Breaking Your Dog's Bad Habits (5 page)

Throughout the desensitization process, try to avoid any situations that will trigger your dog’s old fearful or enraged reaction. If such an incident does occur, it can undo the desensitization you have accomplished, and you will need to start the process all over again. You should plan on several training sessions a week over many weeks. During the sessions, keep your dog on a leash and in your control at all times.

For desensitization to work, it is important that your dog has mastered basic commands such as
sit
,
stay
, and
lie down
. If he does not promptly obey basic commands, go through the retraining steps for that bad habit first. Once he responds consistently, you’ll both be ready to tackle more serious behaviors.

Step 2.
Identify the treat or reward that most pleases your pet. What is his absolute favorite treat, the thing that makes him wriggle with joy? Whether it’s a food treat, a toy, or even a favorite game you play with him, you’ll use it regularly as part of the desensitization process.

Step 3.
Take your dog to an area where cars will pass by occasionally, but avoid heavily trafficked areas. Your goal is to enable your dog to be aware when a vehicle is passing but to be far enough away from the vehicle that it does not trigger the dog’s usual out-of-control reaction. (This is where your knowledge of how and when the trigger affects your dog pays off. If he is first alerted by the
sound
of an approaching vehicle, you want to position him so that he will just barely hear it. If
sighting
a vehicle is the trigger, have him close enough to see a vehicle pass but far enough away that he does not react to the sight.) You’ll know that you are too close if your dog starts to get hyper as vehicles approach.

It is important for
you
to know ahead of time when a vehicle is approaching so you can be ready with the treat. Position yourself where you can see an approaching car before your dog senses it, or recruit a friend to stand closer to the traffic and act as lookout.

Step 4.
As soon as your dog notices the approaching vehicle, engage him with his favorite treat. This will start the process of associating a pleasurable experience with the negative one. Talk to him calmly (about anything) in a cheerful, confident voice, then walk in the opposite direction, putting distance between your dog and the vehicle to decrease any threat your dog may feel. Once the vehicle has passed, go back to where you were before and do the same thing over again several times.

Step 5.
Repeat this process several times in each training session, and make time for several training sessions a week for several weeks. When it is evident that your dog feels nothing but anticipatory pleasure (the expectation of a treat) at the sight or sound of a vehicle approaching, you’ll know that the pairing process has taken place. In other words, your dog has begun to associate pleasure—not anxiety, fear, or pain—with an approaching car.

Step 6.
Move your training sessions a little closer to the road. Again, your goal is to have your dog far enough from a passing vehicle that he does not react to it, but close enough to be aware of its approach. As before, position yourself or a friend to be aware of an approaching vehicle before your dog is. Repeat step 4 in the new location.

Step 7.
Continue gradually moving closer to passing vehicles. Don’t try to hurry things along by moving too close too soon, however. End this phase of desensitization when you have reached a point of about 10 feet from an approaching vehicle. Continue “rewarding” your dog as soon as he knows a vehicle is approaching, then turn and walk him away from the vehicle while talking to him. Repeat until your dog can successfully tolerate the approaching car while staying focused on you and his treat.

Step 8.
The next phase is to reverse the order of the reward and the stimulus. Because of the previous desensitization sessions, your dog should not show any fear or anxiety to approaching vehicles. Now hold off giving your dog his treat until
after
the vehicle has passed. The purpose of this shift in timing is to train your dog that the thing he feared most—an approaching or passing car—indicates that one of his favorite treats is on the way. Once your dog makes that connection, he should rarely react to an approaching vehicle with anything but gladness.

There are several theories about why dogs chase cars. A popular one is that dogs view cars as large, threatening animals and go on the attack. I disagree. Dogs are certainly intelligent enough to distinguish between machines and animals. While some dogs fear vehicles, most dogs comprehend what vehicles are for and delight in car rides.

It seems likely that car chasing is an instinctive reaction in dogs who have the innate drive to chase or herd anything that moves. However, there does seem to be an element of viciousness—ferocious barking and bared teeth—present when a dog chases a car. I suspect that tires on a road surface make a noise that, although inaudible to the human ear, is intolerable to a canine’s sensitive hearing. This would explain the anxiety, fear, or rage that is often a component of car chasing.

