10/08/2024
Obviously, there's a lot more to resolving dog behavior problems than what we can fit onto a single sheet of paper, but this illustrated flow chart provides a great overview of the concepts you'll need to resolve almost any dog behavior problem.
And if you do have a dog behavior problem and you're looking for help, we want to help you and we want to help you for FREE:
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As you can see from the flow chart, we have four basic concepts that you'll use.
1. Don't Feed Your Dog From a Regular Food Bowl. If you want to modify your dog's behavior or temperament, there's a very good chance you can use your dog's food to accelerate the training process. You don't have to use all your food in training, but for the food you aren't using in active training, you're much better off feeding from hollow chew toys, snuffle mats or puzzle feeders, all of which will stimulate your dog's brain, give them an enjoyable activity to pass the time, and preserve the value of your dog's food. This is particularly true if your dog has any sort of fear or anxiety-based problem, because food, and lots of it, can be really useful for rehabilitating these problems. Speaking of which...
2. Classical Conditioning. If your dog has a problem that is caused by fear or anxiety (including a lot of reactivity and aggression), then you need to train your dog to FEEL more comfortable, confident, and relaxed in specific situations. Expose your dog to the scary stimulus at a low level that isn't overwhelming, and when you do, give your dog things that they love, like praise, food, play, and good vibes! Put on a big smile and do a happy dance and your dog will start to associate all this good stuff with the stimulus they used to be scared of. Repeat x100! Pretty soon, they'll be looking forward to the used-to-be-scary stimulus appearing, because they know what comes with it.
3. Crate Training. If your dog is getting into trouble when you're not around, your training options are limited. There's a lot you can do to teach and reinforce good habits when you are present and supervising your dog, but you also have to prevent your dog from getting into trouble when you do have to leave them alone, especially if it's the sort of trouble that is going to be self-reinforcing. Teaching your dog to LOVE settling down in their crate makes this easy. You can leave your dog in their crate with a food-filled chew toy so they have something to do, and if you tire them out before hand with some training or play, they'll probably be ready to settle down for a nap. The first step is teaching your dog to LOVE going inside their crate and settling down there and in order to do this, you'll need to be present at first, but once you've achieved this goal it makes managing your dog and keeping them safe much easier. Teaching your dog to LOVE settling down in their crate also makes it easy to resolve Separation Anxiety.
4. Lure Reward Training. Teach your dog to perform useful behaviors on cue, reliably and promptly, in any situation, without the need for lures or special equipment. Teach your dog to understand verbal instructions so you can tell your dog what you want them to do. Motivate your dog so they WANT to listen to you and do what you ask, by rewarding your dog with a variety of truly meaningful rewards (not just food!), and provide the rewards in a manner that is interesting and exciting. Test your dog's comprehension so you have a realistic understanding of what your dog is actually capable of, and in what situations, and so you can measure their progress as you continue to train. Practice in progressively more challenging scenarios until your dog listens to you even when they are off-leash, at a distance, chasing a squirrel or playing with other dogs. Yes, this takes time and lots of practice, but when you make it fun, and you make it into a game, it becomes one of the most enjoyable and rewarding ;-) parts of living with a dog.
Wow, did you really read all this? If so, tell me something about your dog in the comments, what do they do that you like? Or that you dislike? At any rate, you deserve a cookie!
And if you have a dog behavior problem and you'd like help, join the Top Dog Academy today. In one month, using our methods, you can resolve this problem, or your money back.
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Oh, and if you want to download a PDF version of this flow chart, or read more, you can do so here: https://dunbar.info/problemflowchart
