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Photo courtesy of Christine Calder, DVM, DACVB (veterinary behaviorist)
You can improve your dog’s behavior in just a few minutes a day. By focusing on the desirable behaviors your dog naturally exhibits rather than correcting undesirable behaviors, you build a stronger relationship without force or stress. Prepare your dog for success by marking for easy behaviors, not for unknown complicated behaviors.
Choose one or two behaviors each week that you want your dog to perform regularly. For busy dogs, reinforce them to lie quietly on their bed. To reduce barking, reward silence when your dog watches someone walk past your house. To stop begging at the table, treat your dog for choosing to lie down on a rug a few feet away.
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Photo courtesy of Pat Koven, LVT, KPA-CTP
Following this simple game captures the “good” behavior while ignoring the “bad” behavior. By not encouraging your dog to perform a specific behavior, such as sit or down, you are creating a thinking dog, and as the days go by, he will begin to offer only reinforced behaviors.
- Include the same amount of dry kibble in your dog’s daily food intake. This could be 10 or 20 pieces for a small dog or 50 pieces or more for a large breed. You can hold back half the serving from breakfast and half from dinner or start with the full amount to use throughout the day. High-value, low-calorie treats can be used in place of some kibble.
- Either carry food in your pocket or have it easily accessible in central locations.
- Throughout the day, when your dog performs the behavior you want, encourage him by marking this moment with a clicker or a verbal word such as “yes.”
- Give them a piece of kibble of the budgeted quantity and go about your business. By doing this, you capture good behavior like a snapshot. This reinforcement increases the likelihood that they will repeat this behavior.
- Spend a week working on one or two behaviors, then move on to another the following week. Over time, move on to more complicated activities, like rewarding your dog for bringing you a toy instead of jumping on you when you walk through the door.
After a few days, your dog will offer desired behaviors more quickly than undesirable behaviors. You should find your dog calmer and your bond stronger as you consume your kibble supply more quickly each day.