![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.stlouiscrittersitters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/LN_0907_dogs.jpg\" "\\"LN_0907_dogs\\"")
<\/a>Pictured: The Muyco-Tobin dogs: Corky Ann and Rowan Patrick.<\/p><\/div>\n
As the \u2018mother\u2019 of two dogs, I understand when other dog owners proclaim theirs to be the cutest, sweetest around\u2014that\u2019s because mine are.\u00a0 But we dog owners also know that our four-legged \u2018kids\u2019 don\u2019t always behave when they\u2019re suppose to.\u00a0 \u201cYou have to remember that dogs are stuck in a perpetual toddler state,\u201d says Sue Schulze, head trainer and behavior counselor at Kennelwood Pet Resorts.\u00a0 \u201cOnce you train a dog to learn something, usually they learn fast, but some dogs don\u2019t and they constantly test you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schulze explains that often a dog\u2019s behavioral problem is the fault of both owner and pet.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s a miscommunication,\u201d she says.\u00a0 \u201cPeople treat dogs like little people, while dogs treat people like big dogs.\u201d\u00a0 For example, Schulze says when humans greet each other, they are face to face and usually shake hands.\u00a0 But for dogs, it\u2019s a different story.\u00a0 \u201cWhen a dog greets another dog, he comes up from the side and makes no eye contact,\u201d she says.\u00a0 \u201cWhen we greet dogs, we\u2019re actually invading their personal space.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schulze says what humans consider to be behavioral problems such as digging, chewing and aggression are natural dog behaviors in the wild.\u00a0 \u201cIf they race to the door when someone\u2019s there, that\u2019s their territorial and prey drive at work,\u201d she explains.\u00a0 \u201cThey bark because they see the humans \u2018barking\u2019 as well\u2014yelling at the dogs to stay put, screaming for someone to get the door, jumping up from the couch\u2014dogs copy that behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schulze says one way to deal with bad door manners is to have a plan of what you want the dog to do\u2014like sit or stay\u2014when the doorbell rings; don\u2019t try to figure out how you want them to behave when you\u2019re already heading for the door.\u00a0 \u201cIf you control some basic rules that give them structure and let them know you\u2019re in charge, it\u2019ll be easier,\u201d she says.\u00a0 Feeding pets on a schedule is a good way to establish routine.\u00a0 \u201cYou, the top dog, control the food.\u00a0 The top dog gets to eat first.\u00a0 You make them sit and wait,\u201d she says.\u00a0 \u201cYou also control boundaries, like your bed.\u00a0 It\u2019s the \u2018top den,\u2019 and only you can sleep on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
In additional to creating a routine for your pet, it\u2019s also important to reinforce good behavior and not to reward bad behavior.\u00a0 \u201cThe key in animal training is to make sure that whatever you want your pet to do is rewarding and pleasurable for them,\u201d says Tammy Tvetene, president of Critter Sitters.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s no other reason for an animal to do something unless there\u2019s a benefit or a payoff.\u201d\u00a0 But Tvetene notes that many times, pet owners unintentionally reward bad behavior.\u00a0 \u201cIf you have a dog who jumps on people when they come into the house, the person unintentionally rewards the dog by petting it,\u201d she explains.\u00a0 \u201cThe dog now thinks jumping is what he needs to do to get attention.\u00a0 It all goes back to if they experience something good, they\u2019ll repeat it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another common problem usually perpetuated by owners is leash tugging.\u00a0 \u201cWhen they see another dog or a bunny, you\u2019re just getting them worked up by saying, \u2018Oh, look at the bunny!\u2019 Or, \u2018rewarding\u2019 them by taking them to the spot they\u2019re trying to get to,\u201d Tvetene says.\u00a0 \u201cMost dogs are eager to please, you just have to let them know what\u2019s expected of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Letting dogs know what\u2019s expected is easier said than done, but it\u2019s nowhere near impossible.\u00a0 \u201cThe hardest part of my job is training the people, the easiest is training the dogs,\u201d says Megan Atkinson, a certified pet dog trainer with Mutt Management.\u00a0 \u201cUnfortunately, most problems are all about the owners\u2014if they\u2019re not committed to practicing and making the effort, there\u2019s really not a whole lot I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Understanding how dogs learn is a good first step, Atkinson says.\u00a0 \u201cDogs will do what works\u2014all living beings do.\u00a0 They do things that feel good and don\u2019t do things that feel bad,\u201d she says.\u00a0 Pet owners shouldn\u2019t have unrealistic expectations.\u00a0 \u201cWhen they take home a new pet, they just assume it\u2019s going to be good,\u201d Atkinson says.\u00a0 \u201cYou actually need to work at it\u2014some dogs act up just because they\u2019re not getting enough exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n
It all comes down to commitment and patience.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s going to take some communication and education for the humans,\u201d Atkinson says.\u00a0 \u201cWhat you think is \u2018problem behavior\u2019 might be normal dog behavior.\u00a0 They\u2019re not being bad, they\u2019re just being dogs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ladue News, September 7, 2007 By Trish Muyco-Tobin As the \u2018mother\u2019 of two dogs, I understand when other dog owners proclaim theirs to be the cutest, sweetest around\u2014that\u2019s because mine are.\u00a0 But we dog owners also know that our four-legged \u2018kids\u2019 don\u2019t always behave when they\u2019re suppose […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stlouiscrittersitters.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stlouiscrittersitters.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stlouiscrittersitters.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stlouiscrittersitters.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stlouiscrittersitters.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=405"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.stlouiscrittersitters.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":420,"href":"http:\/\/www.stlouiscrittersitters.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405\/revisions\/420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stlouiscrittersitters.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stlouiscrittersitters.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stlouiscrittersitters.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}