Breaking Your Dog's Bad Habits (2 page)

Following are quick descriptions of the most common training techniques in use today.

Classical conditioning
teaches a dog to react or respond to a signal not usually associated with the behavior. Dr. Ivan Pavlov’s experiments involving training a dog to salivate at the sound of a bell are the most familiar and descriptive example of classical conditioning. First Pavlov paired the sound of a bell with an automatic response—salivating at the sight of meat. Eventually Pavlov “taught” the dog to salivate at the sound of the bell when no meat
was present. Today, clicker training is a good example of classical conditioning—dogs are taught to respond to variations of the “click” from the clicker tool.

Counter conditioning
teaches a dog to replace a problem behavior with a more acceptable behavior. The acceptable behavior distracts the dog and interferes with exhibition of the problem behavior. For example, if your dog begs for food from the table, you can train him to lie down at your feet or in another room during mealtime, either of which will prevent him from begging.

Desensitization
is the process of gradually diminishing a dog’s fear of a particular thing or event by exposing him to it in incrementally increasing amounts. This technique can be used to cure a dog’s phobia of thunderstorms, for example (see the box below).

Intermittent reinforcement
helps sustain the succesful training of a dog. Once he’s been trained, the dog does not get a treat or reward every time he exhibits the appropriate behavior; he gets one only every now and then. He’ll learn to perform the good habit consistently in the hope that
this
time he’ll get the reward.

Operant conditioning
is a very effective technique for “shaping” behavior through trial and error and rewards. For example, a rat learning to press a bar or a button to get food is experiencing operant conditioning. You can use operant conditioning to encourage your dog in an appropriate behavior that he sometimes performs; simply praise him lavishly or otherwise reward him every time he performs it.

Many dogs become frightened and behave badly during thunderstorms. You can use a desensitization technique to relieve your pet’s anxiety. Play a tape recording of thunder at a low sound level when the dog is relaxed or happily engaged in a favorite activity. He’ll probably barely notice it. Then begin playing the tape over and over throughout the day. Gradually increase the sound level to build the dog’s tolerance of it. Over the course of many weeks, the dog will eventually get used to the sound of crashing thunder, real or taped. He still may not like it, but he’ll be able to tolerate it.

Positive reinforcement, or offering a reward for performance, helps your dog understand and then look forward to performing the behavior you want to encourage. As the dog comes to understand that a certain behavior results in something positive for him, he begins to anticipate that reward. In fact, he will learn to exhibit the desired behavior in the proper situation without your command.

There are many ways to reward your dog for appropriate behavior. You can use them individually or in any combination. They include:

Sometimes dog owners are reluctant to give their dogs any kind of reward other than praise. They feel they are bribing the dog and that instead of really obeying commands, he is just performing to get food. This is true to some extent, but all learning is driven by reinforcement, negative or positive, and positive reinforcement can be very effective. Some dog trainers compare food rewards to a dog’s “salary” rather than a bribe. In other words, the dog gets “paid” for doing his job, which is to respond to your commands.

Establishing a Routine

Dogs function best in a structured and stable environment. The predictability of routines is a strong antianxiety agent. However, while routines are important, they don’t have to be rigid. In fact, it’s better if they are not. For example, don’t try to get home at the same time each day. If your dog comes to rely on that time, she may get very anxious when traffic, weather, or some other unexpected event delays your arrival. However, you could teach your dog that your arrival at home means playtime, whether it’s a few minutes romping in the house or a quick walk outdoors.

It’s imperative that you be consistent in your training or, through intermittent reinforcement, you may actually encourage bad habits.
For example, the owner is almost always to blame for a dog that begs for food while people are eating. One day the dog nuzzles his owner during mealtime. The owner, in a lax moment, gives the dog a bit of food. But the next few times the dog tries this, he is rebuffed. Then another lax moment occurs, and the dog gets more food. Now the dog is not sure what to expect during mealtimes, but hope springs eternal in his mind, and he becomes a permanent fixture near the table during meals.

Giving Commands: Body Language and Voice

Most dogs are quick to learn commands, but they also respond to expectations and attitudes. As you start to retrain your dog, check your attitude. Are you giving your dog mixed messages? When giving a command, the tone and pitch of your voice, your facial expression, and your body posture should all convey a clear message. If you give a half-hearted command, you’ll most likely get a half-hearted response. After all, if you’re not paying attention, why should your dog?

