There are several categories of issues that people can have with their pet. We will be discussing three main categories of training to deal with these issues – obedience training, behavior training, and temperament training. Obedience training issues are some of the easiest to work with. Often, people obedience train their dogs in order to establish control over their dog’s behavior. With obedience training, we can teach a dog to get into a position, have him hold that position, run back to us when we ask, and walk next to us when on a leash. Dogs easily learn to do what we want because it gets them what they want faster! With obedience training, dogs and people pretty much train each other.
Behavior training issues represents a huge number of Pet Behavior Solutions’ cases. Behavior training is about establishing order, rules, and boundaries in the household. Some examples of behavior that falls into this category are dogs that are destructive, not housetrained, and generally unruly. This is the second easiest type of training. Dogs are great problem solvers and they readily learn how to navigate our rules and boundaries. They learn these things because it works better for them to do it our way. The catch is that we have to have a very clear and consistent set of rules and expectations and the dogs must clearly understand the consequences, both good and bad, of following or not following those rules. We have to be patient when working to resolve these issues. This type of training takes time because we are establishing new routines to replace the old routines. Change takes time. With a little patience and consistency order can be restored!
Temperament training involves working with emotions. When bad behavior stems from emotions it is very challenging for everyone involved. Behaviors such as aggression, anxiety, fears, phobias, nervous behaviors, reactivity, etc. fall into this category. Emotions are at the core of the animal’s behavior. When working with pets with these problems, the motivation of the behavior must be addressed. Almost all cases stem from some sort of anxiety – even with aggression. People often think that aggressive dogs are just being dominant but that is rarely true. Truly dominant dogs tend to be confident, have an authoritative attitude, and provide appropriate social consequences. We rarely have problems with truly dominant dogs. Conversely, aggressive dogs tend to be insecure, have a domineering attitude, are socially incompetent, irritable, frustrated, and angry. It is this inner conflict that we have to address in order to change the behavior.
Working with emotions is rewarding and challenging. The reward is when the pet stabilizes and things starts to improve. The challenge is that it can take a long time and a lot of patience as there is no quick fix. Working with emotions requires a lot of understanding, management, and dedication to the treatment protocol. In cases involving aggression, often the safety and liability risks are very high and that necessitates a lifelong commitment to behavior modification and management. Finally, protocols must have steps that build on each other. Behavior modification is a process.
Emotionally motivated behavior can be worked with successfully! The biggest barrier we see is (understandably so) impatience and frustration on the part of the owner. This leads to a breakdown in the consistency of the treatment protocol and more confusion and anxiety for the dog.
I encourage each of you to ask about help for any issues you may be having with your pet. There are so many things that can be done to work with your pet and life is just too short and too chaotic to live with behavior problems. Let us help you get the balance back in your life!
Behavior training issues represents a huge number of Pet Behavior Solutions’ cases. Behavior training is about establishing order, rules, and boundaries in the household. Some examples of behavior that falls into this category are dogs that are destructive, not housetrained, and generally unruly. This is the second easiest type of training. Dogs are great problem solvers and they readily learn how to navigate our rules and boundaries. They learn these things because it works better for them to do it our way. The catch is that we have to have a very clear and consistent set of rules and expectations and the dogs must clearly understand the consequences, both good and bad, of following or not following those rules. We have to be patient when working to resolve these issues. This type of training takes time because we are establishing new routines to replace the old routines. Change takes time. With a little patience and consistency order can be restored!
Temperament training involves working with emotions. When bad behavior stems from emotions it is very challenging for everyone involved. Behaviors such as aggression, anxiety, fears, phobias, nervous behaviors, reactivity, etc. fall into this category. Emotions are at the core of the animal’s behavior. When working with pets with these problems, the motivation of the behavior must be addressed. Almost all cases stem from some sort of anxiety – even with aggression. People often think that aggressive dogs are just being dominant but that is rarely true. Truly dominant dogs tend to be confident, have an authoritative attitude, and provide appropriate social consequences. We rarely have problems with truly dominant dogs. Conversely, aggressive dogs tend to be insecure, have a domineering attitude, are socially incompetent, irritable, frustrated, and angry. It is this inner conflict that we have to address in order to change the behavior.
Working with emotions is rewarding and challenging. The reward is when the pet stabilizes and things starts to improve. The challenge is that it can take a long time and a lot of patience as there is no quick fix. Working with emotions requires a lot of understanding, management, and dedication to the treatment protocol. In cases involving aggression, often the safety and liability risks are very high and that necessitates a lifelong commitment to behavior modification and management. Finally, protocols must have steps that build on each other. Behavior modification is a process.
Emotionally motivated behavior can be worked with successfully! The biggest barrier we see is (understandably so) impatience and frustration on the part of the owner. This leads to a breakdown in the consistency of the treatment protocol and more confusion and anxiety for the dog.
I encourage each of you to ask about help for any issues you may be having with your pet. There are so many things that can be done to work with your pet and life is just too short and too chaotic to live with behavior problems. Let us help you get the balance back in your life!
No comments:
Post a Comment