Misbehavior Of Owners
This is about owner behavior or more precisely, how owner “misbehavior” contributes to the development of behavioral problems in dogs. The belief that owners are the cause of behavior problems in their dogs is an idea that has been around for some time. It is a belief shared by most behaviorists, professional trainers and veterinarians. Nevertheless, despite the broad acceptance of this belief, there have been surprisingly few reports in veterinary literature focusing on the owner side of the bond between dog and man.
Past reports have been written from the perspective of identifying and understanding common misbehaviors in dogs such as dominance aggresssion, separation anxiety, inappropriate urination, etc. The focus has usually been on the dog and not on the owner. Very few papers have addressed owner behavior and how such behavior can negatively affect dog behavior. What are the most common owner-related problems? How do owner-related problems affect a dog behaviorally? What kinds of misbehaviors do owners engage in that help create behavioral problems? What kinds of owner misbehavior lead to an unsuccessful attempt at solving a behavioral problem? In this paper, an attempt will be made to answer these questions.
Owner Misbehaviors That Create Behavior Problems
Not Choosing the Right Breed
Many owners do not give the selection process the attention it deserves. Some are rash and capricious when it comes to selecting a dog. For many, choosing a dog is based primarily on what a dog looks like instead of on acknowledged behavioral tendencies particular to the breed. Behavioral problems can arise when owners do not carefully consider factors like their lifestyles, their previous experience with dogs, and their physical capabilities relative to those of the breed they choose.
It is not uncommon to find an owner who insists on peace and quiet, but has chosen a breed known for barking behavior. Terriers are good examples of this. In other instances, one finds a first-time dog owner, usually naïve and inexperienced in training methods, who has chosen a breed known to be difficult to train. Chows, Beagles, and most hound breeds are good examples.
As another example, consider two very popular breeds: Siberian Huskies and German Shepherds. Both Huskies and shepherds are working breeds, each known for its tendencies to engage in destructive behavior. Breeds like this need to be regularly exercised and walked to help curtail the problem. Yet owners with Huskies and Shepherds often acknowledge that they do not have the time or interest to regularly exercise and walk their dogs. Hence, it is no wonder that dogs like this dig and chew. Owners with limited time for their dogs are best matched with breeds known to have less stringent exercise requirements.
Not Providing Early Training
Another mistake happens when an owner waits to start training the dog until it reaches 6 months of age or older. Delaying training until 6 months is like waiting to put a 15-year-old human through nursery school.
All dogs should begin obedience training the moment they enter the home. Eight weeks is an ideal starting age. A puppy is ambulatory by this time, and its neurological development is nearly complete (electroencephalograms between an 8-week-old puppy and an adult dog are nearly identical). Hence, by 8 weeks, a puppy can form the kinds of associations needed for basic obedience. If owners wait until 6 months or later, it is likely that they will spend more time trying to break already established bad habits rather than instilling acceptable habits. Those impeccably trained dogs – the ones who compete well and win the obedience training trials – probably received their first obedience lesson by 8 weeks of age. In this regard, there is no difference from early training of an Olympic athlete. Why should we treat our dogs differently?
Not Training Properly
Besides the need for early training, an owner also has to train properly. One mistake frequently made is an owner’s failure to adhere to certain key essentials that ensure success in training. What are the keys to good training that often elude owners?
First, there is persistence. At all times, owners are not persistent when it comes to the style of training they adopt. Dogs are individuals and will learn at different rates, some much slower than others. Owners should appreciate the presence of individual differences and persist in the pursuit of training, despite possible beliefs that their dogs may be too dull, stubborn, or obstinate to learn. Owners who do not persist are putting themselves at a disadvantage. Namely, the dog ‘s obedience continues and, with time, the habit of disobedience, instead of obedience, becomes the rule rather than the exception.
