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Good Timing Creates Better Results With
Dog Training
Imagine
you just finished grilling a beautiful
filet mignon steak. You realize that you
forgot the steak sauce, so you walk away
from the table to go to the refrigerator
and get it. Out of the corner of your
eye, you see your dog staring at the
steak, walking straight toward it while
salivating as if you’d served it to him
in his dog bowl!
When do you think is a good time to
correct your dog by telling him “no” and
putting him into a down/stay position?
While he’s definitely thinking of
stealing the meat? Or not until after
he’s already taken it and run off with
it in his drooly mouth?
In the above scenario, it seems obvious
that it would be best to stop your dog
before he actually takes the steak. One
of the reasons I love to use this
example is because of its obvious
simplicity.
However, similar timing is also
applicable to many other situations. It
is always best to redirect your dog into
a more appropriate behavior before he
gets to the full extent of the bad
behavior, as long as you’re certain he’s
thinking of doing it.
To clarify, another example would be a
dog who barks and pulls when he sees
other dogs. If you’re walking your dog
and he sees another dog, assumes a
“stalking” posture and is staring at the
approaching dog, it is certain that if
you don’t correct him, he will escalate
into the full-fledged barking/pulling
behavior. Instead, you can tell your dog
“no” and get his attention back on you
as soon as the staring begins.
There are a multitude of other scenarios
to which this applies… you just have to
use your imagination. Is your dog
definitely planning on jumping on the
visitors? Probably yes, if he’s all
excited, hopping around and acting like
a madman while they’re walking up your
path. Is he definitely going to rifle
through the trash? Probably yes, if he’s
sniffing the garbage can, licking its
edges and has done this before. No need
to wait until he’s already strewn the
coffee grinds, banana peels and raw
chicken wrappers all over the kitchen.
Redirecting your dog as soon as the
thoughts or feelings are occurring to
him can be an excellent way to solve
behavioral issues. By not waiting until
your dog is fully in the throes of
barking, or until after he’s received
the “reward” of licking the chicken
wrappers, behaviors can be redirected
much more quickly and effectively.
Beware that it is very important to be
careful that you are reading your dog’s
body language correctly. For example, if
you have a puppy who is circling around
on the living room carpet, it’s possible
that he is getting ready to have an
accident. However, dogs also circle
around when they’re simply getting ready
to lay down and you wouldn’t want to
correct him for that. Get to know your
pet and be sure you’re reading him
correctly before moving forward with
your educational exercises.
With a little effort, you can read your
dog’s body language and head off
problems before they escalate, resulting
in a more well-behaved pet, fewer
incidents along the way and problems
solved much more quickly.
Article written by Lori Verni
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