Got a mischevious mutt on your hands? Then you may know this scenario. You walk in the door and your pal greets you with elated tail wagging, wiggling and sloppy doggy kisses. Then suddenly, he's overcome with a guilty look and it's off to cower behind the couch. Uh-oh. You know what this means. Sure enough, a telltale trail of eggshells, coffee grinds, grease stains and tattered wrappers leads you to the scene of the crime: the kitchen. Your dog's done it again, raided the garbage.
You've tried whacking him, you've tried gating him, you've put him in dog house solitary for a few hours as punishment. Still, no matter how much you holler and scold, your dog's still up to his no-good hijinks with that darned kitchen trash pail every time you leave the house. What's a frustrated dog owner to do?
First of all, let's think about who we're dealing with here. It's a DOG. He might be your lovable pal, and at times he seems smarter than your husband, but the truth is, here's an animal that's at least two steps down on the food chain. Just remembering that fact alone may help you realize that your dog does not have advanced reasoning capacity.
Okay: now that we have the pooch perspective on higher learning, we can reason out the situation in a way that your dog will never be able.
If your dog is home alone, bored out of his doggy mind, he's eventually going to find his way into the kitchen. Sniffing around for a dropped crumb under the table, maybe doing a little counter-surfing on the sly. Then, he follows his nose to the fermenting dog buffet that you call garbage... and, half crazed from having to beg for his every meal, he immediately begins harfing down every delicious morsel. He can't help himself!
When you come home hours later and push your dog's nose into the mess while spanking his fanny, his limited brain is not ever going to master the long-term cause-and-effect of why garbage-raiding is bad and leads to a beating. In this immediate situation: he knows three variables: him, you, and the garbage. From that simple vantage point, your pushing his nose into the garbage equals a scolding.
However, when you're NOT there, that's only TWO variables: him, and the garbage. To him, that means "Let's chow down!" Later, when you come home, he's well-forgotten the garbage-raiding spree and only knows that 1. he's happy to see you, 2. there's garbage around, and 3. you're yelling at him. But he doesn't ask "Why?" because he has no ability to reason.
How are beatings and scoldings going to keep him from going on his trash rampages? They're not!
You can use simple Pavlov-style behavior conditioning to make your dog behave through positive reinforcement. The trick to this is repetition of a single stimuli: Command, execute, reward. All of this is immediate. It's also the reason dogs bark every time they hear a doorbell on the TV. But we'll never be able to explain to the dog that the doorbell on the TV is not the real doorbell. And you'll never convince him that if he stays away from the garbage he won't get a walloping. If you can, then I suggest you have him join MENSA, because that is one genius dog!
So, the real solution to the garbage raiding predicament is this: you're going to have to move the garbage out of your dog's reach. It's a simple fix for an annoying problem, and probably the only reason why you haven't done it already is because you don't want to change your stuff around for a dog. Well, you're not doing it for the dog! You're doing it for your own peace of mind.
Now, where can you move the garbage to? You can pick it up and place it on top of the washing machine, if that's behind a nearby door you can close. You can rearrange the cleaning products under your kitchen sink and fit it under there, and then buy or fashion a lock for the cabinet door. You can shut it in the garage on your way out. You can hoist it up on a countertop that your dog can't jump up on. You can stow it away in the bathroom.
There now, was that so hard? You didn't have to spend tons of money on dog obedience classes. You didn't have to go through the heartbreak of laying into your little pup when he's giving you those big, sad eyes. And best of all, you didn't have to come home and Febreeze the living heck out of your livingroom rug.
Move the garbage. For the love of dog!
Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.
Dina Giolitto is a copywriting consultant and ghostwriter with 10 years of experience writing corporate print materials and web content. Trust her with your next e-book, article series or web project, and make a lasting impression on your audience of hungry prospects. Visit http://www.wordfeeder.com for more information.
executive chauffeured services Bradford .. Madison to Airport carSo what does it mean to float a horse's teeth?... Read More
Small dog breeds are great pets, but since their personalities... Read More
Breed specific legislation otherwise known as "BSL" has started to... Read More
Do you have a puppy that jumps on you, company... Read More
Because your dog lives with humans, he's going to have... Read More
If your dog could talk, these are some of most... Read More
Studies have shown that regularly petting a dog brings a... Read More
Caring for a kitten is a lot of work. With... Read More
a) GrowlingIf your rabbit growls or grunts at you, she... Read More
Sure, you may be a master of human First Aid.... Read More
If you're like me, then you don't really have the... Read More
Glassily transparent, the lemon tetra (hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis) could appear to... Read More
One of the most common causes of Feline Urinary Tract... Read More
Dogs come in many assorted breeds, shapes, and sizes. They... Read More
Parasites are organisms that survive by feeding off of other... Read More
In part one we talked about forming good behavior traits... Read More
* Lock things up that could cause harm* Keep the... Read More
Why The Food You Give Your Dog Matters!If you're like... Read More
Our dogs are now, more than ever, a very important... Read More
Do you own a horse? If so, then you have... Read More
We have all grown up with at least one hero... Read More
Every day we are looking for ways to make our... Read More
Losing your cat is a worrying experience, use these 'How... Read More
Find a vet, if possible, who specializes in small animals... Read More
Our pets give us so much. They entertain us, listen... Read More
O'Hare Chicago prom limo ..Choosing a dog is a fun adventure. The search for... Read More
The shutting and opening door trick can be taught to... Read More
Do you want a Westie as a pet? What are... Read More
Dog training can provide a tremendous amount of satisfaction. Every... Read More
You can look at westhighland terriers and know if it... Read More
Do you own a horse? If so, then you have... Read More
Buying dog doors onlineIf you need to buy a dog... Read More
The days are getting longer, and if you have a... Read More
I know there are differing opinions on the subject of... Read More
Aggression behavior in a dog is a normal form of... Read More
Dog SupplementsA good nutritional program of dog supplements is just... Read More
There are lots of ways a horse can go lame.... Read More
My dad was an avid animal lover. We grew up... Read More
Part1: There is Actually a "Wrong" Way to Crate TrainCrate... Read More
Newer doesn't always mean better.Adopting an older dog may be... Read More
Let me begin by saying that I am not an... Read More
Ok, so everyone who stays on top of the show... Read More
Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics, because the disease... Read More
Beautiful as they are, Boston Terriers have some genetic traits... Read More
Some Dogs like Boxers unfortunately, are prone to several potential... Read More
Anyone wanting a new kitten should be a cat lover.... Read More
Of course, we humans use shoes to protect our feet.... Read More
What is Canine Bloat?Bloat refers to the bloating of the... Read More
Do you have a puppy that jumps on you, company... Read More
Here's a simple way... to help your horse learn twice... Read More
Pet |