My Dog Won't Stop!

My dog won't stop...

... jumping up

... biting my feet

... barking at other dogs

... peeing in the house

If you have ever said anything along these lines, then have a think of what you're doing to manage the situation. If your dog just won't stop doing an unwanted behaviour, think what are you doing to reward that behaviour unwittingly?

All your dog wants is your attention. Does he only do this behaviour when you're busy watching tv or on your phone? Think back to the very first time she did the behaviour, what was your reaction? Did you tell her off? Shout? Move him out of the room? If you gave attention in any way, shape or form, you reinforced that behaviour.

Most unwanted behaviours are natural to dogs. Jumping up starts as their attempt to get on face level with us. Barking at the tv starts as alerting you to the presence of something unknown and possibly dangerous (like meerkats). Peeing in the house starts as a natural bodily function. Biting, nipping or mouthing hands starts as trying to play a game with you.

Only through our attention, or lack thereof, do they learn what we want. They look to us for guidance. If we tell them off, or move them away by physically touching them, it's all attention and they feel good for behaving that way. If we ignore the behaviour, we're saying. 'I'm not bothered by this thing, so you shouldn't be.' or 'I'm not giving you attention for that, so why bother doing it again?'

Dogs are body language experts, so you need to make a show of the fact you're ignoring them. Stand up, turn your back, fold your arms. All these things send a big signal saying, 'I am ignoring you.' If your dog has been doing the unwanted behaviour for a long time, they may escalate (the problem will get worse). This is because their normal behaviour isn't getting the attention anymore, so they try harder. If your dog is still doing the unwanted thing after you've turned your back for five seconds, walk out the room. By removing yourself from the area completely, you're increasing the 'punishment' level. This has a much bigger impact than turning your back alone. The five seconds of turning your back allows your dog to think about their behaviour and offer something more acceptable. If they don't, their punishment will increase by you leaving the room. Your dog loves you, so you leaving is a terrible thing. You only need to be out of the room for three seconds of silence, then you can come back in.

How Do I Stop Them?

The ignoring method is fantastic for managing the problem. When the dog is doing the unwanted thing, ignore them so you aren't continuing to reinforce it. However, this doesn't teach them what we want them to do instead.

This is where your 'scenario' comes in.

Build a controlled situation in which you can reward the dog lots for doing something you like, and remove the attention for doing the unwanted thing. Start very small and build up in baby steps until the situation is realistic, then take it above and beyond what they'll come across in real life. This is known as, 'proofing'. By proofing a behaviour, your dog will feel comfortable behaving in that way regardless of what the situation holds.

Example:

Say your dog jumps on guests whenever they walk in the door. They can't move because he is constantly jumping at them. If they manage to get past him, he clings onto the back of their legs, sometimes digging at them. The finally get to the sofa, sit down, and he jumps at their legs, then jumps onto them on the sofa. You're constantly telling him, 'get down', and even trying to push him off. Sometimes he does get off, but it only lasts a few seconds before he jumps up again. This can last for a while, but once he's had a good fuss and sniff of the person, he calms down. He doesn't stay calm, though, because anytime your guest moves (even just shifting in their seat) he's instantly up and trying to get their attention. Sounds rough!

So how would you set up a scenario?

Try this without a guest. Open the door and talk to an imaginary guest (come in etc). Click and treat for no jumping. Don't know about clicker training? Watch our video below about what clicker training is. For more videos, tutorials and ideas, visit our Youtube Channel.

Open the door again, speak to your person, shut the door then move toward the living room. Click and treat. If at any point your dog jumps, turn your back and wait for five seconds. If he's still jumping, walk out and then back again. Only move through these stages once he's doing each one well. Open the front door (OFD), talk to imaginary person (TTP), shut door (SD), go to living room (LR), walk to sofa (WTS). Click and treat. OFD. TTP. SD. LR. WTS. Sit on Sofa (SOS). Click and treat. Remember if your dog jumps on you while you're sitting, you must get up and move from the sofa.

Now practise this with a stooge. Get a friend or family member to be the 'guest'. They don't knock, just open the door and talk to them. If, as soon as your dog sees the guest, he goes nuts; just shut the door (guest on outside) and wait for calm, then try again. If you need to click just for the door opening a crack, then do that. Go through the above stages accompanied by your guest. (OFD, TTP, SD, LR, WTS, SOS)

Now more realistic, get your guest to knock the door and go through these stages. Then ring the door bell (if available).

Now above and beyond. Knock the door and ring the bell. Come in super exciting (making noises and moving quickly). Remember to take this at your dog's pace and if ever he fails (jumps up) take it back a stage, repeat a few more times then try to go to the next stage.

Now try it for real. Have people come over (even if you need to invite them). Make them aware of the rules (turn their back if he jumps, no attention) and reward him like mad for not jumping.

Do you have a guest that can't turn or stand up and sit repetedly? Maybe an elderly relative or someone with a disability? Have your dog on leash while they're around so instead of them ignoring him by standing up, you (gently) take him away from them. He still gets their attention taken away, but they don't have to move to do it.

Too Much Work?

'I'd much rather chill out. That seems like a lot of work.'

If this is your philosophy then nothing is going to change.

'My dog won't stop...' is going to continue to be your favourite phrase.

We're not asking for hours of work. Just spend ten minutes a day setting up your scenario, manage real life situations as and when they happen, and you'll notice a massive difference in your dog. You'll begin to see them thinking about their behaviour, rather than just reacting. You'll see hesitations rather than going for it full-hog. If you reward those hesitations, too, then your dog will feel amazing and will be getting your attention in the right way.

Do you need more motivation? Contact us to book an induction for our home training sessions. Our positive-method trainer will come to your home and talk you through everything you need to know. You'll watch how they interact with your dog, how they make your dog think and act as you want them to. Then you have a go practising so when our trainer leaves you, you can continue the work. Ten minutes a day is nothing. Ten minutes a day training your dog is everything. Try it.

#adimus #dogtraining #kimandzilla