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

Remedial Training

Squish in her leashed timeout.

Squish has always been a very chill dog which I trust is as much because of the environment she was born into as it is about her temperament and parents. From before I even brought her home she could sit on command and when I did get her home I invested time in training like you do with all new pets. She's not perfect at all. For the life of me 'lay down' appears to be beyond her comprehension and sometimes her recall lacks any kind of recall at all, although I blame the last one on her ability to ignore me more than a lack of knowledge, a squeaky toy will always bring her back. All that being said, put her on a leash and you have a generally perfect mannered dog which is something I take great pride in.

Today the repairman came to fix my internet. For a dog who is generally more excited to meet new people than any other I've met, she was TERRIFIED. I'm sure it was the large clanky tool belt around his waist that was unusual to her and therefore scary. Her desire to run away almost sent her over the front gate, something I sincerely never ever thought she would try.

I managed to catch her and put on her leash and then, after a few attempts, to get her to sit and stay (the stay part was impressive as it sometimes goes the way of recall). For the rest of the visit, she sat very attentively at first watching his moves and then eventually relaxed into it, laid down and went to sleep. Turns out the repair man was a dog guy and after he was all done I asked him if he'd mind taking off the tool belt and saying 'hi' to her which he happily obliged. Squish appreciated the lack of tool belt apparently because they made fast friends.

I know she's only (almost) nine months old but I expected better from Squish. She rarely has a reaction like this and as a pet owner your first instinct is to kind of freak out like your dog. But if you can calm yourself and then find a calm safe state for your dog (for her it's the leash) then, in my experience at least, you can get them through almost anything and you're building a trust relationship with them. Never stop going back to your training. No matter how old your dog is they can actually learn new tricks, except maybe 'lay down' if they're a Boxer.

Lisa Milton, Squish's Mom, @summitLisa, lisa.miltonwork