UNIT 4 Common puppy problem behaviours - NobleK9 Training€¦ · UNIT 4: COMMON PUPPY PROBLEM BEHAVIOURS Objective This unit is aimed at providing information on some of the various

PUPPYSCHOOLINSTRUCTOR’SCOURSE

UNIT4:COMMONPUPPYPROBLEMBEHAVIOURS

Objective This unit is aimed at providing information on some of the various common puppy problem

behaviours that owners may raise with their puppy trainer. The unit covers the reasons behind most of the common problems as well as strategies to manage or stop unwanted behaviours in puppies.

Learningoutcomes

After you’ve completed this unit you will be able to: • Identify the various problem behaviours puppies may exhibit • Understand how the behaviours puppies exhibit are reinforced by owners • Provide various strategies to assist in the management of problem behaviours

Areastobecovered

Common Problem Behaviours

§ Mouthing/biting § Jumping up § Housetraining § The “naughty” puppy

Knowledge checklist A knowledge check which will enable the learner to self assess their learning and understanding of the unit contents which may include setting of tasks, reporting writing or quizzes.


CommonPuppyProblemBehavioursAsapuppyschoolinstructor,youwillbeoneofthefirstpeoplepuppyownerswillcomeintocontactwithandoneofthefirstpeopletheywillaskforadviceontheirpuppy’sbehaviours.Firstlyit’simportanttorememberthefollowing:A‘problembehaviour’isdifferenttoa‘behaviouralproblem’Theformerisgenerallynormalcaninebehaviour(s)exhibitedbypuppiesthatmaybeseenasproblematicto the owners. Example: digging, barking, jumping up and even breed specific behaviours like stalking,chasingarenormalcaninebehavioursthatownersmayseeasannoying,unwantedorproblematicinandaroundtheirhome.Thesebehavioursareonlyproblematiciftheownersseethemassuch!Thelatterisabehaviourthatisproblematictothedogitself,andthenofcourseaffectstheowneraswell.Thisbehaviourmaystemfromillness,physicalissue,mentalissue,genetics,lackofexposure/socialisationandwillrequireprofessionalassistance.Examples:aggression,anxiety,fightingamongotherfamilydogs,fear,compulsivebehaviours.Inthisunitwewillbelookingatsomeofthemorecommonpuppyproblembehavioursyouwillbeaskedaboutaspuppyschooltrainers.Theyare:1. Mouthing/biting2. Jumpingup3. Housetraining4. Puppybeing“naughty”Thetypeofbehaviouraladvicethatyouprovidetoyourparticipantsshouldbe:• Soundandscientificbasedapproaches• Shouldnotincludephysicalpunishment(smacking,hitting,kicking)• Mayprovideteachingofalternativebehaviours• Shouldbeminimalifyouhavenoexperiencewithanyofthem.Refertoaprofessionaltrainer.

Mouthing/Biting….(thereasonsbypuppiesmouth/bite)Oneof themost common complaints fromnewpuppyowners ismouthing. Mouthing is a very normalcaninebehaviourandpuppiesmaymouth/biteforamyriadofreasons.Itwillbeuptoyoutoascertainthereason(s)whyapuppyismouthingorbiting.Herearesomeofthereasonsbelievedtobethereasonformouthing/bitingare:

1. Puppyismouthingtoplay/attention2. Puppyisteething

Theaboveistrueinsomesituationshoweverit’simperativethatyounotethatteethingpuppieswillchew(notmouth/bite)itemstoalleviatethediscomfortofteething.TheydoNOTmouthhandsforthisreason.

Teethingdoesnotcausemouthing!

