Plenty in Life is Free by Kathy Sdao

Author:Kathy Sdao
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Dogs
Publisher: Dogwise
Published: 2012-03-26T22:00:00+00:00

It’s worth pointing out one other bit of environmental engineering my clients often resist. Large windows facing a busy sidewalk are an attractive nuisance for many dogs. It’s here that they while away their days, repeatedly lunging and barking at passersby (i.e., strangers, dogs, bicycles, delivery personnel). Don’t facilitate this hobby. Until your dog has learned an acceptable replacement behavior, it’s best to block her view. Use blinds, thick paper, plywood, or as one of my clients did, aluminum foil. (Remember, it’s temporary.) If your dog is using a piece of furniture as a perch to get a better look, move it away. Or keep her out of the room with the window by shutting the door or gating it off. Also, provide some other form of entertainment for your dog than practicing her “intruder alert and repel” trick.

Which behaviors to See, Mark and Reward

Before you can See, Mark and Reward your dog’s good behaviors, you need some idea of what those behaviors look like. I ask clients to name three or four actions––not attitudes, not vagaries, not “deaddog behaviors” (i.e., things a dead dog can “do” such as not barking or not pulling on leash)––they want to see their dog do more often. I say, “Imagine your dog is being good, however you and your family define this. What exactly is he doing?”

For dogs staying in my house for any length of time (my own newly-adopted dogs or clients’ dogs whom I occasionally board), here is the short list of behaviors I try to See, Mark and Reward from the first day, in general order of priority:

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