Dog Obedience Training - Punishment is Not the Answer for Bad Dog Behavior!

Some people mistakenly think that kind and firm solutions reward their dogs for bad behavior and that the only way a dog can learn is to suffer. More often than not, the "solution" for the dog's misbehavior is really misplaced anger or a desire to hurt the dog for hurting you. That's what happened with Francie, who left her new puppy Cody, an American Eskimo dog (a very attached breed who needs attention), home alone for long hours while she went to work. Her little dog was bored and teething, so he entertained himself by chewing on Francie's shoes. Little did he know that his entertainment would make his mom so angry. When Francie walked in and saw one of her $200 shoes in Cody's mouth, she saw red. She pulled the shoe away from him and hit him with it over and over, yelling, "No, no, no! Bad dog, bad dog!" Cody slunk away with his tail between his legs and hid under a chair. Francie grabbed him and threw him outside saying, "You think about what a bad boy you've been." Right!

If Francie thought her dog training methods would stop Cody from chewing on her shoes because she "taught him a lesson," she was soon disabused of the notion when, the next day, he chewed another pair of her best shoes. No amount of yelling and hitting seemed to get through to the little pup.

The Pup Parenting Plan was very simple for Francie.


The dog behavior that bothers me: Chewed up shoes.

Why change is needed: Shoes are expensive and I can't afford to keep replacing them.

The mistake I am making: Every one of them. I am reactive, disrespectful, punitive, and I talk too much. When she stepped back and looked at the problem objectively, she knew that chewing a shoe is not bad dog behavior. It is normal dog behavior. The faulty behavior is leaving the shoe in the dog's reach in the first place. Francie could see that it does not make sense to punish a dog for normal dog behavior, nor does it make sense to assume a dog will learn from punishment. Have you noticed that most pooch parents initially respond just the way Francie did? They punish their dogs for chewing the shoe instead of simply removing their shoes from the dog's path.

A list of possible solutions: I don't have to brainstorm for a list of solutions. It's obvious that I must keep my shoes out of sight and provide appropriate chew toys. Instead of brainstorming, she acted:

She went to the store and found a shoe rack that hung on the back of her closet door and put all of her shoes in the rack.

She also bought a lot of soft stuffed animals at the secondhand store and set them out for Cody to chew. Each animal cost 50 cents — a bargain compared to her shoes. Francie tried rawhide strips, but Cody never liked chewing on them. He preferred something soft, like the shoes, so the stuffed animals were a great substitute and a much better solution than releasing all one's anger at a dog.

Choose a solution and follow through: Having a well-thought-out plan made it easy for Francie to follow through. She kept her shoes out of Cody's sight, and she never lost another shoe.
Try to imagine what your dog is thinking while being swatted with the shoe. Do you think he is thinking, "Thank you for caring about me so much that you want to hurt me to teach me right from wrong"? It is more likely that your dog is hurt and totally confused -- but amazingly, still loves you.

Francie didn't feel good about hitting Cody and yelling at him. She shook her head at how much she and Cody had suffered because she didn't take the time to think the problem through. She liked herself a lot better when she was less angry and had a respectful plan. Kind and firm proactive pooch parenting was much more her style.

If Cody could talk, what would he say? "I loved the game that Francie used to play with me. I would chew her shoe, she would give me lots of attention, I got to go outside and play in the yard, and when I came back in, she had already left another shoe for me to chew. Oh well, now I have my own special toys to play with.

Please Don't Bite My Blue Suede Shoes!

Excerpt from the book Pup Parenting
by Lynn Lott, Jane Nelsen and Therry Jay

Dog Training Tips: Dealing with Dog Separation Anxiety

Dog separation anxiety is a major problem with many dog owners. Out of all of the dog behavioral problems out there, anxiety forms a big chunk of the pie. Why do dogs become anxious and what can we, as owners, do about it? The answer requires some study and research, but in a summary, here is what I feel that you can do to help your dog's problems. Good luck and follow these steps.

Got an anxious dog?
You won't if you just...A dog that is left alone for long periods of time is obviously going to be lonely. This is very easy to combat. Do not leave the dog alone for so long. There, that didn't take rocket science did it? If you are not able to keep your pet company throughout the day, simply leave the television or radio on. The animal needs to know that something is there other than itself. Loneliness is one of the easier issues with anxiety.

Many pets cannot comprehend that your leave will mean a return (hopefully). For dogs and cats, an owner who has left is a very fearful thing, until they learn your routine. How can you train your dog to know that you are only going for a short period of time and that it is ok to be left alone? I will touch upon that in a second but first, what are some other signs your dog is anxious?

Signs of separation anxiety include a number of other related behaviors. Chewing, peeing on the rug, trying to dig under the door, and barking are normally the most found side effects of dog anxiety. If you come home and can see any of these signs, you will know that your dog is becoming anxious. Take the steps needed to prevent the behavior from getting worse.

You can train your dog to live on its own for a while by not being so cozy with the pet whenever you leave the house. What I mean by this is to not have a long drawn out good-bye session with pooch. It will make the dog think that you are praising it for whining and being anxious. Leave the house without saying a word. Make sure to leave food and water for your pet, as well as a couple of its favorite toys. Toys can keep an animal occupied for longer than you may think.

It is also suggested to confine the dog to a certain portion of your house. The reason for this is that you do not want an unruly dog to have the rule of the house. Upon your return, you may not recognize the place. So with that said, make sure to leave the dog in a room or in a crate. I would suggest a room if that is possible.

These are just a few tips that you can use to help combat this behavior your dog may be experiencing. It is also very important to practice leaving the room, house, or place where your dog stays, as a dog training method. The more your dog realizes that it is alright to be left alone, the less anxiety you will see from it (if this is the only problem). Give your dog training time a few weeks and you should see a great improvement in your pet's behavior.

Excerpted from DogTrainingGuide.Org