Second, insistence has to be integrated into all aspects of training. This means if a dog knows what to do but does not do it then the owner has to make the dog do it. For example, “stay” is one of the most essential obedience commands an owner can teach a dog. Most owners appreciate and value the ability of being able to make their dogs stay. The command provides a means of sustained control. However, difficulties often arise in teaching this command because dogs are frequently willing to stay only for as long as they like and not for the length of time that is dictated by the owner. If a dog breaks the stay command after 20 seconds, and if the owner desires a longer stay, then the owner has to be absolutely insistent on quickly positioning the dog back to where it was supposed to stay. Owners should be insistent in this manner, as that will teach dogs that they cannot behave according to their own set of rules.
Third, consistency has to be integrated into training procedures. Lack of consistency between those who handle and interact with the dogs, can easily retard the learning process. In summary, in order to get a dog to be well-trained, training has to begin early and it has to be undertaken with a style that is persistent, consistent and insistent. Mistakes are made when these ideas are not followed.
Not Applying Punishment Correctly
Some owners find it difficult to rid themselves of the idea that it is fruitless to punish dogs after the misbehavior has happened.
Occasionally, owners are confused, or even disappointed, when they are told that their dogs lack the ability to connect punishment with a misbehavior that happened hours or even minutes, earlier.
Despite advice to the contrary, owners who persist in rendering punishment after the misbehavior has happened may be training their dogs to engage in the misbehavior only in their absence of to be fearful of the approach of the owners. This happens because a dog readily learns to associate punishment with the owner. Hence, if the owner has dispensed the punishment in the past, performance of the problem behavior in the presence of the owner will be inhibited because of the expectation of punishment. Subsequently, when the dog senses the owner’s absence, the misbehavior may happen because the dog knows that punishment will not be forthcoming.
Owners who completely reject the notion that punishment is an effective way to suppress or eliminate a dog’s misbehavior make a more serious mistake. Some owners have difficulty punishing their dogs in any way whatsoever. To many owners, the thought of rendering punishment, such as yelling at dogs or perhaps administering a severe correction with a choke chain or shock collar, is a repugnant idea. Nevertheless, owners often let their emotions and faulty reasoning prevent use of punishment training techniques known to be effective and safe in curtailing certain kinds of problem behaviors. Perhaps the best example of this is use of shock collars to stop excessive barking behavior.
Holding Anthropomorphic Attitudes
Owners who refuse to punish their dogs, or who feel that punishment after the act is effective, are often anthropomorphic in their thinking. Owners who harbor anthropomorphic attitudes often relate to their dogs as though they were humans. Such owners tend to be permissive and over indulgent. These owners will talk to their dogs with reason, with the expectation that such reasoning will abate a problem. Moreover, they tend to be subjective in their analysis of a problem, often attributing its cause to the fact that their dogs are punishing them or are acting out of spite or retribution. Non-objective interpretations like these are of limited value in solving behavioral problems. In fact, interoperations like these often help to perpetuate such problems as separation anxiety (e.g., the dog that cannot be left alone) and dominance aggression (e.g., the dog that cannot be told what to do).
Acknowledging the Presence of A Problem
Some owners will deny a problem existed or, if they acknowledge the presence of a problem, they rationalize that it will abate with time. The danger here is that an owner allows the misbehavior to continue. Usually, the longer misbehavior continues, the stronger the habit becomes. The stronger the habit, the more resistant it will be to change. Habit strength depends on how long the misbehavior has been happening, its frequency, and the degree to which the dog has been reinforced for engaging in the misbehavior.
Not recognizing how one’s Behavior May Reinforce Dogs Misbehavior
A dog’s habit for misbehavior can be strengthened by the manner in which an owner intervenes to stop the problem. This usually happens because owners unintentionally proffer reinforcement during their attempts at “correction”. An example is the owner who returns to a barking dog to punish the dog for barking. If the dog is barking because of separation from owner, then the dog will probably regard the owner’s return, despite the punishment, as a reward.
