Change Your Thinking to Change Your Dog’s Behavior

Bad Behavior is only a Game. I recently changed the way I
think about training my dog. I have one of those high spirited
dominate alpha males who instinctively thinks he is the leader
of the pack and is always testing my authority. I often thought,
why is he so challenging, he knows he is not supposed to do that
because I’ve told him “no” a hundred times. Boomer, my dog,
likes to steal things and be chased. To him it’s a game, a fun
activity that he knows will get me going. He takes the towels
from the hanger in the bathroom and flaunts it in front of me,
stopping to make sure I see him before he runs off. I found that
if I ignore him, he just lays down and later I can get the towel
from him. At first I thought that he just made a mistake, but
then I realized its just a game to him. The problem was that he
never asked if I wanted to play, he just started a game of keep
away. The mistakes my dog makes are neither mistakes nor
accidents. I just misunderstood the game, and even though it was
fun to him, it wasn’t necessarily fun for me! What’s Right
and Wrong As I thought about this game, I also realized
that he was challenging my role as leader of the pack, and my
ownership of the towel. Why shouldn’t he own the towel, or have
his own towel. It was an instinctive challenge to my leadership
and authority. Also, I realized that nothing by itself is either
good or bad, it’s thinking that makes it so. If one can only
remember back to our pre-school years and all the frustration
and trouble there was. That’s because we were going through a
learning curve about what is right and wrong behavior. Your dog
is new to your world and it’s perception of right and wrong are
different. It’s perfectly acceptable from a dog’s perspective to
pick anything up and claim ownership of it, whether it is a
stick or anything else he found outside. The same is true
indoors as well. It’s also OK in a dog’s world to tear something
apart, chew it up, or destroy something, but not true in your
world. Be a Pack Leader and Change the Game I was
gaining insight into a dog’s world and how a dog thinks, and now
I was changing my thinking on how to train them. Dogs are pack
animals, and there is always a pack leader, followers, and those
that want to be the pack leader. The alpha male or female grew
up in a litter and learned that if it fights long enough and is
persistent that the others in the litter will yield. So, your
dog will discover many options, then think about the options,
and either go along with you or subvert your efforts to control
him. Your alpha dog’s job is to oppose you and challenge your
place as pack leader. Your dog wants you to be consistent in
your responses otherwise he doesn’t know what to think. If he
starts playing a game with you, you have a choice not to play.
The difficulty is that if you don’t play he will either try
harder, get depressed, try a different angle on the game or
stop. Your goal is to negotiate, stop the game early, or start a
different game with something acceptable. So, I will get the
towel from him, but then bring him a ball and start a different
game. Eventually, he will think about it, and bring me the ball
when he wants to play instead of the towel. Emotions Tell Him
What to Do It seems everybody tells their dog “don’t do
this or that”. What their dog hears is only “do this or that.”
Dogs struggle with the concept of “don’t do something.” To get
your dog to stop doing something, simply distract him with a
very brief sound and something else to do. He will learn after
awhile. If you just stay on the theme of “don’t do this or that”
the situation just continues to worsen, as the dog does what he
knows or thinks is best for his home and you. The longer you
continue the more confusing it is to him. The more concerned you
become about his behavior, the more he believes you are worried
and he is unsure about the reason. Certainly if you’re worried,
then he should be mimic you and get worried also. He doesn’t
even realize that it’s his behavior you are worried about. Have
you ever noticed that when you come home, your dog is really
excited to see you, and that if you really become animated and
excited, he becomes even more excited? That’s because he plays
off your emotions and actions. If you run, he runs; if you run
faster, he runs faster. Dogs Learn by Repetition Dogs can
learn and unlearn any behavior by repetition, preferably in four
different but similar settings or situations. The first time
your dog hears a new command, he has no idea what is being
requested. The second time he hears that command, he begins to
comprehend. The third time, he fully understands, but he may
resist the new command. He has to think it through to be sure he
understands, and it may take him a few moments to think it
through. This happens usually on the third request, or instance,
of trying to teach or break a behavior. So, when your dog thinks
about the new behavior being learned or unlearned, praise and
patience, are required during the few moments it takes to
correctly understand this new information. He needs time to
think things out. He’s going to think about the idea, then
glance at you. Then back to the idea, now thinking of you. Then
think about the idea, then think about you. Give him time to
think and comprehend. Allow his choice to dictate your next
move. Chances are, he’s going to make one last try at having his
own way. There are only two choices he can make. He’s either
going to do it correctly, or, he’s going to do it wrong. If he
gets it wrong, try a similar setting or situation later in the
day. This process gives you the opportunity to allow your dog to
progress at his own speed. The third time your dog is given a
command, he’ll probably do it incorrectly just to see if you are
going to be consistent.