Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training teaches four sets of skills for life enhancement. This is the third video installment in a series in progress that aims to teach DBT’s valuable skills from a peer perspective and to make such learning easily accessible and without the burden of excessive costs.
- Sep 17, 2020 How to Stop Dog Marking Behaviors. While urine marking can be frustrating and upsetting for dog owners, it's a completely normal behavior for dogs.v161536b01. 8 September 2020. Your dog may mark if it's anxious, excited, or curious.
- If you pet them, look at them, or do anything except ignoring them, you teach them that whining works. To stop it, turn your back when they whine, fold your arms and look away, or leave the room. Pet and play with them when they aren’t whining.
- Working on redirecting the bitey behavior by having different textured toys works very well for us. Bitey behavior usually improves around the time a puppies adult teeth come in around 5-6 months old. Also, our friends over at Puppy In Training have a pretty good post about stopping puppy biting and nipping. Hopefully that helps.
If there is one thing every dog loves, it is a good chase. Although natural, chasing behaviors can be a nuisance and sometimes dangerous or even fatal.
Do you have a dog in which the chase drive is so strong that once he engages – bang! he’s gone? Does your dog chase cats? Does he chase deer, livestock, chickens, squirrels, and everything else that moves? Does your dog chase cars or bicycles?
If you answered yes to any of these, you’re probably reading this because you would like to eliminate that behavior. Yet it seems that once he gives chase, there is no stopping him.
Or is there?
Why Dogs Chase
Canine behaviorists agree that chasing behavior stems from an innate predatory impulse. In fact, many breeds are bred for this very trait like herding dogs and some terriers for example.
Plus, every dog owner knows that dogs enjoy chasing. A strong drive is usually a desired trait that can be expressed in playful or useful activities.
For untrained dogs, chase drive can result in dangerous behaviors such as chasing cars. Canines are hardwired to chase, so training can go out the window when a squirrel or cat dashes by. Livestock and neighbors pets can be killed when owners lose control over their dogs.
What Do Dogs Chase?
Dogs can chase anything that moves. Sometimes it is not a big deal, like chasing something blowing in the wind on a field is unlikely to be dangerous. Many dogs like to chase a ball or stick but again this is safe and part of thier natural behaviour.
But your dog chasing cars on the other hand could put your pup in grave danger.
If a dog chases a cat or anotther dog there is potential danger as one or more of the animals could end up running onto a raod or be injured during the chase.
Owner Responsibility
As caretakers of our pets, it is our responsibility to contain and control our pets. We must not expect our dogs to cease exhibiting normal dog behavior.
Attempting to eradicate what is instinctual may result in a more disturbing or neurotic behavior. Instead we can train our dogs to engage in safe chasing activities such as retrieving games, flying disc, or other controlled activities.
A Solution to Problem Chasing
Most chasing behavior problems can be solved with a remote training collar and a simple training method. A remote collar, sometimes called a shock collar or electric collar (e-collar) is a multi-purpose training tool for both teaching behaviors you want your dog to do, such as obedience commands and for eliminating unwanted behaviors. E-collars are equipped with two anodes that emit a controllable electronic shock via remote.
- Determining Stimulation Level: Variable settings allow the trainer to use only the level of stimulation needed. Each dog is different depending on size, breed, and individual sensitivity level. The first step is to determine the correct stimulation level to use. To do this begin with the lowest and see how your pet responds. Increase the level until it is apparent that Wags notices the sensation but is not hurt. If your dog just sits there it is too low, if he yelps or becomes upset it is too high.
- Recall Reliability: Your pet should be well trained and reliable for whatever command you use for recall. This is crucial. Your pet must understand that he is to come to you when called. If the recall is not solid, continue training that before attempting to address chase behaviors. Work close in at first then gradually advance to greater distances and finally to situations where your dog is likely to be distracted and refuse to come. Call your dog and begin tapping the remote to stimulate the collar, when Wags turns and comes toward you stop tapping. If he continues to ignore the command increase the level as you tap. Eventually, with a few or perhaps many repetitions, your dog will return you when called.
- How to Stop Critter Chasing: Once the recall is solid you are ready to start working on the particular chase behavior your dog exhibits, If the primary problem you are having is squirrel chasing, for example, you will want to be in an area where there are squirrels. Work with a long line to insure that your pet does not get away. Give access to the area and wait for the distraction. When Wags starts after the critter, call him and begin tapping on the remote. Make sure he has lots of opportunities to chase so that you have many chances to control his behavior. Repetition is key.
