When good pets go bad

Your once calm and quiet Golden Retriever has started barking and chewing the kids toys. Is it a change that has developed with age? Been learned from other dogs? Or is this new behaviour something you may have unknowingly introduced... 

InfoStream Guest Author Barbara Walmer provides strategies for behaviour reinforcement in pets. 

Your dog is a part of your family.  This is definitely the way most people feel about their pets.  Do you expect that a member of your family could display inappropriate or aggressive behaviour?  Many families handle both human and animal members of their families differently when they exhibit behaviour that we label as inappropriate or aggressive.  Ignoring, re-directing, punishing, and disassociating are all methods different people utilize. 

Behaviour is constantly changing, in both humans and animals.  We do what works for us, on both an emotional and practical level.  To keep behaviour strong it needs to be reinforced.  If an animal is not reinforced for a certain set of behaviours, they are likely to change strategies.  For example, a dog who lies quietly on its dog bed is ignored will change its behaviour to getting up and barking, in order to get attention. 

Remember dogs are social animals who want to be a part of the action, which includes verbal and physical interaction.  We often are passive when behaviour that is exhibited is “appropriate”, but react to behaviour that is “inappropriate”.  Often behaviour problems start with small behaviour changes that go unrecognized or ignored for a period of time until they become problematic.  At this point, an animal has practiced the behaviour sequence many times and been reinforced (by the environment or people).  This is typically when people come to seek guidance. 

The good news, is behaviour is constantly changing. The bad news is the animal is finding the current behaviour pattern reinforcing and effective.  We have to change this dynamic in many situations to allow the animal to find other behaviours (typically ones they did before) more reinforcing.

As humans, we can contribute to undesirable behaviour by not acknowledging it.  The sooner we recognize behaviour changes and seek help with an accredited trainer the better it is for all.  Behaviour continues to change.  Be aware!

- Barbara Walmer CPDT-KSA, CBCC-KA, KPA CTP, ACDBC