Dog Behavior Modification
Discover Six Dog Behavior Modification Steps for Dealing With Fear Aggression in Dogs
By the time you finish reading this article, you'll have a better understanding of fear aggression in dogs. Plus you'll also know several dog training behavior modification techniques to use when dealing with this problem in your dog.
What Causes Dog Behavior Problems Like This One?
Fear aggression in dogs can have many causes. Certain dog breeds, like the herding breeds, are more prone to this problem than others. Neglecting to socialize your dog when he's a puppy can contribute to canine aggression towards strangers. Past abuse may also be a factor.
Even if puppy socialization isn't an issue, many dogs go through a "shy" period when they hit adolescence at around six months. It's important to keep exposing your pup to lots of situations to avoid him becoming wary of new people and new animals.
Dog Behavior Modification Techniques
If your dog is already displaying fear aggression, here are six steps for dog training behavior modification you can use to desensitize your dog to strangers. What you'll be doing is teaching your dog that strangers are great!
To start, you'll need a few volunteers to act as strangers. You dog also needs to be on a leash so he's under your control at all times.
First, you need to identify your dog's favorite treat. It shouldn't be something he gets on a regular basis. Steak, liver, chicken, cheese, hot dogs, whatever it is, it should be something he absolutely loves.
Second, the only time he gets this favorite treat is when a stranger is present. You're training your dog to associate this wonderful treat with a stranger being around.
Third, figure out what is triggering your dog to show canine aggression. He may be OK if strangers are outside, but not in the home. He may be scared of all men, certain men, or kids. Do sudden movements, or somebody getting too close agitate him? Observe him carefully to see what sets him off.
The fourth step is to expose your dog to a stranger. Stay inside your dog's comfort zone. You want to move slowly so you don't provoke him to an aggressive display. Your dog should know a stranger is around, but he shouldn't be overly concerned about it.
Fifth, as soon as your dog is aware of the stranger, start feeding him treats. Sixth, before the dog starts getting aggressive toward the stranger, you either have the stranger leave, or your and your dog will leave.
It's very important that your dog is continuing to eat the treats. If he won't eat, then the stranger is too close. If the dog isn't relaxed enough to eat, you're moving too quickly with the dog training behavior modification.
Remember that you aren't rewarding your dog for doing something right. What you're doing is changing his emotional state.
More Tips For Dog Behavior Modification
You'll continue to work within your dog's comfort zone, varying the distance the stranger is from your dog. The stranger may be six feet away one day, eight the next, seven after that. As long as aggressive dog behavior isn't seen, you're doing fine.
Continue these steps for several weeks. Now you're going to start working outside your dog's comfort zone by having the stranger come a little closer, maybe five feet away. Keep working to reduce the distance your dog is from the stranger.
You can see that this is a long, slow process. It can be tempting to try to move along faster, but if you push too hard, you can undo all your hard work. Keep the training sessions short, and end the session if your dog is getting nervous.
Do yourself a favor and find a good dog training course. This can be a very helpful aid when using Dog Behavior Modification techniques. You'll want to look for one that includes a free consultation with an experienced dog trainer so you can get help, if necessary.
Darlene Norris worked at a vet clinic and an animal shelter, and has had lots of experience with dogs. Visit her new website, No More Bad Dogs, to learn more about dog behavior modification. Discover which dog training course she recommends at http://NoMoreBadDogs.com
Has anyone heard of and/or used the services of a dog behavior modification program called "Bark Busters"?
Supposedly, in one session, the trainer is able to address & eliminate unwanted habits such as excessive barking, accidents in the house, jumping on people, etc.
They say they will follow up any time your dog, or you, have a relapse and offer a lifetime guarantee. I have 3 Toy Fox Terriers and the trainer wanted almost a month's mortgage payable (nonrefundable) at the first session. For this much, I would hope the minimum would be a lifetime guarantee although I feel more comfortable if the cost of the program was prorated as the dog progresses or not.
I have not found one person, other than the Bark Busters trainer, who has used this program. There are few ads and they claim not to use the clicker method.
Any information you have would be greatly appreciated!
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Do you understand what a Certified APPLIED Animal Behaviorist really is?
It seems to me there are an awful lot of people who are confused about what the field of Animal Behavior is all about. This concerns me the most because unless people truly understand it, they are very likely to be fooled by false credentials. (just as people who don't know better are fooled by unethical breeders selling 'teacups')
First of all, it is no more ethical for a person to claim to be an 'Animal Behaviorist' and "practice" on your dog than it is for a person to "play" Vet and perform a procedure on him.
A Certified Applied Animals Behaviorist is NOT the same thing as an "Animal Behaviorist". An Animal Behaviorist is a person who would study subjects, test hypothesis, and report on their findings often in peer reviewed journals. They would not generally work with people such as pet owners to help them train their pets, etc. This is where the field of APPLIED Animal Behaviorist comes in. These are the people who use the data collected in in the field of research and APPLY it to a specific application such as dog training and dog behavior modification.
This difference makes it really quite easy to tell the difference between the the real and the phony. Anyone who actually calls themselves an "Animal Behaviorist" probably has absolutely no credentials at all. But a person who is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) with a PhD in a field such as Biology or Zoology or Animal Science, etc has spent a tremendous amount of time in their field of study and very likely knows their stuff. Currently, there are a fairly limited number of colleges out there that are focusing degrees on this field (mostly due to a huge budget needed for this kind of study), but they are growing quickly.
It would serve the dog loving community well to start paying more attention to the Animal Behavior field because it's primary goal is to answer the questions of HOW and WHY as far as behavior is concerned. This kind of study has the potential to begin unlocking the specific biology of behavior problems, understand what parts of the brain allow one dog to be a substantially better herder than another, and lord knows what else. It may even have the power to help us to better preserve breeds of dogs. This primary goal of answering the questions HOW and WHY is the fundamental difference between Animal Behavior study and training. Training is limited to what works and what doesn't. Animals behavior spreads from microbiology to psychology to physiology, etc to find out how it works, and why it works.
Were you aware of this? Do you think in the future you might be more equipped to pick out when a person is attempting to work under credentials they do not possess?
Have you ever worked with an ACTUAL Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist?
Kaper, what you are referring to is exactly why I ultimately posted this question. Most of us here know we're getting the wool pulled over our eyes when somebody wants to sell us a "Chiweenie" but I have discovered that the field of Animal Behavior is a very misunderstood field as a result of those who choose to deceive rather than educate.
2Have2Be - you're misunderstanding the point of the Animal Behavior field. It's primary objective is to study the how and why. So, for example, they would study what part of the brain is effected when a dog smells a particular pheromone and what physiological changes result. Not necessarily how to train your dog. That's not the true goal.
I don't think you necessarily have to have a PhD, but you must at least have supervised graduate courses from an accredited college. I cannot come up with the name of any CAAB that I know of who does not have a PhD. My assumption is that by the time you get to that point you might as well just get the degree... but don't mark my words on that.
Add: Curtis, I looked it up. I did find a handful of CAAB's with *only* a Masters.
(only seems like an unfair word there... lol)
Sorry this is getting so long. I just really got a bug up my butt about this and now I feel much better that at least some have been enlightened.
Here is a list of CAAB's. As you can see, NOT very many!
http://www.certifiedanimalbehaviorist.com/page6.html
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