As dog owners, there are few things that are more frustrating than trying to prevent your dog from performing an unwanted behavior. For all the joy and warmth our pets can bring into our lives, these undesirable behaviors are typically the reason why an owner may pursue a formal dog training program – enlisting the help of a professional dog trainer to help resolve the issue.
Yet, there’s an uncomfortable reality lurking underneath some of these behaviors. While many canine behaviors are simply instinctive, some of them are learned over time. In some instances where these learned behaviors start to cause issues, the dog isn’t the one who needs the training – in fact, it is the owner who needs the work.
This is simply because the owner is unintentionally reinforcing the unwanted behavior through their own decisions and actions. This usually comes through providing a reward for a behavior that didn’t merit it – and consequently, providing the signal to the dog that not only is the behavior acceptable, but they will receive a reward for performing it. This slippery slope encourages them to do it again, and again, and again.
At Greenside Canine, we believe a huge part of our job is helping you to learn how and why your dog is behaving in a particular way. We know it is vital that you understand the triggers and reinforcers for your dog’s behavior – because once you are aware of them, you can make sure that you are altering your behavior accordingly. In turn, this allows you to set you and your dog up for training success.
In this article, we’re going to look at two common scenarios where dog owners are accidentally reinforcing the wrong behavior. We’ll then describe an alternative course of action that will lead to better behavioral outcomes.
Example 1: Dog jumping on people
When dogs are in an excitable mood, it is pretty common for them to express this by jumping – perhaps after they have been left alone for a long period of time, or are especially excited to greet their owner at the front door.
In this example, as soon as the owner walks through the door, the dog is right there and immediately jumps up on them, placing their paws on their owner’s chest as they try to make it into their home.
The owner (who – let’s not forget – may be tired after a long day at work, or may simply be craving the opportunity to pet their dog) decides to respond by talking to the dog in a ‘baby voice’, issuing verbal praise, and then petting the dog while telling them how much they missed them.
In isolation, this behavior is not necessarily a huge behavioral problem. However, where it can manifest into an issue is in situations where the owner does not want the dog to jump – for example, when the dog is greeting more vulnerable individuals (such as an elderly relative, or a young child) who may be more at risk of injury. In addition, consider guests arriving for a Thanksgiving meal – the last thing they want is to have a dog leaping all over them as they’re trying to get into the house.
However, if the owner issues praise and rewards every single time their dog jumps on them when they enter the house, can we really be surprised that the dog thinks this is acceptable and will try it again in the future?
The time to correct this behavior isn’t when everyone is eagerly anticipating their turkey dinner. Instead, correcting this as and when it occurs beforehand can prevent this behavior from becoming the norm. Instead of issuing praise when the dog jumps, the owner could ignore and disregard this attention-seeking behavior. They could also put the dog into a controlled, calm command, like sit, down or place. Once the command is performed and the dog is peacefully awaiting your greeting is the time to praise and pet them.
Example 2: The barking dog
In this second scenario, we have a dog who incessantly barks, with no apparent trigger or catalyst. The owner – who, let’s imagine, is working from home and spends all day with the dog – is keen to stop the dog from barking as it is an annoyance and breaks their work concentration.
When the dog is barking, they are clearly seeking attention. They are bored and under-stimulated. The owner reacts to the barking in some way – there can be a number of reactions. For example, the owner may yell at the dog to be quiet. They may decide to go and pet the dog if they feel that will quell the barking. They might even get them a treat or toy to play with to keep them occupied.
What does this teach the dog? It teaches them that if they bark, they’ll get the attention they crave. The owner is, once again, unintentionally reinforcing the very behavior they are trying to stop. The very next day, the dog will bark again, and the owner will react in the same way. The dog will continue to bark if the owner responds identically, possibly increasing in frequency and volume.
Of course, we can all understand that the barking is frustrating for the owner – but there are pro-active ways to tackle this. Barking out of boredom indicates that the dog needs something extra in its life. Rather than reacting to the situation, the owner could provide the dog with physical or mental stimulation before it gets to that point. For example, they could:
- Take the dog on a longer walk earlier in the day
- Provide physical exercise by throwing a ball for the dog to tire them physically
- Offer mental stimulation by offering a puzzle game or toy for them to work on
- Playing a ‘find the treat’ game or other scent work activity
Providing this physical and mental activity will only provide positive benefits for the dog, and consequently, reduces the chances of them barking out of sheer boredom and to satisfy their need for attention.
The typical cycle of accidental reinforcement
We’ve just looked at two common examples where dog owners reinforce undesirable behaviors, but there are other behaviors where owners are culpable. How many times have dogs whined and been fed scraps from the table (reinforcing that whining during human mealtimes = food), or the owner increases their pace on a walk to keep up with a dog pulling on the leash (reinforcing that pulling on the leash = more forward movement)?
Every undesirable behavior that humans reinforce follows the same pattern:
- Dog performs behavior
- Owner reacts to the behavior
- Dog reacts accordingly to the owner’s reaction
- Dog continues to perform behavior
Step 2 is the crucial part for dog owners to understand, as this is the part where you have the ability to influence and exert control over your dog’s behavior.
Don’t want your dog to beg at the dinner table? Don’t feed them table scraps when you’re finished eating.
Don’t want your dog to jump on your living room furniture? Don’t let them on the couch – under any circumstances (not even “just this once, okay!”).
The list could go on. Dogs are smart, and they understand how they can repeat behaviors to get what they want. As with almost everything else in dog training, consistency is absolutely imperative to achieving long-lasting results.
At Greenside Canine, we offer a variety of training programs for dog owners in Indiana, including Board and Train programs, Private Lessons and Group Classes. Our programs are tailored to your goals. With many common behavioral challenges in dogs, we often don’t realize the extent to which humans are contributing to them. That’s where our team can help to coach you on ways to alter your behavior to alter your dog’s behavior. Contact us today for more information on any of our training programs – we’re here to help you and your dog.