Establishing your authority as the leader does not require browbeating your dog into submission. Nor do you have to break his bouncy, energetic spirit. There are many effective and humane ways to communicate your authority:

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Reinforcement.
As soon as your dog follows the command, reward him with verbal praise and physical affection such as scratching behind his ears or under his chin. You can even give him a food treat if you have one handy. (You may wonder why you are rewarding your dog when he did not comply immediately. The purpose is to encourage him to respond next time by making it clear that his response generates something pleasurable for both of you.)

Training Yourself to Be a Leader

A dog pack must always have a leader; otherwise chaos ensues and the pack falls apart. The leader, or alpha dog, is responsible for the pack’s survival. He enforces pack rules and strives to protect the pack from harm. In a human-dog pack, who is the alpha dog? That’s right—you, the owner.

For some of us, the concept of being “top dog” feels uncomfortable. We view our dogs as companions, perhaps even members of the family. We relish their affection and comfort, and we don’t want to pull rank on them.

But assuming the alpha-dog role in your human-pet pack will not undermine this sense of camaraderie. In fact, it allows devotion to flourish because your dog knows he can trust you to look out for him. Remember that the dog’s instinct tells him that survival depends on having a leader. If he thinks you are not up to the job, he’ll become anxious. He may appoint himself as leader, a bad habit that can only lead to other bad behavior. For everyone’s sake, keep this in mind: The one who buys the dog food is in charge. Your dog will thank you.

A well-behaved dog has no misconceptions about his status in the household hierarchy.

Most of us know that dogs are pack animals, but what exactly does that mean? A pack is a social structure that functions to ensure its members’ survival. The pack operates by a set of rules, some instinctive, some learned. The rules help maintain order and harmony within the pack so that members can work together on essential tasks: procuring food and shelter, procreating, rearing the young, and defending against predators. The pack is organized as a hierarchy. Each member’s ranking in the hierarchy defines his responsibilities and appropriate behavior toward the other pack members.

The pack structure applies to your home and family, too. You may not like to think of yourself as a member of an animal pack, but be assured that your dog sees you, other household members, and other pets as his pack. You can’t change your dog’s innate perspective, but you can apply the pack concepts to life with your dog, including the process of retraining.

Ignoring commands is a bad habit that is often more annoying than anything else. You tell your dog to sit and he ignores you. You call the dog and he ambles off in another direction. Often these bad habits are unwittingly fostered by owners who are lax and inconsistent. Fortunately, it does not take too much effort to turn things around.

Ignores the “Sit” or “Lie Down” Command

This bad habit is exasperating. You tell the dog to sit or lie down and find yourself repeating the command several times. Meanwhile, the dog just looks at you as if you haven’t said a word.

Breaking your dog of this habit is not difficult. It’s mainly a process of drilling until the behavior occurs automatically at the command.
In the process you will become more confident, clear, and firm in delivering the command.

You’ve probably already discovered that tone of voice makes a difference. The following scenario may sound familiar: After repeating a command but getting no response, you lose your patience and crossly shout the command at the dog. Miraculously, the dog finally obeys. Was it magic, or does your dog respond only to crankiness? It’s not magic, but the crankiness is a clue. The dog understood what you said the first three times; he just wasn’t convinced you meant it. Your cross words were spoken with conviction, and the dog finally got the message. He was testing your limits.

Follow these steps to retrain your dog to obey simple commands:

Step 1.
Set aside 5 to 10 minutes twice a day for retraining your dog. During these sessions, repeat the “sit” and “lie down” commands over and over again. Reward your dog with praise, physical affection, and food treats when she complies with the command. Vary the sequence of the commands and the location of the sessions. Make them fun. Use a friendly, confident, but firm voice. Act as if you have no doubt that your dog will obey your commands.

Step 2.
Begin to demand prompt compliance. Does your dog sit or lie down immediately, or does she ever so slowly lower her hindquarters or body to the ground? Start rewarding her only when she complies within three seconds. Work with her on the 3-second compliance over a few sessions.

Step 3.
After your dog has mastered the 3-second compliance rule, start to reward her only when she complies immediately. There should be no delay to “think it over,” however brief. The dog knows what is expected of her at the command, and she should just do it. (When my dog is feeling obstinate, he’ll deliberately give a long blink or yawn before he complies.)

Step 4.
Continue working on immediate compliance over several sessions until your dog responds promptly 90 percent of the time. In the meantime, keep the training interesting. For example, you can:

Will Not Stay until Released

How long does your dog stay when you tell him to? Does he look you in the eye and then walk away? Or does he at least wait until your back is turned before leaving the scene? If your dog has learned the basic obedience commands, it is unlikely that he has forgotten them. It’s more likely that he is not taking you seriously, and probably rightly so.