Changing the Rules: Case Study
A couple (let’s call them Jack and Jill) adopted a Black Labrador, Bella. She was well-mannered and well-loved. For over a year the dog was allowed to sleep on Jack and Jill’s bed.
Then Jill bought a set of expensive sheets which she had been saving up for. She decided they were too nice, too delicate and too expensive to become “doggified” - you know what that means … dog hair, dog drool, dog dirt and that distinctive dog smell – so she no longer wanted Bella jumping up on the bed.
So what should they do? They were told that suddenly making the bed off-limits would confuse the dog. And this is true, however as I explained to them, there are a number of ways to make changing a rule easier for your dog.
Make the new rule clear and be consistent
As soon as you have decided that you need to change the rule stick with the new one. If you decide like Jack and Jill did, that your dog is no longer allowed on the bed make the new rule clear to the dog by enforcing it consistently. If you let the dog back on the bed every now and then because you are tired and do not want to get up and enforce the new rule then your dog will be very confused as to whether it is allowed on the bed or not anymore.
Offer an alternative
If you decide that your dog can no longer sleep on the bed offer it an alternative sleeping place so it is less upset about the change and so it is clear on where it should be sleeping. In Bella’s case she was given a brand new deluxe dog bed placed near the owners bed so she had her own special place.
If you are trying to change a different rule, for example, your dog used to be allowed to lie on your feet in the kitchen while you cook but you no longer think this is appropriate, offering an alternative could consist of giving it an area where it can lie and watch you cook from the dinning room or lounge. Alternatively it could be as simple as asking one of the other family members to play with the dog while you are busy cooking, or offer it a chew toy in the next room instead.
Use plenty of praise and encouragement
The training routine itself involves praise and reward for following the new rule and gentle discouragement for following the old one. In Bella’s case when she went to her new dog bed, either by choice or when asked she was warmly praised and fussed over. I also told Jack and Jill to spend some time hanging out around the dog bed with Bella so that she didn’t feel she’d been banished from the only social spot in the room.
Naturally Bella was told “Off” whenever she was found on her former bed, and interrupted with a sharp “Uh uh” when she looked like she was approaching it. Through patience and repetition (and plenty of rewards for getting it right) Bella figured it all out in a couple of weeks and, to Jill’s delight, before they upgraded their bedding.
PS: Many owners make the mistake of thinking that dog-training commands are interchangeable, and use “off” for more than one situation (for example, using “off” to mean both ‘get off the couch’ and ‘stop jumping up on people’.) Using the same command in different situations will only confuse your dog. You need to ensure commands for separate circumstances are clearly different from each other.
If you’ve taught him to lie down when you say “down”, you won’t be able to use it for “get off the couch/bed” - you’ll need to come up with something new, like “on the floor.”
All the best,
Daniel Stevens and the Secrets to Dog Training Team
"Secrets to Dog Training - STOP Dog Behavior Problems!"
http://www.kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/
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