Another common example happens in puppies when they direct their mouthing and biting tendencies to their owners. Usually, this is normal play behavior by the puppy. However, it can become very objectionable because of the pain it causes. Owners frequently make the mistake of physically chastising dogs when this happens. Such correction, however, often further encourages dogs to continue to playfully bite. Dogs, as a further invitation to play, usually misinterpret the correction. Consequently, mouthing and biting are reinforced.
Another example is the lavish attention an owner may give when signs of illness are shown (e.g., coughing, wheezing, or limping). When the medical reason for the illness clears, the dog may begin to fake illness-related behavior because of the attention previously received.
In a more subtle fashion, owners with dominant dogs may praise their dog when they demand attention. Some may allow dominant dogs to position their legs over owners’ legs or to climb on owners’ laps. Behaviors like these from dominant dogs are usually not affiliating. Instead, they are how the dog says; “ I’M top dog.” In this manner, owners, unaware of what they are doing, unintentionally reinforce a status of dominance in their dog.
Believing That Nothing Can Be Done to Change A Problem
Many owners with problem dogs opt for the most convenient solution: namely, destroy the dog, place the dog in a shelter, or abandon the dogs. Little compassion is shown. The dogs are treated like disposable objects. Owners often take these steps because of their mistaken beliefs that little can be done to rehabilitate the dogs behaviorally. They frequently cast doubt on the ability of an animal behaviorist to help in the process of behavioral problem solving. In large part, this happens because they do not understand how a behaviorist works, the methods a behaviorist uses, or how a behaviorist differs from the dog trainer.
However, to the surprise of the dubious owner, behavioral problems can be solved or at least lessened significantly. Success depends on such factors as the type of misbehavior, the habit strength of the misbehavior, and the owner’s acceptance that behavioral modification, if tried, potentially can be very effective.
Noncompliance
What determines the success of behavioral modification? Of the many factors that stand out, by far the most important is owner compliance. If an owner retains the services of a behaviorist, then the owner needs to make the commitment to follow the recommendations of the behaviorist. Occasionally, owners initially get excited about having behaviorist help but then lose interest after realizing that training and behavioral modification will also take work and time on their part.
Lack of compliance with treatment recommendations is the most common mistake owners make. It is the single biggest reason behavioral problems do not get solved. Lack of compliance may arise for several reasons:
- Lack of time on the owner’s part,
- An owner’s anthropomorphic beliefs which interfere with the objective approach of behavioral modification, or
- Because an owner does not see fast change, discouragement can set in, and the owner may stop trying.
Not Treating the Problem in the Home Environment
Last, some owners send their dogs off to boarding school to correct a problem. Owners are encouraged by solicitation of kennel operators. Often, these kennel owners recognize the emotions of a desperate owner, claiming that no behavioral problem is too difficult to solve. And owners may frequently give in simply to get the problem dogs out of the home.
In this instance, owners could be failing to appreciate that problem behavior is best treated and worked on within the environment where it happens. The approach of sending the dog away for behavioral modification fails because problem behavior is usually environmentally specific, happening only when familiar physical or social cues are present. Generally, as most dog-wise owners appreciate, for behavioral modification to work, change has to happen in the context where the problem happens.
Conclusion
In this article, I have attempted to identify certain mistakes owners make, or, more appropriately, what I refer to as “owner misbehavior.” My message should be clear: The vast majority of behavioral problems can be avoided or solved, provided that owners learn to shed their own faulty behavior.
It is important to remember that not every problem dog is the fault of the owner. Surely, a fair percentage of dogs have come into the world with strong predispositions for certain kinds of problems. If the habit for the misbehavior becomes well established, it may be that no amount of behavioral modification will work, even if it is carried out properly by the owner. Despite this, my contention remains that owners would complain far less about the behavior of their dogs if they simply took a closer look at themselves and were able to change aspects of their own behavior.