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Would You Bring a
Wild Animal Into Your Home?
Chances
are, you wouldn’t consider bringing a
wild animal into your home. After all,
if you caught a squirrel and brought it
into your house to live, you probably
wouldn’t be surprised if it chewed your
couch, ate your plants or pooped on your
rug. As a wild animal who normally lives
outside, a squirrel simply wouldn’t know
any better and would do whatever
instinctively comes to it.
So how does this relate to dog training?
After all, this is a dog behavior web
site! The thing is, the same is true for
any animal that normally lives outdoors
and you then bring inside, including
dogs.
Some pet owners choose to have their dog
live outside the majority of the time
for any number of reasons. Perhaps this
is the way dogs have always been cared
for in their family, or maybe they feel
it’s nicer for the dog to enjoy the
outdoors as much as possible. As long as
food, water, shelter, veterinary care
and attention are given to the dog on a
regular basis, this may not seem like a
problem at all.
However for most people, there will be
times when they do want to bring their
dog indoors. Many families leave their
dog out while they’re at work, but want
to bring him in at night. Others bring
their dog in only when weather becomes
extreme.
The problem is, unless you’ve brought
your dog inside and taught him the rules
of the house on a regular basis, he will
not know how he’s expected to behave
indoors. He may do the same things as
any untrained animal, including chewing
the couch, eating the plants and pooping
on the rug.
Unsupervised behavior outdoors often
leads to dogs who chew bushes, dig holes
and don’t have the muscle control to
“hold in” their business. Not
surprisingly, this can lead to a dog who
does the same things indoors… he simply
may not know any differently.
Often, this leads to a cycle where the
dog doesn’t behave when inside, so he’s
left outside. The more he’s outside, the
less he behaves inside. If this is the
case, the cycle can be broken by working
with your dog on some obedience commands
and manners.
In the beginning, you may need to use
your dog’s leash when he’s inside to
help control him and teach what’s
appropriate. For example, if he tries to
leap up onto the sofa, you can tell him
“no,” prevent him from getting on, and
have him “sit” next to it instead. Be
sure to follow with lavish praise when
he’s doing the right thing.
The examples could go on and on, with
the basic principle being to
prevent/correct inappropriate behaviors
and redirect/teach the ones that you
want. Remember, if your dog doesn’t
spend enough supervised time inside, he
simply will not know how to behave!
Working with a professional trainer in
your home can be very helpful as well.
By putting in a little work now, your
“wild animal” can soon be the gentle,
domesticated pet you originally
envisioned!
Article written by Lori Verni
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