PUPPYSCHOOLINSTRUCTOR’SCOURSEThemainreasonswhypuppiesmaymouth/biteare:

• Attentionseekingandinplay(noticeableifthepupinstigatesplayorattentionbybiting/mouthing)• Touch is aversive and therefore the pup does not want to be touched (noticeable if the puppy

bites/mouthswheneveritistouched)• Painordiscomfortinthebody(noticeableiftouchedinaparticularspot)

Whytouchandhandlingmaybeaversivetoapuppycausingittomouthorbite?There are a number of reasonswhy a puppymy find touch and handling aversive and chances are thedamagemayhavebeendoneevenbeforethenewownerstookthepuppyhome.Thereasonscouldbe:

• Nilorminimalhandlingintheveryearlydaysoflife(breederdidnotdoenoughgentletouchoftheyoungpuppies)

• Roughorpainfulhandlingintheveryearlydaysoflife• Geneticpredisposedbehaviour

Puppieslearnthatmouthingatyourhandsresultsinremovingyourhandorstopsyoutouchingit.Somepuppiesmay,atfirst,seemcalmwhenhandledbutasthepupgrown,hebecomesfeistier,grabbingathandsandbecomingveryarousedwhenhandled. This can lead to snappingorevenhardbitingas itmatures.Ownersusuallytrytocalmthepuppybystrokingitandattemptingtorestrainitbutthepupeithershutsdownorbecomesgrabbierandmore‘aggressive’inapproach.Theproblemissocommonthatmanypeoplethinkit’snaturalforpuppiestobereactiveandbitesomuch,someevensayingthatthepupwilleventuallygrowoutofit.It’simportanttoascertainifapuppyisuncomfortablewithapproachinghumanhandswhichcanbedonebyrunningashorttestaspartofyourcoursecurriculum.The“Whyismypuppyreallymouthingmefor’Testisagreatwayofascertainingthisinformation.Thiscanbeincludedintoyourcoursecurriculumwhichmakesforagoodexercise.

DOESMYPUPPYREALLYLIKETOBETOUCHED??Here is a step by step process on how to set up an exercise to ascertainwhat is really going onwith apuppy’smouthingandbitingbehaviour.Usethe“PuppySensitivityChart”onthefollowingpagetohelpownersidentifyareasoftheirpuppy’sbodywhere theyenjoyhuman touchand thoseareas thatare less comfortablewithhumanhandlingandwillneed to be desensitised. You can make multiple copies and hand them out to each of your classparticipants.Begin by slowly moving your hand towards the pup’s body. Signals that the puppy is uncomfortableinclude:• Grabbingatyourhandasitapproaches• Backingawayfromtheapproachinghand• Lookingaway–sometimesleaningaway• Makingappeasementsignalslikelickingorcollapsingthebody• Freezingorshowing“whaleeye”Allofthesewillgiveyouagoodindicationthatthepuppyfindstouchandhandlinguncomfortable.


PuppysensitivitychartDate:________________Familymember/friendname:___________________________________

Holdingyourpuppyonaleadnexttoyou,gentlytouchhim/herineachofthemarkedareasabove.Intheboxattachedtoeacharrow,rateyourpup’sresponsetobeingtouchedinthatarea.Scoretheresponseasfollows:

1. Thepupenjoys the touch.He/shemoves towards thehandorhasa soft/dreamy look inhis/hereyesasyoutouch.

2. Thepupacceptsthetouchbuttensesslightly–makesalittletongue-flickingappeasementsignalsorlooksawayfromyouwhenyoutouch.

3. Thepupgetwigglyandmouthywhenyouattempttotouch4. Thepupfreezesorgets“whaleeye”–eyeswidensoyoucanseemoreofthewhitepartoftheeye

thanusual.5. Thepuppullsawayortriestoescape6. Thepupcannotbetouchedinthisarea–turnstomouthortriestoscootaway,extremelywiggly