- How to Stop Vehicle Chasing: If your dog likes to chase cars or bicycles you will need to enlist a helper. Again you will want to begin by working with a long line and if possible, work behind a fence for safety. Have your helper ride past and the moment Wags starts to chase, begin tapping. Increase the intensity rapidly if necessary. With car chasing, which is extremely dangerous, you want to make sure he gets the message that going after it will cause a lot of discomfort. Repeat the exercise daily, until you pet gets to a stage where he will ignore bicyclists, or passing cars.
- Preventative Actions: Also learn to spot the signals that your dog is about to give chase; he may smell the critter first and lift his nose to sniff, or he may hear the rabbit in the bushes and cock his head with ears twitching. If you observe his behavior carefully you will find that often dogs are engaged even before they see the animal and bolt. When you see the signs that your pet is about to give chase, call him and tap the remote trainer until he starts to come toward you.
A Final Word on Remote Training
Restrict all access to whatever triggers your dog’s chasing behavior unless you are training. This is extremely important. Your pet must learn that every time he engages in the particular chase behavior there is discomfort. If you are not consistent your dog may become confused about why and when he is corrected causing the training to be ineffective.
September 29 2015As Bark Busters dog trainers, we have heard about virtually every type of dog training method out there. Many of these methods can do more harm to your dog in the long term than good. So let's look at some of the things you should avoid when addressing your dog's unwanted behavior.
Never Use Pain.
Dogs, like humans, will make mistakes, and don't deserve to suffer pain or experience physical corrections as a consequence.
Your Bark Busters trainer will never recommend for you to use shock collars, prong collars, or any other device that would cause your dog pain or discomfort. In regards to physical corrections, even if you don't actually hit your dog, techniques like 'alpha rolling', or pin downs, etc. teaches your dog bad habits which they may try to replicate with other dogs and/or even children. Using a physical means to control/correct your dog may cause them to loose trust in hands and therefore become defensive. Remember that dogs are not born aggressive-- it is a learned behavior that can result from improper socialization, poor training methods, history and more.'Scruffing', holding your dog's mouth closed, pushing and even collar grabs, while not malicious, can also cause problems.
Never Yell Or Use Your Dog's Name as Punishment. The Bark Busters training method succeeds in part due to 'speaking dog'. This is communication using body language and tone to teach your dog new behaviors. Do not scream at your dog as this flies in the face of what you feel like doing. Yelling at your dog does not work because it will just get him more stressed or it will only increase his energy level and how excited he is about the situation. Instead, your Bark Busters dog trainer can teach you how to use a calm yet firm voice to refocus your dog and to teach the desired behavior.
If you have children, you are probably used to yelling at them - 'Jimmy, stop that right now!' In the case of a child, Jimmy knows you are angry with him, as he has been identified by his name; however, with a dog, using his name has the opposite effect, as it actually adrenalizes the dog. So when Rover's owner yells, 'Rover, be quiet!' -- guess what? Rover keeps on barking . . . longer and louder. Ironically, he is doing so in a misguided effort to try and please you! And, you don't want your dog's name to carry a negative association, so that he won't avoid responding when he hears it. Only use your dog's name for positive situations.
Never correct them after a bad incident has happened. Many of us have walked into our home only to find that the dog has torn apart your sofa cushions or had a toileting 'accident'. Your first thought is to yell and correct the 'bad dog'. Remember that dogs don't necessarily have long term memories. Their behavior is all about cause and effect. If you correct them after the fact, they will not associate your correction with the bad act. Refocusing your dog must be immediate, when your dog is thinking about making a mistake, or when he is in the act of unwanted behavior. If they do a good thing (like sitting on command) and you immediately praise them, they will associate the sitting with the positive kudos and are more inclined to do it the next time around.
Avoid direct eye contact/ stare. The final technique governs the use of direct eye contact, and if you study groups of dogs, you will see repeated instances of when eye contact is either withdrawn or avoided. Again, the rule here is the antithesis of human behavior.
Just imagine your 14-year old son 'borrowed' your car one day. When making your point to the teenager that this must never, ever, happen again, and explaining the consequences of his misbehavior, the natural tendency would be for you to be making full-on eye contact just to emphasize how deadly serious you were about the whole episode.
Anything To Stop The Paindialectical Behavioral Training Program
However, that direct eye contact is seen by your dog as a threatening gesture which can make your dog question your intentions. Fear can set in leading to an instinctual fight or flight response from your dog. While you may want to look assertive at times, appearing threatening to your dog will not help you achieve the balance of love, trust and bond that you want with your pet.
Stop The Pain For Horses
Finally, a word or two of advice about praising your dog which is highly encouraged when refocusing your dog results in a change to good behavior. Here, by all means, DO involve both their name and soft eye-contact, and if you have lowered your body posture to deliver this praise and draw the dog toward you for a pet, then he is absolutely sure he is being congratulated, rather than corrected. Praise delivered in this fashion is far more appreciated by Rover than any treat on the planet.