Whatever the reason, the behavior is serious. It goes without saying that any dog who chases cars should always be kept behind a fence or on a leash or lead whenever he is outside. To allow a dog with this bad habit to run free is asking for serious trouble and heartbreak.

Sometimes your dog’s bad habit is just too serious or entrenched for you to solve the problem on your own. The habit may be rooted in emotional trauma the dog experienced, or a neurological or chemical imbalance may be causing the behavior. (Compulsive-obsessive behaviors such as shadow chasing and fly catching are examples.) Such behaviors can cause serious impairment in the dog, so prompt professional evaluation is crucial.

Professionals who can help you with retraining include veterinarians, dog trainers, and animal behaviorists. The first place to start when you need help with your animal is to ask for recommendations from dog owners you trust. Don’t overlook local animal shelters and pet shops as sources of recommendations, too. If you blindly select a professional from the telephone directory, ask for and check references. Arrange a telephone interview with the professional to help you determine whether your dog-training philosophies and styles are similar.

What to Look For in an Expert

Education and professional credentials are usually good indicators of a professional’s expertise. However, expertise is useless if you or your dog dislikes or distrusts the expert. Trust your instincts—and your dog’s. If either of you does not feel comfortable with this person, find someone else. Never follow someone’s advice, “expert” or not, if it seems cruel, harsh, or traumatic. The only thing your dog will learn from such treatment is that you can’t be trusted with his welfare.

Trainers.
There are various types of trainers, from those who teach basic obedience to those who train dogs for specific tasks or jobs. For basic obedience, the trainer’s job is to teach you, the owner. A good trainer can get just about any dog to comply with new commands almost immediately. But that does you no good once the trainer is gone; the trainer needs to teach you the same techniques. However, don’t expect to immediately get the same flawless compliance from your dog that the trainer does. You and your dog will need some practice before you can both get it right.

Animal behaviorists.
Animal behaviorists can have different levels of education. Some of these professionals specialize in a specific type of animal, for example, dogs, dolphins, or horses. The dog behaviorist I consult with has a Ph.D. in animal behavior. Her consultations include:

Dogwise

[http://www.dogwise.com] www.dogwise.com

An on-line bookstore with books on every topic about dogs.

Fido Friendly

[http://www.fidofriendly.com] www.fidofriendly.com

A lifetime magazine for dogs and dogowners—includes travel

tips and an apartment finder.

Karen Pryor,

clickertraining.com

[http://www.clickertraining.com] www.clickertraining.com

Information about and products for clicker training for animals.

PetStore.com

[http://www.petstore.com] www.petstore.com

An on-line pet store with products for and information about dogs and other pets.

Pet Sitters International

[http://www.petsit.com] www.petsit.com

Locate a local petsitter.

The Dog Behavior Answer Book,
by Arden Moore.

Answers to your questions about canine quirks,

baffling habits, and destructive behavior.

336 pages. Paper. ISBN 978-1-58017-644-6.

Dr. Kidd’s Guide to Herbal Dog Care,

by Randy Kidd, DVM, PhD.

A comprehensive guide to gentle, chemical-free

treatments for your beloved canine.

208 pages. Paper. ISBN 978-1-58017-189-2.

Happy Dog, Happy You,
by Arden Moore.

Gentle humor and inspired advice from a pet expert

to owners and their canine friends.

304 pages. Paper. ISBN 978-1-60342-032-7.

The Puppy Owner’s Manual,
by Diana Delmar.

How to solve all your puppy problems and create

a puppy-friendly home.

192 pages. Paper. ISBN 978-1-58017-401-5.

Real Food for Dogs,
by Arden Moore.

A collection of 50 vet-approved recipes to please your

canine gastronome.

128 pages. Paper. ISBN 978-1-58017-424-4.

Edited by Jeanée Ledoux and Nancy Ringer

Cover illustration by Jeffrey Domm

Cover design by Carol J. Jessop (Black Trout Design)

Text illustrations by Rick Daskam

Text production by Leslie Noyes

© 2000 by Storey Publishing, LLC

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kephart, Paula.

Breaking your dog’s bad habits / Paula Kephart.

p. cm.—(A Storey country wisdom bulletin; A-241)

ISBN 978-1-58017-318-6 (pbk.: alk. paper)

1. Dogs—Training. 2. Dogs—Behavior. I. Title. II. Series.

SF431 .K45 2000

636.7’0887—dc21