
04/19/2025
I see so many owners getting caught up in excessive and unhelpful rumination about their dog’s behavior — where it’s coming from, why it’s happening, and what they should or shouldn’t do about it.
This causes many to miss critical moments where they could be offering helpful feedback to their dogs; making profound improvements to their behavior and enhancing overall relationship dynamics.
The “Behavioral Decision Making Matrix” is a simple guide for those who find themselves getting caught up (frozen) in the many questions their mind’s present when their dog does *something* they have feelings about, but are unsure how to proceed, and it enables them to quickly make evaluations, decisions, find clarity, and take action if needed.
A few things to clarify.
When I say is the behavior “healthy”, that means is the behavior healthy for all involved? That means you, the world your dog will interact with, and your dog itself. You’ll have to do the work (emotionally and intellectually) to ensure your version of healthy is actually that — and best to figure this out in advance.
When I say is the behavior “desired”, that means by you. Yes, you will have to take responsibility for determining what is desired, and you will often have to deny your dog what they desire in order to best serve them and you and everyone else. Someone has to be the arbiter of what is and isn’t desired, and that’s a job best taken on by the human. This doesn’t mean become a tyrant and the destroyer of all that is enjoyable, but it does mean you’re entitled and responsible for making this decision.
As for allowing, disallowing, reward, and punishment, a few things. Often allowing is more than enough for a behavior (positive or negative) to be reinforced, with or without reward. Also, there are many times when actual rewards are not only unnecessary, but also overkill and counterproductive — and there are times when actually rewarding is very helpful. As for punishment, I’m using the operant conditioning definition, so don’t let your emotions get you rankled. Look it up if you don’t know.
Hope this helps. :)