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Q&A: When the Behavior Itself Is the Reward
Q: Help! I rescued a two-year-old neutered Aussie about six months ago. He seems to be a nice dog. He is sweet and non- confrontational, but I can’t seem to teach him anything. He wants nothing to do with dog treats or human food, or toys. I would at least like to get him to walk on a loose leash so we could enjoy going for a walk. He gets too stressed when I use any training collars. What can I do to get him to slow down?
A: Let’s start with something you know he likes to do and use it in your training. You know he likes to go forward, and he knows that pulling gets that for him. You want him to learn not to pull, so let’s change his association with it. Instead of always going forward when he pulls, stop when he pulls instead. When the tension is loose on the leash, then move forward. Over time he should start associating tension on leash = stop, no tension on leash = forward. His reward for not pulling is to go forward.
Another idea is to stop and then back up so that he has to turn and come back to you each time. Don’t yank on the leash, just move him back towards you. It does mean there will be tension on the leash, but the tension will not be because he is moving away from you, only for him moving towards you. It can be a slow process with a rescue dog, but as you succeed with one issue, it helps you deal with others.
Q: I work at a shelter and have a question about a large dog we have in the kennel. He has no connection with people. and we are having a hard time finding something he will work for. Understandably, he wants out of the kennel, so one of the biggest challenges is getting into his kennel to put on a leash and head halter. Since he is large, it’s easy for him to just plow into the kennel door. One of the kennel techni- cians got hurt when he pushed the door into her. He is very strong! He wants nothing to do with food, so we can’t use it, either for a distraction to get him away from the door or as a motivation to get him to sit before we open the door. If we
by Meredith Lunn, CDBC, Behavior Editor
can’t get him to cooperate, we can’t let him out of the kennel. What can we do?
A: You already have something he wants and it should be enough motivation for him to work for it. You can use his wanting to leave the kennel as the reward for being calm and letting you in his kennel without door dashing. If he does not push to get out, then he will be able to get out.
Start to open the door and when he tries to push it open, close it. I highly recommend you place a foot a couple of inches away from the door to help stop it so you have more control in how far the door opens. This can prevent you from getting hit in the head or face as he rushes the door. You may have to repeat opening and closing it several times before he exerts some self-control. Most dogs will figure it out and throw different behaviors to see what works. Some even back up to give plenty of room for the handler to enter the kennel and put on the leash.
Be prepared for an increase in his frustration level when you do this. When he realizes that the door is not opening all the way to let him out, he might push harder, bark, whine, jump up on the door, etc. This is called an extinction burst. Once he sees that those actions won’t get him out the door, he will try something else. If you feel he is not calming down and his frustration continues, stop the exercise. Although this tech- nique has a high success rate, it is not the only one for this issue, so please contact me again if you would like to discuss the other options.
This article is intended for informational purposes only. USASA and Meredith Lunn take no responsibility for any behavior or training issues you may have with your dog. Please contact a qualified pro- fessional with any of your training or behavior concerns.
November/December 2009 The Australian Shepherd Journal 33