Your young child, who has just learned to walk, is exploring the house unsupervised. You hear a crash, round the corner to find the child has knocked over a vase. Do you yell at the child? Scare them into tears? Of course not!
Many of us could experience this very situation, or one similar to it. Clearly, the child should have been supervised. We are quick to blame ourselves when it is a human child that is unsupervised, but how about a child of another species?
The most common question we as dog trainers ask when presented with the situation “Fluffy chewed my shoes/remote/couch etc.” is “Where were you when this happened?” Puppies are just like infants. In fact, they are infants, but of another species. A responsible parent wouldn’t let a toddler or infant roam the house unsupervised due to the dangers or problems that could arise. Pet parents need to take a cue from this as well.
Prevention is an absolutely vital part of being a dog owner, whether the dog is a puppy or not. I am pet sitting for a friend this week, and yesterday I let her dogs outside in her fenced yard. After 10 minutes, one dog would still not come in after calling her name, shaking the treat jar, etc. I was so frustrated! Instead of getting mad at the dog, I thought to myself, “I’m the human here. What can I do so this doesn’t happen again?!” After $8 for rope and a leash clip at Meijer, I won’t have this problem again. All that stress saved by a little planning!
Some of the most common problems can be solved or remedied by prevention. Lots of these methods, and more, are mentioned in our training classes. Prevention is a classic element of positive reinforcement training, because it can eliminate the chances the dog has to make a mistake.
Pooch Preventative Pointers
Counter surfing? Don’t leave food on counters
Chewing items left on floor? Pick things up, items on floor are fair game
Dog jumps on visitors? Teach proper behavior with practice guests before
Eating out of the trash can (or any bad behavior while you are away)? Use a crate while unsupervised
There are endless ways to prevent poor behaviors with dogs when we truly stop and think about it. In no way, shape, or form does prevention stop every single unwanted behavior. However, it reduces a lot of our stress and helps the dog into making the right decisions. Prevention can be a true sanity saver for you and a great teaching tool for your dog!
Yours in Training,
Laura Byrd
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://wagntails.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/author-image.png[/author_image] [author_info]About the Author Christine Fox, APDT, CTDI and a Pet Sitters International member, is the founder of Wag ‘N’ Tails Dog Activity Center with two locations in Michigan. She has been involved with many pet dog trainer certification initiatives, all based on learning techniques that involve humane practices and the latest in scientific research. Christine also raised a service dog for Paws With a Cause and plans to train her newest pup in therapy work. Through her work with dogs and their parents, Christine has developed many happy and healthy relationships with both humans and dogs in the community.[/author_info] [/author]
