Subscribe Feed (RSS)How To Stop Most Dog Behavior Problems In Three Minutes Or Less
August 16th, 2007 by admin | Filed under Uncategorized.If you’d like a simple way to correct almost any dog behavior problem — without frustration or spending a fortune on formal dog training — then this article will show you how.
Check this out:
My dad recently adopted an extremely well-behaved Airedale Terrier named Sophia.
Sophia is hands down them most obedient and well-behaved dog we’d ever seen.
Except for one thing.
When my dad gives Sophia a “frosty paw” treat (i.e. little canine versions of ice cream cups) she tries to eat the plastic cup when she’s finished.
And when my dad tries to take the plastic cup away… Sophia growls.
“What do you think I should do about this?” he asked.
Here’s what I suggested:
Next time Sophia growls, for any reason, he should immediately lock her in an empty room alone.
That’s it.
No yelling, threatening or “acting tough” necessary.
In fact, if he does this one (extremely simple) thing every time she growls chances are she’ll straighten out real quick.
Why does this work?
Because the worst thing you can do to a dog is socially isolate him.
Dogs HATE being alone.
They need to feel they belong — as part of the pack.
And when you isolate them for a few minutes right when they mess up, you send a strong message that if they continue to do what they just did, they’ll be cut off from everyone else.
Incidentally, “doggy daycare” centers do this all the time.
If a dog is misbehaving, they isolate that dog for a few minutes with a “time out.”
And it works beautifully.
Now, there are two things you must know before doing this.
1. You must isolate them IMMEDIATELY after they mess up.
Dogs have short attention spans.
And if you try to correct them for something they did an hour or two hours ago, they have already forgotten what the “crime” is.
In their minds, you are punishing them for whatever activity they’re doing right now (good or bad).
This can set you back months in training if they are behaving themselves when you isolate them.
2. You only have to isolate them for a few minutes.
That’s enough to get the message across.
Anyway, next time your dog misbehaves simply isolate him in a room for a few minutes.
It may not solve the problem the first time.
But eventually he’ll understand, and you won’t have to correct him anymore.
Ben Settle is the author of nodogbones.com/ “Why You Should Never Give Your Dog A Bone… And Other Secrets Of The World’s Healthiest, Happiest And Most Well-Behaved Dogs” and often appears on radio shows to discuss dog-related topics. You can find more of Ben’s dog secrets today at nodogbones.com/ nodogbones.com
Tags: airedale terrier, dog trainingRelated posts
Tags: airedale terrier, dog training
