UNDERSTANDING PROBLEM SOLVING

It seems like when you hear people talk about animal behavior, it's all about what happens when the animal does something right, or what happens when the animal is correct. We all know that when the animal does something right, he normally gets a reward. But what about when the animal does something wrong or develops bad behaviors? In addition, it seems like more times than not, when pet owners first get their dog, they find their dog doing more things wrong than right. How a new pet owner responds to an animal doing something incorrectly, or developing a bad behavior, can have a huge impact on his or her relationship their pet.

Remember that a bad behavior is just something that an animal has developed over time. If an owner has been unaware of it, the behavior can now escalate and grow into something that happens a few times a week, or even every day. And of course, the longer the animal has had the problem, the more difficult it is to correct. This is why I always tell new pet owners especially to be aware of minor behavior problems with their dog early on, so they can catch them before they have a chance to develop into major behavioral problems. The biggest reason that most people have major behavioral problems with their dog is that they were not aware that they had a minor behavior problem early on. It always seems like, if they had been aware of the problem as it began to develop, it would have been a lot easier to correct and eliminate.

The solution is to get to know your dog and be aware. It's amazing the behavior problems you can catch early!

HOUSEBREAKING

A dog relieving himself in the house is probably the most common of all the behavioral issues a new owner may have from his pet. When a dog is brought into a new home he will almost always want to relieve himself, and then repeat the same behavior in the same area of the home. This is why the biggest mistake a new pet owner can make is to let his dog roam free in the house the second he brings him home. Think about this from your dog’s perspective. If you let him loose to roam free in your house the minute you bring him home, why would he not relieve himself in the house? He hasn’t been taught any differently and honestly that big white porcelain bowl is something to drink out of, isn’t it?

A BIG MISTAKE

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to do something negative to your dog when he has urinated or defecated in the house. It's history. And you have to move on and learn from it. You have learned that you cannot give your dog the opportunity to be loose in that area unsupervised. Anything you do negatively is an absolute waste of time, and will only jeopardize your relationship with your dog. Remember, like a child, your dog, and even more so if he is a puppy, needs your loving direction. This is why I highly recommend crate training.

CRATE TRAINING

The whole idea behind CRATE TRAINING is simply to not give your dog the opportunity to develop the behavior of relieving himself on your wool carpet or Brazilian cherry wood floor in the first place. Unlike people, most dogs are quite comfortable in dens or areas that are confined, like a crate. Although a dog might whine or bark initially, he should eventually become comfortable in there.

A QUICK TIP ON CRATE TRAINING:

Start putting something in the crate that your dog likes such as a small piece of his favorite treat. Condition your dog into staying in the crate for longer periods of time each day. Over the course of time, the animal will eventually be conditioned to stay in the crate long enough to feel comfortable sleeping in it overnight.

Remember, most of all, housebreaking is a behavior that BEGINS OUTSIDE.