Haveallmembersof the family fillout thecharts separatelyaspuppiesmay responddifferently toeachperson.Dateandlabeleachchartwiththefamilymembers’name.Ifyourpuppyissensitivetotouch,werecommend:• Stoppingallfamilymembersandfriendsfromplayinganyroughandtumble(wrestling)gameswiththe

puppy• Workthroughthechartaboveandbecomefamiliarwithwhatyourpuppyisnotcomfortablewith• Teachtouchdesensitisation• Resist letting your friends grab or cuddle your puppy. Instead teach them how to teach touch

desensitisation• CommencetheTouchDesensitisationexercise

PUPPYSCHOOLINSTRUCTOR’SCOURSETouchDesensitisationexercise

“MayItouchyourbody”ExerciseNot all puppies like to be touched, especially around the head area,which iswhywemay see puppiesmouthingtheirownerswhentheownerspatthem.Insomeinstancesthiscanbeattributedtoroughplayietheowner’sengaginginroughhouseplaywiththeirpups,whichencouragesthepuppytouseteethandmouth during play. But in some instances it is actually the puppy trying to get the hand tomove waybecauseshedoesnotenjoybeingtouchedorhandled.The“MayItouchyourbody?”gameisanexcellentwayofhelpingpuppiesbecomeusedtobeingtouchedaroundtheheadandbody.Whyisitimportanttoplaythisgame?• Encouragescalmbehaviourwhentouchingtheface–notmouthy/jumpybehaviour!• Putsanewpositivespinonsomethingthatmayhavepreviouslybeennotagreatexperienceforthe

pupe.g.beingheldbyavettechnician,groomerorstranger.Whatistheaimofthegame?• Torewardthepupforonlycalmreactionswhenbeingtouched• Togeneralizethiscalmreactiontootherpartsofthebody.Whataretherules?• Mustbepatientandtakethegameslowly:ifthegameispushedtoofastyourpupwillgetnobenefit

fromit.• MustONLYrewardforcalmresponsesMayItouchyourbody?• Sitdownwiththepupnexttoyouonleash.• Reachout,calmlywithanopenpalmtothepupapprox30cmsawayfrompup’sface• Mark/Treatforthepuppynotmovingorfacingawayfromyourhand• Repeatuntilyouareabletomoveyourhandcloserto,oreventouching,thepup’sface• ONLYwhenthepupisrelaxedasyoutouch,markhim–“yes”–andgivehimatreat.• Ifhegoestomouthorisnotcalm,slightlywithdrawyourhand.• Repeatthis,markingonlycalmbehaviour.• Repeattheexerciseuntilyoucantouchthepup’sfacewithoutanymouthingorwrigglingandthepup

iscomfortable.Later,youcanmoveontonewbodypartse.g.“MayItouchyourHead/tail/side/feet/ears/lips/groin?”etc,againrepeatinguntilyouareabletotouchthepupwithoutanymouthingorwrigglingandthepupiscomfortable.

TheChinChallenge–forpupscomfortablewithfacetouch• Whenthepupisabletodotheabovewecanmovetothe“chinchallenge”,thisismoreheadspecific.• Startbyslowlymovingyourhandtowardsthepupschinpalmupandgentlytouchingthechin.• Whenyoutouchthepup’schin,markit–“yes”.• Buildthisupslowlyandgentlyuntilyourpupwillreadilyresthischininyourhand.• Youcangraduatethegametotouchingyourpup’sentirebody.ButRemember–CALMresponsesonly!

