Friday, May 27, 2011

The Avoidance Trap




My Girl when she was 10 months old.




It is very common to make the mistake of avoiding things that your dog may not be great at. For instance someone’s dog does not greet other dogs well they just tend to avoid being around other dogs. This is just the opposite of what should be done. Think of a teacher, if a child has trouble with math the teacher does not give them less math, she gives them more with better instruction. Don’t avoid issues, get help and fix them.




I have had many clients who plan their day around avoiding issues with their dogs. They go out before the sun is up because their dog barks at everyone on a walk. Or, they know that there is one house on the block their dog goes berserk at so they change their walking route to avoid that house. I've even seen people stop having company over because their dogs cause such a fuss at the door!



This is no way to live. Your dog should enrich your life, not complicate it. Do not fall into the avoidance trap. When I first took in a 10 month old Pit Bull/American Bulldog foster puppy (65 lbs puppy!) I took her out for a walk and immediately ran into a stranger. She froze, her hair went up and she went into a barking fit that scarred the heck out of the person. She was insecure and strange people startled her. Well, that same day I realized I had to stop that. I didn't want a dog who was insecure, and I didn't want the neighbors to be afraid when they saw me walking her. I went home and got a noise maker that would be loud enough to distract her when she went into her barking mode and then we headed out again. I spent an hour finding every single person in the neighborhood who was outside of their house so that we could practice. My foster quickly learned that their was no need to be startled by strangers because I was in charge. A year later I have adopted that over grown puppy and now she goes all over with me teaching people about dogs. She never barks anymore, unless she lets a small excitement bark slip because she is so happy to meet new people. Remember, avoidance never solves anything and only makes things worse! Get help and tackle your problems.

Bad Behavior/ Good Dog now has a website! Check it out!


http://www.wix.com/badbehaviorgooddog/homepage