The question dog owners most frequently ask is, "What kind of correction should I give my dog when she jumps on people?" A more effective question would be, “How can I set my dog up for success?” One can keep a dog successful by managing the environment in such a way that he can’t help but do the right thing.
Reframing the question in this way, one discovers a much more effective, user-friendly approach to training new behaviors and changing undesirable ones.
The Canine Learning Curve
Dogs learn very quickly to do what it takes to meet their needs. It follows that dogs do not hold onto behaviors for long that do not reap want they need or want. These traits are instinctive and necessary for survival. It follows then that the human’s job is essentially to show the dog what works and what doesn’t to meet his needs.
A word to the wise: consistency is extremely important. Inconsistency in following through each and every time a dog displays an undesirable behavior keeps the dog in the “bad behavior” game. If 19 times when the dog jumps or attempts to jump on someone to get attention, that person withdraws his/her attention, but on the 20th time the person pets the dog in spite of the dog’s jumping, then on the 21st time the dog thinks, “Nineteen times I didn’t get the attention I wanted, but on the 20th time I did. Maybe this is that one time in 20.” The rule is not clear; you have given your dog a mixed message. And dogs do not do well with the gray area.
Being Proactive Rather Than Reactive
Take the case of Rover. This overly exuberant pooch invariably jumps on people that stop to pet him. Instead of asking how to correct Rover when he jumps, one might ask, “When I am out walking Rover, how can I set him up for success so that he ends up 'good dog' rather than 'bad dog' ”?
In this new approach, being proactive becomes key in helping one's canine companion. Rover's human knows that Rover is prone to jumping to engage people’s attention. When a person approaches, Rover's owner expects Rover’s typical response: jump on this person to get her attention. At this point, before the approaching person has had a chance to interact with Rover, the person should be cautioned that Rover is a slightly rambunctious dog that loves to jump on people in friendly greeting and that he is being trained to do otherwise. Put Rover into a sit/stay and tell the person that if Rover breaks his sit/stay, she should just walk away.
Rather than seeing this as training Rover not to jump, the owner focuses on giving Rover another way to engage people: sitting politely. Given Rover’s particular problem, having him sit and stay before he can be petted is ideal. The owner requests the person to walk away from Rover and continue on her way if Rover is not in a sit/stay when she approaches to pet him.
Remember: being assertive with other people may be necessary. “It’s okay. I love dogs” spoken by a well meaning passerby or relative is not acceptable. Consistency is extremely important here. Besides, the owner is the responsible party. She is the one that will have to pay the price should something happen because of Rover’s jumping.
Notice that with this approach to changing Rover’s behavior, there is no “correction” involved; the person simply walks away. Rover never has the chance to become “bad dog”. The latter is important for two reasons. First, every time Rover engages in the behavior, jumping on people, the act reinforces itself, even if Rover is reprimanded. Thus, managing the situation so that Rover has no chance to engage in the jumping until he has learned not to jump on people becomes crucial. Second, the human does not become the ogre, inflicting punishment on poor, well meaning Rover. Soon Rover simply learns “no sit/stay = no pet” or better yet “sit/stay = pet” when people approach.
Rover’s owner has shown him what doesn’t work to get attention and what does work. Using our example, Rover learns that jumping on someone doesn’t ever get him any attention, which can be in the form such rewards as petting, getting a treat, or playing—people just withdraw. Sitting politely gets him lots of attention. It may take Rover anywhere from 3-5 days (on average or longer depending on how long the dog has been practicing the unwanted behavior) to figure this out, but the fact that he is left to “figure it out” makes the lesson a lasting one. Even older dogs can be trained in this way
So, in every situation, ask, “How can I set my pet up for success in this situation?” Being proactive rather than reactive; anticipating and managing the environment or situation rather than reacting after the fact; and being consistent are central in facilitating a dog’s learning and changing his behaviors. Reframing in the way proposed takes a bit of thought at first, but it is well worth the effort.Instead of seeing the process of pet dog training as one of correcting a dog, it is better seen as one of facilitating that dog’s “good” behavior by managing the environment in such a way that she can’t help but do the right thing. Reframing the question in this way, one discovers a much more effective, user-friendly approach to training new behaviors and changing undesirable ones.
Judith Goldman - In general, my life has been a whirlwind of travel and stays in various countries around the world, as well as in states around the ...