PUPPYSCHOOLINSTRUCTOR’SCOURSEMouthingandbitingforattentionandplayWhenpuppies playwith eachother, they use theirmouths to explore theirworld…this is oneof the biggest toolspuppieshave,notonlyforvocalisation,buttotouchandfeelandtotesttheirlimits!Thinkaboutalitterofpuppiesplaying.Theyroughandtumble,bite,nibbleandbark.Ifonepuppybitesanothertoohard,thebittenpuppyletsoutascreechthatisusuallysuccessfulingettingthehardnippertostop.Thisishowtheylearn.Unfortunately,thewayapuppyplayswithitslitter-mates,isusuallythewayitwillplaywithyou.Puppiesmayusuallywanttonipor“mouth”handsduringplayorwhenbeingpatted.Withyoungpups,thisisrarelyaggressivebehaviourinwhichtheintentistodoharm,howeverifthisbehaviourisnotinhibitedfromayoungage,theresultmightbeaninnocentbutnastybitefromanolderdogwithastrongerjaw.Contrarytowhatyoumayhear,thepupwillnotgrowoutofthishabit.First(andpreferred)Option: EncourageAcceptableBehaviourRedirect yourpuppy’sneed tousehismouthontoacceptableobjectsbyoffering it a small rawhide chewboneorothertypeofchewobjectwheneveryoupatit.Thistechniquecanbeespeciallyeffectivewhenchildrenwanttopatthepuppy.Asyou,orthechild,reachouttopatthepupwithonehand,offerthechewobjectwiththeother.Thiswillnotonlyhelpyourpuppylearnthatpeopleandpattingarewonderful,butwillalsokeephismouthbusywhilstbeingpatted.Alternatewhichhanddoesthepattingandwhichoneoffersthechewobject.NB:Thepattingshouldbekepttoshortperiodsoftime,asthe longerthepup ispatted,themore likely it istogetexcitedandstarttomouthornipagain.SecondOption: ToDiscourageUnacceptableBehaviourTeachthepuppythatnipping“turnsoff”anyattentionandsocialinteractionwithyou.Afteranip,lookatthepuppyin theeyeand letoutascreechy “OUCH”as thoughyou’vebeenmortallywounded, then ignorethepupfora fewminutes. Leavetheroomifyoumust,but ignore forawhileuntilyourpuppy iscalm, thentry thechewboneandpattingmethodagain.Donotslaporhityourpuppyforanyundesirablebehaviourasthiswillresultinthepuppybecoming“handshy”andcringeorcowerwheneverahandcomestowardshim. Thismayalsoresult inthepuppyrefusingtocometoyouorapproachyou;andlateroninlife,mayrespondinadefensivemannerandattempttobiteyoutodefendhimself.Remember that none of these methods will be effective unless YOU work hard to teach your puppy the rightbehaviour,andthismeansallthemembersofyourfamilymustbeconsistentandpersistentinthesemethods.ANoteaboutChildrenandPuppiesItcanbedifficultforchildrenundereightornineyearsofagetopracticethekindofbehaviourmodificationoutlinedabove. Achild’sfirstreactiontobeingnippedormouthedbyapuppyistopushthepuppyawaywiththeirhands/armsandshrill. Thiswillbe interpretedby thepuppyasplayandwillprobablycausethepuppytonipandmouthevenmore.Dogsshouldneverbeleftalonewithchildrenandparentsshouldmonitorcloselyallinteractionsbetweentheirchildrenanddogsofanyage.PreventingfutureproblemsNEVER,EVERplayhandgamesthatwillhypeupyourpuppyandencouragehimtolungeforyourhandoranyotherpartofyourbody. Nochasinggames,especiallywithherdingbreedsasthiswillencouragethemtonipandbiteatlegsandheels.Thebestgamestoplayaregamesinvolvingfetchandtoys–makesureyouteacha“give”or“leave”commandsothatyourpuppyreturnsthetoy.Toteachthis,saythecommandandswapthetoyforatidbitoffoodandpraise.


