Punishment Techniques Are Flawed
Do you have a pet that continues to bite, bark, dig, chew, scratch or make messes in the house despite repeated warnings or punishment? Have you thought about kicking the pet out of bed, out of the house, or worse?
If so, your pet is in danger of joining the estimated 9 million cats, dogs and other critters that are surrendered or abandoned by owners and euthanized each year for a crime we call inappropriate behavior or poor manners.
I’m an expert on inappropriate behavior or poor manners because I’m the proud “dad” of Sirloin, a Labrador retriever.
In his first year of life, Sirloin gnawed his way through door mats, garden hoses, Christmas lights, barbecue covers, electrical cords, gloves…
With a respected veterinary behaviorist, we tried to find a good strategy to encourage constructive chewing. One day my daughter Mikkel was on the telephone getting some powerful new behavior tips when the phone went dead. We went outside to investigate and there was 6-month-old Sirloin with the telephone wires extending out both sides of his mouth. This wasn’t sabotage, it was Lab-otage!
Sirloin wasn’t a bad dog. All animals instinctively act like they would in the wild unless we teach them otherwise.
The joy of owning a pet should include learning about its nutrition, supplies, and its physical and mental well-being to build a bond of abundant joy and love.
There’s a knowledge explosion these days in understanding animal behavior. As a result, there are many new resources on how to modify behavior without using the ineffective and inhumane punishment techniques of the past. Ask your vet for the best references for your pet.
If behavior concerns persist, a comprehensive history and physical exam are in order to rule out medical problems.
To understand animal behavior, first recognize that your pet is not a little person but a proud member of another species. As we learn about the pet’s normal behavior, we learn how to “shape” it by making the response we want the very one the pet would spontaneously choose.
For example, it’s natural for dogs to chew objects. An effective strategy to improve negative chewing might be to provide a chew-toy with food inside while putting a foul-smelling substance on the object we’d prefer not be chewed.
People who have raised animals for decades are finding better results with new, gentler methods: Old cats can be taught new tricks about where to scratch and how to use the litterbox. Dogs respond better with reward-based training instead of being struck by a belt or the back of a hand.
This sidebar appeared with the story: PET TRAINING For more information * For information on new resources of pet training contact: * American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Behavior Hotline, (212) 876-7700, ext. HELP (4357). Web: www.aspca.org * American Veterinary Medical Association: (800) 248-2862. Web: www.avma.org * American Veterinary School of Animal Behavior: Referrals to a veterinary behaviorist. E-mail: Martinala@juno.com * Animal Behavior Society: Listing of certified applied animal behaviorists. Fax: (812) 856-5542 E-mail: aboffice@indiana.edu Web: www.animalbehavior.org * Television and Internet Resources Animal Planet has helpful pet care shows, or you can visit its Web site at www.animalplanet.com For behavior management information and referral, visit www.gentleleader.com