Don’t Pat Your Dog!
The other day at the puppy class I run, I came across an angry little boy named Carter. Despite being only 12 weeks old, this little fellow snapped and growled at the other pups.
The class had not even started, yet tension amongst the owners was high. This was understandable – they were nervous because this little pup was menacing their own beloved pups. I must admit, I was taken aback. It was the first time I’d ever come across this behaviour in such a young dog.
What could I do to reassure the class? What could I do to help Carter? As I observed Carter being patted by his owner, I realised that Carter was being rewarded for this behaviour. I immediately said to Carter’s owner “Don’t pat your dog!” The owner, to her credit, immediately stopped because she understood my message: Carter was taking her pats to mean that his behaviour was appropriate.
If you were to ask Carter why he was growling at the other puppies, he’d say “I snap and growl because that’s my way of dealing with a new and scary situation. I am afraid and so my threatening behaviour keeps the other dogs away. I keep myself safe. Besides, my owner is showing me that this is okay because she is patting me.”
I explained to the class that communication with your dog should be clear and simple; that pats are a sign of approval and therefore should not be used to soothe a dog that is behaving badly. Although humans understand the subtle contrast between being soothed and rewarded, dogs don’t quite get the difference.
I then showed Carter’s owner how to effectively and humanely correct her dog when he growled at the other puppies.
Within minutes Carter was calm and by the end of the class he was (tentatively) mingling with his classmates. It was a small, but gratifying, win.
Have you accidentally rewarded your dog for bad behaviour?
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Mia Montagliani, known by her clients as "The Aussie Dog Whisperer", is a highly sought after expert in dog training. Discover how you can apply the same techniques as professional dog trainers to improve your dog's behaviour by downloading Mia's complimentary dog training guides and video. Don't forget to follow Mia on Facebook.
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