JumpinguponpeopleWhydopuppiesjumpuponpeople?Inordertotryandcuretheproblem,wemustfirstlearnwhypuppiesexhibitthisbehaviour.Jumpingupisactuallyahappygreeting,althoughfrantic,over-excitablegreetingsarealmostalwaysmanmade.Overexcitablegreetings,thatincludethepupjumpingup,issomethingthatwasoncecuteandevenencouragedisthennolongerwantedoncethepupgrowsintoanadultdog.Theresult,ofcourse,isthehomecoming,orthearrivalofguests,willactastriggersforthepuppy’sexcitabilityandresultinjumpinguptogreet.Jumpingupisusuallyanefforttogetclosertoyourfaceandtogainattention.HowtostoporminimisejumpingThefirstmethodisoneofprevention.Keephome-comingsasaverycalm,almostnon-event.Thepupwilllearnthatcominghomeisn’tabigdealandassuchwon’tactasthoughitis.Thereare2mainwaystostopbehaviour:1:Makethebehaviourextinctbytotallyignoringandnotgivingthedogwhathe/shewantseg.Attention,OR2:Make thebehaviourunpleasant for thedog todobyusinganaversiveof somesort so that thebehaviour isnolongerrewarding/reinforcingforthedog.Thesearetheonly2waysofriddingunwantedbehaviour.If your pup jumps up at you, theworst thing you can do is push pup away using hands and screaming at it in alanguageitwilldefinitelynotunderstand.ThebestmethodtocurejumpingistoCOMPLETELYignorethepupwhenitjumps.Thismeansnotalking,noeyecontactandnoliftingofarms.Waituntilthepuppyhassettledandthencallthepuppy,haveitsit,thencalmlyandbrieflygreet.Makenobigdealofit.Aswelearned,puppieswilljumptobeclosertoyourfaceandforattention;anyformofcontactwhetherit’sapushorshoveisreinforcingforthepup.Ifyourdogjumpsupatvisitors/guests,simplyputthepupawaypriortotheirarrival.Ifthisisnotanoption,makesurethepuppyisonleadwhilstinthehouseandassoonasthedoorbellrings,putthepuppyinthesitposition(makesuretoholditinthatpositionastheyenterandthenreleasefromthesitwithoutanyfuss).Askvisitorstoenterandcompletely ignorethepuppyuntil ithascalmeddown.Thenallowyourvisitorstopatquietlyandwithoutanyfuss,aftertheyhavecalleditovertothem.Insomesituationsignoringormovingawayfromthejumpingmaynolongerwork.Thisismainlyduetoalonghistoryof reinforcement for jumpingup,coupledby failedattemptsat ignoring thepuppy. Wherethebehaviourhasnowbecomeproblematicwiththepuppynowjumpingupalongwithmouthingand/orscratchingyouwithit’snails,youmayneedtouseamoreaversiveapproachtohelp.Inthisoccasionasuddennoiseorsoundlikeawhistleorclappingofhandstointerruptthepuppywhilstjumpingcanhelp.Thisisamildlyaversivemethodthatwillnothurtorharmthepupinanywaybutwillinterruptthejumpingup.Wheneverthepuppyjumpsup,say“aaahh”firstandemitthesound/noisesuddenlysothatthepuppy’sbehaviourisinterrupted.Oncethepuphasstopped,askforasitandpatthepupwhenheisonallfoursandisremainingcalm.


HousetrainingapuppyOne of the first things you need to do when you first bring your new puppy home is to housetrain him or her.Housetrainingisrelativelyeasytoachieveprovidedyouarepatientandunderstanding.Importantpointtorememberpuppiesdon’tcomeautomaticallyknowingwheretotoilet.Youmustteach/trainyourpuppy to go to a particular spot. Some pups will learn quite quickly, whilst othersmay take a little longer. ButrememberyoumustTEACHhim!Also, housetraining a puppy to go to a particular spot outsidewill require some planning, a little bit of effort forapprox.3-5weeksandalotofpatience!Whentaughtwell,yourpupwillnotonlytoiletintherightplaceforever,hewillalsoindicatetoyouwhenheneedstogo!Listedbelowarethepointstoremembertoensuresuccessfulhousetraining.Thesemustbecarriedoutconsistently.(Foreaseinreading,Iwillrefertothepuppyinthemalegender)Beforeyoustart:§ HotTip:Assoonasyoubringyournewpuppyhome,beawarethathemaywishtogotoiletafterthelongcarride.

Insteadoftakinghimstraightinsidethehouse,takehimtohistoiletspotandyouwillfindhewillrelievehimselfalmostimmediately.Thiswillsetyouingoodsteadforsuccessfultoilettrainingastheweeksgoby.

§ Feedatsettimes.Donotvaryyourschedule,evenonweekends.Ifyoufeedyourpuppyat7.00amonaweekday,feedatthesametimeonaSaturdayandSunday,at leastuntilhe isfullyhousetrained.Thenyoucanvarythefeedingtimestosuit.

