dogs reaction with counterconditioning you may be able to successfully manage previously unmanageable situations. The keys are patience and consistency. It takes time and effort and the compliance of all members of the family.

In subsequent posts we'll talk about some of the behavior problems where counterconditioning may be useful as well as other important considerations that might be useful in dealing with specific problems .

Comments

[carlos]

thank youi really good tips i will try them and i will know it works

[Lindsay]

Good tips. I will keep that in mind. I honestly don't use treats very often to redirect unwanted behavior with my dog. I think one reason people don't do this is they might think they are rewarding the dog by giving it treats for the unwanted behavior. But really, the reward is for focusing on something else.