The Importance of Behavior Management in Dog Training
Both positive relationship and effective behavioral management are important for successful dog training.
To understand how to train a dog or any animal you must understand basic behaviorism.
Basic behaviorism says that animals do what they do because of what they get for it.
Behaviorism is therefore about controlling what the animal gets as the result of his or her behavior and the major way you control these results is with your personal, emotional response.
You must be the dog's boss and, as the dog's boss, it's important to be consistent, insistent, clear, and positively affectionate.
If you are positive and praising of the dog the dog feels rewarded.
This encourages him or her to do the behavior when he or she is motivated to do it.
If you are negative and scolding the dog feels discouraged and punished even if the dog likes the behavior and wants to do it.
Good behaviorism uses clarity and consistency.
Dogs love clarity and consistency.
They like to know what they can do and can't do and what they can expect from you as the result of their behavior.
If it's OK for the dog to get on the couch, that's fine.
The rule becomes that it's fine to get on the couch; even if your in-laws are visiting and they are sitting on the couch or even if the dog is wet and muddy.
It's very hard for a dog to learn that it's OK to get on the couch but not when he's wet and muddy.
If it's OK for him to be on the couch then don't scold him when he gets on the couch wet and muddy.
Similarly, what's the rule about eating people food? If it's OK to eat people food that's fine but not just some of the time.
If you're going to feed the dog people food at the end of the meal when you're sitting around the table then expect him or her to be there looking for that at every meal, not just some of the time.
It's important to be clear and consistent.
One must learn to see clearly the rewarding or punishing effect of anything that we do relative to the dog.
So if he or she grabs paper and tears it up in the middle of the room and you laugh at him or even if you're unhappy but you go and start cleaning up the paper or taking it away from him you may very well be rewarding him for tearing up the paper because he was able to get you to come to him and pay him some attention.
Similarly, if your dog is going in a direction you don't want him to and you're calling him and he ignores you and you let it go -- you figure oh well I can't do anything about it -- then you are basically rewarding him for going away from you and doing what he wants.
You're letting it be known that it's okay for the dog to do whatever he wants and he doesn't really have to follow your command.
You should never allow the dog to get by without complying with your command, even if it means taking hold of him or her and insisting that the dog's body go through the actions you have called for.
One of the best things to do with dogs by way of good training is to teach them to be obedient to your commands.
Therefore you need to teach him some commands.
Some of the best commands are commands like stay, sit, lie down, heel, and come here.
These commands are good because if a dog is sitting or lying down or staying or heeling right next to you it's more difficult for him to get in some kind of mischief.
Plus, as you teach him these commands, you're spending time with him and you are focusing him and requiring him to do the work of paying attention to you and being compliant with your direction.
All of these things contribute to the dog learning to obey you and to be oriented to you as the boss.
It is never good for you to allow the dog to intimidate you and get away with it.
Sometimes a time out procedure is needed.
When the dog is being strong-willed and is ignoring or intimidating he should be placed in a timeout area where he is restricted and it is not particularly a fun place.
He must be kept there for a length of time predetermined by you.
He does not get out until you free him and give him another chance at living within the discipline.
Happy dogs are dogs that have learned to always stay within their discipline and live in a close positive relationship with their bosses.
To understand how to train a dog or any animal you must understand basic behaviorism.
Basic behaviorism says that animals do what they do because of what they get for it.
Behaviorism is therefore about controlling what the animal gets as the result of his or her behavior and the major way you control these results is with your personal, emotional response.
You must be the dog's boss and, as the dog's boss, it's important to be consistent, insistent, clear, and positively affectionate.
If you are positive and praising of the dog the dog feels rewarded.
This encourages him or her to do the behavior when he or she is motivated to do it.
If you are negative and scolding the dog feels discouraged and punished even if the dog likes the behavior and wants to do it.
Good behaviorism uses clarity and consistency.
Dogs love clarity and consistency.
They like to know what they can do and can't do and what they can expect from you as the result of their behavior.
If it's OK for the dog to get on the couch, that's fine.
The rule becomes that it's fine to get on the couch; even if your in-laws are visiting and they are sitting on the couch or even if the dog is wet and muddy.
It's very hard for a dog to learn that it's OK to get on the couch but not when he's wet and muddy.
If it's OK for him to be on the couch then don't scold him when he gets on the couch wet and muddy.
Similarly, what's the rule about eating people food? If it's OK to eat people food that's fine but not just some of the time.
If you're going to feed the dog people food at the end of the meal when you're sitting around the table then expect him or her to be there looking for that at every meal, not just some of the time.
It's important to be clear and consistent.
One must learn to see clearly the rewarding or punishing effect of anything that we do relative to the dog.
So if he or she grabs paper and tears it up in the middle of the room and you laugh at him or even if you're unhappy but you go and start cleaning up the paper or taking it away from him you may very well be rewarding him for tearing up the paper because he was able to get you to come to him and pay him some attention.
Similarly, if your dog is going in a direction you don't want him to and you're calling him and he ignores you and you let it go -- you figure oh well I can't do anything about it -- then you are basically rewarding him for going away from you and doing what he wants.
You're letting it be known that it's okay for the dog to do whatever he wants and he doesn't really have to follow your command.
You should never allow the dog to get by without complying with your command, even if it means taking hold of him or her and insisting that the dog's body go through the actions you have called for.
One of the best things to do with dogs by way of good training is to teach them to be obedient to your commands.
Therefore you need to teach him some commands.
Some of the best commands are commands like stay, sit, lie down, heel, and come here.
These commands are good because if a dog is sitting or lying down or staying or heeling right next to you it's more difficult for him to get in some kind of mischief.
Plus, as you teach him these commands, you're spending time with him and you are focusing him and requiring him to do the work of paying attention to you and being compliant with your direction.
All of these things contribute to the dog learning to obey you and to be oriented to you as the boss.
It is never good for you to allow the dog to intimidate you and get away with it.
Sometimes a time out procedure is needed.
When the dog is being strong-willed and is ignoring or intimidating he should be placed in a timeout area where he is restricted and it is not particularly a fun place.
He must be kept there for a length of time predetermined by you.
He does not get out until you free him and give him another chance at living within the discipline.
Happy dogs are dogs that have learned to always stay within their discipline and live in a close positive relationship with their bosses.