§ Feedonedietandtrynottovaryit.Takeintoconsiderationtreatsetcwhilsttraining.§ Watchyourpuppy’sstools–iftheyareloose,youmaybeoverfeeding.§ HaveyourVeterinariandoastoolcheckforworms.Forpuppies,toiletingisbothveryenvironmentallyandsurface/areaspecific.Thismeansthatallowingyourpuppytotoiletonpuppypads/newspaper insidethehouse,willteachhimtotoiletindoors!Thiswillbeextremelydifficulttoreverseoncehereaches16weeksold.Assuch,itisimperativethatyouteachyourpuppywheretheexactareaisthatyouwanthimtotoiletfromtheverybeginning!Eg,outside,onthegrass,underthetree.Firstly,thingsyouneedtounderstandaboutpuppybladders:

1. Whenapuppyneedstogo…heneedstogo! Apuppy isunabletoholdhisbladderovernightor fora fewhoursatatimeuntilatleast16weeksofage.Soifyouryoungpupwhenheneedstogo,thereisnowaiting.

2. Thefactthatyoungpuppiescannotholdtheirbladdersisactuallywhatmakeshousetrainingsoeasyduringthefirst16weeksofage.

3. Puppieswillusuallyneedtotoiletanytimeafterthefollowing:a. Wakesfromasleepb. Afteramealc. Afteraplaysessiond. Approx.everyhourorthereabouts(thisisanindicationonly)

WhendoItakemypuppyouttotoilet?

• Afterhewakesfromhisnap• Afterheeatsameal• Afteratrainingorplaysession• Anytimeeveryhour,onthehour• Middleofthenightifhestirs

PUPPYSCHOOLINSTRUCTOR’SCOURSEWhatdoIdowhenI’mouttherewithhim?

• Nothing….simplystandquietlyandallowhimtosniffandbuildtheurgetotoilet• Allowhimtofinishhisbusinessandthenquietlypraisehimandbringhimbackinside.• Youcangivehimatreatifyouwanttoaswell.

Tip:youcanputanametotheactionaswellbycalmlysaying“wee”oranyotherword

WhatdoIdoifheisabouttogoindoors?

• Makealoudnoisetostartlethepupbutnotenoughtoscarethepantsoffhim!Youjustwanttointerrupthim,egclapyouhands,bangonthetableetc

• Takehimoutsidetothetoiletspot• Waitpatientlyasperabove

WhatdoIdoifhe’salreadymessedinside?

• NOTHING!!Youmissedthetrainingopportunitythistimearoundunfortunately• Donotgetangrywithhim• Donotrubhisnoseinit• Donotsmackhim• Cleanupthemess(seecleaningtipsbelow)andbebetterpreparedfornexttime

Cleaning• Ifyourpuppyhasalreadymessedindoors,youwillneedtocleanitthoroughly.• Youwillrequireaproductthatcontainsenzymesthatwillkillthemoleculesofscentthatattractyourpuppyback

tothesamespot.• Follow the instructions on the label to thoroughly clean all porous surfaces where the odours have soaked

through.• Carpetswithheavysoilingwillrequiresteamcleaning§ Donotuseammoniabasedcleaners.Ammoniabasedcleanersattractyourdogtothatspotagain.Otherusefulpointstonote:• Indoorpuppiesaremucheasiertohousetrainthanoutdoorpuppies• Cratetrainedpuppiesareeveneasiertohousetrain(talktousaboutthebenefitscratetraining)• Ensureeasyaccesstothetoiletspotatalltimes.It’salittledifficultforayoungpuptohavetonegotiatestairs,

cornersanddoorwaysjusttogetoutside!• Ensurethepupwalkstothetoiletspothimselfmoreoftenthennot.Youcanassisthimwithaleadtoreachthe

