Behavior Modification Through Impulse Control

• Chewing:  chewing is a natural dog behavior that they do because it feels good. The problem is when a dog chews something it shouldn’t.  Often dogs get attention when they chew something they shouldn’t and even negative attention may be better than none at all.
  • Impulse control solution: First, when your dog is chewing something they should be, praise them and toss treats in their direction so they know they are doing something right. Until you know how your dog feels about resources, give them space. Then, train a leave it cue, but be sure the dog knows that leave it means that you will trade them something better.  No one wants their stuff chewed up, but it’s better to get a slobbery shoe returned than a completely chewed up one. So, be sure to have better toys and treats around.  Also, a solid recall is useful, as long as you reward your dog for coming when called and trade them their object or if they leave it, give them something better to chew on.
• Stealing: this is another behavior that gets a dog a lot of attention and maybe a fun game too. If they steal something and you chase them, it becomes very rewarding.
  • Again, praise them for chewing/playing with appropriate toys and objects. Teach a leave it cue that means that you will trade for something better. If your dog steals something and won’t drop it or return to you, disengage from them if possible (but we don’t want them chewing something dangerous, so this is a last resort) and ignore until they approach you. If your dog enjoys being chased, play this game with them when they are playing nicely with a toy. 

​

• Marking: male and female dogs both will mark indoors in new environments sometimes, especially if another dog has marked that spot before.
  • Praise your dog for eliminating outdoors, and teach them a cue that means to eliminate. If they are running on empty, they have less in their tank to mark indoors. Train boundaries inside your house so that if the dog marks, it may be on hard floors rather than on carpet. Keep your dog with you in new environments so that the dog doesn’t have the chance to mark, and if they do, doesn’t punish, but take outside immediately.  If they mark during play or a fun activity, the fun stops.
• Jumping up: Another behavior that has accidently been reinforced, because the dog got something it wanted by jumping up. It is an excited behavior and often dogs who are excited have trouble coming down.
  • Impulse control solution:  choose a default behavior that is incompatible with jumping, such as a sit. Reinforce it whenever the dog offers it, cued and marked or captured and marked.  Ask for default behavior whenever the dog wants attention and ignore jumping if you can. Work on a place cue, so the dog has a definable place to go when there are new people coming in the environment. Interact with a jumper calmly. Teach the dog to jump up on cue, and also teach an off cue. Ignore a dog who is jumping, and lavish attention when four are on the floor. Train and shape relaxation. Don’t give the dog what they want when they jump.  

​

• Begging:  This is another behavior that has been reinforced at some point and so the dog continues it in hopes of that result again.
  • Impulse control solution: first of all, never feed your dog from the table or your plate. If you want to share a bite of food with them, take it to them or put it in their bowl. After you have finished eating.  Teach a place cue or teach your dog to stay behind a boundary while you are eating. Teach relaxation, and always feed your dog on their bed, place or behind the boundary.  Teach an Out or Go On cue. 
• Counter surfing: Once a dog has found out that there might be yummy foods on the counter, they will continue to check there. This is a tough behavior to train, because it is self-rewarding and offers many opportunities. You can train a dog to stay off the counters when you are home, but if you are not, it is a management issue instead.
  • Play impulse control games like It’s Yer Choice, and build up a powerful leave it cue. Teach your dog to stay inside of or behind a visible and definable boundary, and work on a place cue. Be sure the dog has something they enjoy when you are working in the kitchen to make behind the boundary or their bed to be desirable. Teach and reinforce relaxation and that default behavior.  Then, when no one is home, be sure counters are cleared or that the dog is contained someplace safe. 

​

• Nipping: this is a typical puppy behavior, but those needle sharp teeth hurt. This is how puppies play with each other, and it’s fine for puppies to do with other puppies, not so much to do on humans.  Puppies who are taken from their mother and litter too early can be worse about nipping because they have not learned bite inhibition. Then, puppies can be even nippier when they are teething or even when they are tired, so having them on a schedule with time for naps is a good thing. An older adult dog who is nipping is a bigger issue altogether.
  • First of all, no one can teach a puppy bite inhibition quite like another dog can. If possible, allow your puppy to interact with other puppies their same size and age. If puppies aren’t available, try to find a patient and balanced adult dog who can teach some bite inhibition. For humans being nipped, immediately stop play when teeth touch skin. You may just stand still as a tree or you may have to leave the room. Be sure to praise and reinforce play that does not include teeth and chewing on things they should chew on.  Work on training and reinforcing relaxation. 
• Pulling on leash:  This is another one of those behaviors that has gotten a dog desired results in the past, and so they keep pulling.  They wanted to sniff that lamppost, pulled you to it and got to sniff. Plus, some dogs are so aroused, anxious and frustrated when on a walk, and pulling makes it worse.
  • First, ditch the leash and work on polite walking in your home and backyard and work on it until the dog knows to offer it on a verbal cue and can hold for some distance. Increase the difficulty of the environment until you are back on a leashed walk around your neighborhood or park. The leash should be an emergency brake, not the steering wheel.  Teach the dog that you pay well when they stay with you.  Out of the yard, ask your dog to walk next to you for a certain duration and then release them to sniff. Release before they would have released themselves. Remember that sniffing along is a good thing and exercises the brain.  Continue this exercise off and on during the walk. If the dog starts pulling too much, stop and then move again when the dog checks in with you. Ask for a sit before leaving your house and yard and at the end of the walk. Ask for sit/down at curbs before crossing a street, and work on stays out in the neighborhood. 

​

• Door dashing: This is a dangerous habit and one that needs to be discouraged. The dog learned at one point that darting out of a door got them something they wanted, or something they see outside that puts them in such an over-aroused state, they can’t even think to do anything else.
  • Impulse control solution: always ask your dog to sit before going in or out of a door, your car, a gate or even their crate. This has nothing to do with the dog being dominant, but is a way to teach impulse control. The door or gate doesn’t open unless the dog is sitting patiently and waiting for a release cue. If you are answering the door or picking up a delivery outside, have your dog go to their place. Ask for place any time before you exit a door or gate. Also work on reinforcing your dog to stay behind a visible boundary around the door.  Reinforce relaxation often. 
• Rough play/over arousal: some dogs, when playing with humans or other dogs, get so excited that they will escalate behaviors they normally don’t show, like barking, nipping, jumping, or even mounting.  If they behave this way to a kid, they can hurt or scare them. If they are like this to another dog, they run the risk of scaring or hurting, but also of getting hurt in a fight. This is rude behavior!
  • Impulse control solutions: Reinforce relaxation often. Work on a reliable recall to call your dog away from a situation that could escalate. Have them check in with you, maybe sit or lie down until calm and then release them back to play. If they are playing with you, ask for an incompatible calm behavior just before the dog hits over-arousal if possible. Otherwise, disengage from play until the dog calms down.  Work on their place cue, and have something calming and enjoyable while the dog settles. Teach a drop cue, and ask the dog to drop a toy before becoming too ramped to listen. Trade for a treat, ask for a sit/down and when calm, resume play.