Pet care: Instead of yelling or swatting, try this
A better way to stop your counter-surfing pooch
You want to end your dog鈥檚 incessant food filching fast. I get it. Your first impulse may be to scream, swat, squirt or even shock the perpetrator. But punishment can only diminish a behavior if it鈥檚 applied with sufficient strength, immediately following the event, and 鈥� here鈥檚 the essential and impossible requirement 鈥� every single time.
Do you really want to lurk behind cabinets and doors so you can bust sweet Mopsy for doing what comes naturally to her? Not me. I have two problems with aversive punishment for pets and children: It damages a cherished relationship and I would hate doing it. And one more fly in the ointment 鈥� there is nothing about punishment that teaches the student what you want her to do instead. Losing your @#$% at a dog who steals won鈥檛 help anybody. Fuhgeddaboudit.
There is a simple solution but sadly, it requires self-discipline. Willie Sutton would never bother robbing a bank that had no money. Don鈥檛 help your good dog go bad. Eliminate temptation by putting her elsewhere when you cook and eat. Stash your dishes immediately. Leave nothing on your table or counter. All new dogs, starting on day one, should only be fed from their bowl, unless you鈥檙e rewarding a good deed like obedience. (Praise is a great reinforcer; petting is even better.)
Dogs and humans have a lot in common. That鈥檚 why they鈥檙e man鈥檚 and woman鈥檚 best friends. We鈥檙e all operant learners, meaning that we only go to a job that pays. What鈥檚 different about dogs is that they believe they must earn everything from us, including any attention, however subtle. If you respond to thievery, with a touch or a spoken word (even a threat or reprimand), your dog will be certain he鈥檚 earned it. And what gets rewarded gets repeated.
If you feed a dog from the table, he鈥檒l catch on quickly and keep showing up at your fast-food drive-thru. When you鈥檙e not doling out fistfuls of fries, he鈥檒l launch a reconnaissance mission, like the scavenger he legitimately is, sniffing around the kitchen and pantry and maybe jumping on counters, ready to grab and run.
Next week: Maybe it鈥檚 not behavioral. Internal disease can trigger intense hunger.
鈥� For help with behavior problems, you can sign up for a Zoom group conference at drjeffnichol.com.
Dr. Jeff Nichol is a residency-trained veterinary behaviorist in Albuquerque. He provides consultations by Zoom group and individually/in-person. Sign up for his weekly blog or post questions (drjeffnichol.com) or mail to 4000 Montgomery NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87109.