rightarea• Keepingadiarywillassistyouwithtrackingmovementtimesandstopyoufromguessing• ALWAYSWATCHYOURPUPPY!Ifindoubt,takehimout!Wewillstress…..Undernocircumstancesshouldyoudragyourpuppyovertothe‘accident’toscoldhim,orworstofall,rubhisnoseinit.Ifyoudonotcatchhimintheact,say/donothing.Puthiminanotherareaandcleanitupandprepareyourselfalittlebetterforthenexttime.Note:Thereisabsolutelynoplaceforsmacking,yellingorgettingangrywithyourpupifhesoilsindoors.Punishmentafterthefactistotallyuselessanditisalsocrueltoyourdog.


The‘naughty’puppy…carefulwhatyoureward!Mostownerswillapproachyoutoassistthemwittheir‘naughty’puppy.Thepuppytearsaroundtheloungeroom,grabbingapieceindoorplantorcushionashegoes.Hebarksthehousedownwhenputoutside,hejumpsup,nipswhen touched, steals the cleanwashing from the basket, barks back when scolded, won’t listenwhen told “No”.Ownerswillprettymuchtellyoutheirpuppyis“thepuppyfromhell”Ishereally?AfrantichouseholdcreatesafranticdogIsthehouseholdthetypethatisalwaysbusy,frantic,loud,hurried,shoutingandscreaming?Istheownerthissortofpersontoo??Ifansweredyes,thenchancesarethepuppyislearningtobecomefrantictooduetothenatureofthehouseholdandactionsoftheowners.Youseepuppies,forthemostpart,willadapttothesortofenvironmenttheylive in. Therefore, ifyouareacalm,quietandconfidenttypeofperson,andyourhousehold is thesame,thenthepuppywillmostlylikelymirrorthat.CALMistheoperativewordhere…andthatiswhatmustbepracticedeverydaywhenmanagingapuppythatistryingtolearnthewaysofthehumanworld.ExperimentationPuppieswillexperimentandexploretheirenvironment.Suchas:

• Diginthegarden• Stealitemsleftaround• Chewofshoesandotherhouseholditems• Knockovertherubbishbin

Now, pair the above behaviours along with the owners reacting (getting angry). Here is a simplemathematicalequationofwhatyouget:Scenario1:Puppystealsthesock+ownerscreamsathimandtriestogetitoffhim+puppyrunsawaywithsock+ownerchasespuppyaroundthehouse=reinforcingofstealingandtheinstigationofafungameofchase.Ifthebehaviourisignoredorpuppyisdistractedaway:Scenario2:Puppystealsthesock+ownercalmlygetupandleavestheroom=puppystopswhathewasdoing,wonderswhereownerhasgone(dropssockfrommouth)+comestoseewhereowneris(leavesthesock)+ownerreturnsandpraisesthepuppy=sockisnolongeravalueditemandbehaviourofstealingisnotreinforcedNote:Nounwantedbehaviourhasbeen*inadvertentlyreinforcedinscenario2*InadvertentReinforcementfromyouManypuppybehavioursareman-madeandusuallyinadvertentlyreinforced…likejumping(seeJumpingUpsection)Herearesomeexamplesofinadvertentreinforcement(ie.whatkeepstheunwantedbehaviourhappening):

• Payingattentiontothepuppytoincludeyellingand/orscolding.• Gigglingorlaughingatyourpuppywhenheexhibitsunwantedbehaviours• Talking,patting/praisingwhilstthepuppyisexhibitingunwantedbehaviours

During thepuppy’sCriticalDevelopmentPeriod (5-16weeks) thepuppy’sbrain is like a sponge, soakingupall theinformationarounditandlearningbyexperiences.Theimportanceofgoodtrainingandguidanceduringthistimeisextremelyimportant,aswellasreinforcementforbehavioursthatarewantedandencouraged.

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UNIT 4 Common puppy problem behaviours - NobleK9 Training€¦ · UNIT 4: COMMON PUPPY PROBLEM BEHAVIOURS Objective This unit is aimed at providing information on some of the various