Dog Behavior

We all want wonderfully behaved pets, but it doesn’t happen on its own just because we wish it.  It takes time and effort to create the kind of pet and relationship you want. Here are some basic principles that can help you have a better behaved pet.

• Have realistic expectations about your pet. No matter how good your pet is, things will get peed on, chewed or scratched/dug up. Barking / meowing, door dashing and/or pulling on the leash can happen with even the best animal.  Accept the fact that pets are living beings and not china dolls to sit in the corner.  If you have a pet, some time during his/her life, you will loose something of value. 
• To change behavior you have to be patient and persistent.  Change will not happen over night.  Sometimes it can take weeks or months to change behavior.  The more time you spend and the more often you work with your pet the quicker the change. Despite what some books say, most puppies can’t be housetrained in 7 days.
• Recognize and meet your pet’s behavioral needs.  Pets have needs for exercise, social contact with people and other animals and mental stimulation. Problem-solving toys, can provide mental stimulation. Games such as ‘find the hidden object’ and competitive events such as agility can provide all three. 
• Make it easy for your pet to do the right thing.  Arrange the environment so that the behavior you want is easily produced. The more often desirable behavior happens the stronger it becomes. For example, minimize distractions when you’re trying to teach your pet something new. Put scratching posts where they are easy for your cat to find and use. 
• Make it difficult for your pet to do the wrong thing.  Arrange the environment so it is hard for your pet to make mistakes.  The more often unwanted behavior happens the harder it is to change.  Close the blinds to keep your dog from barking at those that pass by.  Scoop out your cats’ litter boxes every day.
• Realize that animals don’t do things out of spite, for revenge or just to make your life miserable. They do what works – that is, what meets their behavioral needs, gets them rewards or allows them to escape or avoid bad things. They sometimes do some things because they are ill.  Dogs counter surf because they occasionally hit the jackpot of a sandwich or chicken leg.  Cats sometimes pee out of the box because they are sick even when they don’t act sick.

You can learn more about the things to do to have a better behaved dog in our book “Raising a behaviorally healthy puppy”, and our booklets for dogs of any age, “What dogs need and how they think” and “76 Ways to get your dog to do what you want.”

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