The Dog Owners' Most Powerful Tool and How to Use It

There is one thing that dog owners have total control over that can make a HUGE difference in their dogs' behavior - their attention. Read on to learn how to leverage this simple concept to make you dog's behavior the best it can be.

Being a highly social species, most dogs love attention and affection from their owners. Dogs easily learn to obtain attention in a variety of appropriate AND inappropriate ways. Some of the more common nuisance behaviors in dogs, such as jumping, mouthing, barking, and whining are maintained by attention from owners. That is, dogs learn to use these behaviors over time because they bring attention from owners, in the form of petting, inviting up into a lap, pushing away, talking, and even reprimanding. Negative attention is still attention, after all! Even just a glance in their direction can be enough attention to reward behavior! One of the most important tools in the dog owner’s toolkit is the use of timeout from attention for unwanted behavior. Owners must train themselves to avoid attending to their dog when he or she is barking, whining, mouthing, or jumping. Instead, the owner must cut off the attention the dog is seeking at that moment. The timeout should be implemented as follows: 1. Each and every time, and as soon as, your dog engages in X problem behavior (as defined by you and your animal trainer or behavior consultant), you should immediately say “No” in a short, firm voice (not yelling) and immediately turn away from your dog. Don’t say your dog’s name – only the “No”. It is essential that your timeout is consistent – it occurs 100% of the time by all family members when the problem behavior occurs, and it is done immediately. A timeout that is delayed by several seconds will not be effective! 2. You must avoid looking at your dog, touching her, or talking to her for at least 10 FULL seconds during the timeout. This means if she jumps on your back or mouths at your pants leg, you must step quickly and silently away to break physical contact with her. In some cases, you may need to step behind a closed door or over a baby gate to ensure no physical contact with your dog for 10 seconds. 3. Each time problem behavior X occurs during the 10-second timeout, you must silently reset your 10-second clock. Do not repeat the “No”, simply go back to 1 and begin silently counting again. This will ensure that it has always been 10 seconds since the last problem behavior occurred before you return to your dog. 4. After 10 seconds without any problem behavior from your dog, return to whatever it was you were doing before the timeout began. If you were playing with your dog before the timeout, continue playing. If you were doing your taxes when the timeout began, return to doing your taxes. In other words, don’t follow timeout with a play session or any other attention if you weren’t already playing with your dog before the timeout began. 5. Always count 10 full “Mississippi” seconds in your head – don’t rush through the timeout. 6. You should not be mad during the timeout. Keep your emotions cool and calm. The timeout is simply a training tool, not a way to get revenge on your dog or make your dog feel bad. Our goal is to teach your dog that problem behavior will not produce attention, while appropriate behavior will. Extinction Burst. Sometimes the removal of attention can lead to a temporary increase in the rate or intensity of the problem behavior. This is known as an extinction burst, and it is crucial that you do not reward the burst. Similar to a child’s tantrum, this might mean a previously jumping dog will run around the room, grab items off the floor, or bark at you when you ignore jumping. It is essential that you do not give in to the extinction burst or you will reward this more intense or destructive behavior, teaching your dog to be even more persistent in his or her attempts to gain attention in inappropriate ways. Instead, hold your ground with the timeout and continue to ignore your dog as described above until 10 seconds have passed since the last problem behavior. Your dog trainer or animal behavior consultant will guide you on what to do if your dog shows an extinction burst that you cannot ignore (e.g., if your dog is destroying household items during the timeout).

Reward the good! You should never use a timeout with your dog without also having a plan in place for the differential reinforcement of good behavior. That means you should always provide attention to your dog when she is being appropriate or "good" throughout the day. Dogs offer so many good behaviors every day that too often go unnoticed. We must catch these behaviors and reward them with praise, affection, and play, or our dogs will learn that good behavior brings them nothing from their owners. This is especially important if you begin the timeout for problem behavior. You don’t want to provide your dog with less attention overall over the course of the day; you simply want to be sure you are giving that attention only while your dog is being good, and not while she is engaging in problem behavior.

To capture good behavior with reinforcement, you should plan to catch your dog at least 10 times a day being good. That is, find her when she is resting calmly, chewing a toy, sitting by your feet, walking by happily, or laying on her dog bed staring out the window, for example. Go to her and provide 1-2 minutes of attention, petting, praise, belly rubs, or toy play. You can use the chart below to help you remember to catch her in this way at least 10 times a day over the next month. Keep this chart on your fridge and make a tick mark each time you reward your dog for simply being calm – that is, she gets your love and attention for doing almost nothing at all!

If you struggle to remember to reward your dog when s/he is being calm (calm dogs don’t capture our attention naturally), try setting a timer for 15 or 30 minutes. When the timer goes off, go to your dog and provide attention, treats, or play for several seconds. This is a great way to ensure that calm behavior gets rewarded, and therefore, occurs more often!

As always, contact Dr. Woof for assistance in managing your pets' behavior!