Stop allowing your dog to behave badly

When a dog (or a human child) does something it shouldn’t do, it can be cute and funny. (Otherwise, it’s definitely neither.) When that happens, it’s tempting to laugh, laugh, or just encourage people to keep doing it. But, of course, this is the opposite of what you are supposed to do.

And while certain situations are a pretty clear example of rewarding you Bad behavior of dogsLike giving chewing treats to prevent barking, in other cases they may motivate them to act unnoticed.Here are some ways you might encourage your dog to develop Unwanted habitsWhen What to do instead..

How to enable bad behavior in dogs

Let’s say your dog doesn’t stop barking. Perhaps it’s not necessary to say that giving them treats and toys to calm them only encourages them to bark more.

But according to Dr. MindywaitCertified Dog Behavior Consultant SeniorTailWaggers.comScolding the dog or otherwise paying attention to it also intensifies unwanted behavior, especially if the dog interprets your reaction as part of play. Another example is giving a dog a toy to “distract” from problem behaviors such as jumping.

“During Covid, this was a particular problem for owners who were zoom-calling all day and were essentially caught by barking dogs,” Wait. Tell Lifehacker. “They couldn’t always ignore the barking during a call, so the barking behavior during a zoom call worsened over time as the owner continued to strengthen the dog to stop barking.”

How to improve your dog’s behavior (and yours)

In general, your best option is to know why your dog is engaged in a particular behavior, and more specifically, what that behavior brings to them, Weight says. .. For example, are they barking because they need attention? Or for you to play with them? Or are they hungry and want food?Or want toy?

“Any of the above behaviors can be maintained by a combination of various fortifiers such as food, attention, toys, walks, etc. Therefore, the interventions that the owner needs to perform are not behavior-specific. No, it’s tailored for that reason. Dogs are working on problem behaviors, “Weight explains.

Once you understand why your dog behaves that wayThe next step is to provide them with a more polite way to get the reinforcements they want. But don’t just ignore them, Waits says. It can make it worse, as it often makes it even harder for dogs to get your attention. The reinforcement they want.

“It may be okay for the dog to turn his attention and step in instead of opening and barking, or instead of jumping, he may be trained to play a game of pulling immediately with a toy. I can do it.” Weights explain.. “Or it might be okay to reinforce the dog to jump, but only when you’re in the backyard and ready to play.”