- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
If you’re looking for advice on how to humanely discipline a dog, you’re in the right place. Within positive reinforcement training, there are many gentle and effective methods for redirecting your dog’s behavior. When used correctly, disciplining your dog looks like guiding your dog to make better choices without adverse or painful methods.
Sometimes that means taking a deep breath and a pause before responding to your dog. Leigh Siegfried, CPDT-KA for Opportunity Barks, suggests reframing the way you think about discipline as guiding and parenting. “Animals, both human and the four-footed type, need clarity,” she says.
Animals have natural behaviors they use to communicate and fulfill their needs. The correct way to discipline unwanted behaviors in dogs is to teach them alternative choices or ignore them so they are not rewarded for the behavior problems.
How long it takes to rebuild clear communication with your dog depends on several factors. How long your dog has been carrying out this behavior and how often they practice is, explains Steffi Trott, founder of SpiritDog Training.
But, if pet parents are consistent with training, progress can often be seen within a couple of weeks. Let’s learn more about how to gently redirect your dog’s unwanted behavior—the right way.
Tips for Training Dogs with Positive Reinforcement
Teaching your dog to stop behaving a certain way doesn’t have to come at the expense of your relationship. Most dogs want to learn how to communicate with us better and build a long-lasting bond with us. Changing unwanted behavior in dogs is rooted in these steps:
- Ignore the behavior. Attention is a reward to dogs.
- Use a calm noise interruptor to stop unwanted behavior.
- Redirect their behavior to another object or activity. Praise your dog when they are doing what you want instead.
- Manage your dog’s environment. This may look like removing triggers or placing up gates to prevent your dog from practicing unwanted behaviors.
- Use time outs when appropriate. Avoid instiling pain, fear, or anxiety in your dog.
- Be clear and consistent in what you want and don’t want. Do not allow behaviors one day and then ignore them the next.
Dogs do not define behaviors as bad or good. This is something humans have decided for them, which means we have to show them alternative ways of communicating with us. When you uncover the function of your dog’s behavior (what they are trying to communicate or get to), you can then show your dog the right way to get what they want.
How To Discipline Common Unwanted Behaviors
We’ve rounded up some of the most common unwanted behaviors seen in dogs. This is not exhaustive, as every dog is different, but they are behaviors most pet parents find tiresome.
Barking
Dogs bark to alert, demand attention, express boredom, or anxiety. Scolding them will not make them feel any less strongly. Figure out why your dog is barking through context clues. What are they looking at? What is happening in the environment?
You can use a sound interruptor (like a whistle or tsk-tsk) and acknowledge what your dog sees. Interrupt your dog before they bark and treat them for being quiet. For fearful barking, Trott recommends figuring out what kinds of sounds frighten them and slowly counter-conditioning the dog against them.
Inappropriate elimination
Ignore any inappropriate urination. This is difficult but by the time your dog has peed, it’s too late to correct them. Inappropriate peeing is your responsbility to stay on top of through a consistent routine.
When they do pee in the right place, reward them for their behavior like they just saved a life. The more exciting you and the reward is, the stronger the motivation for them to pee in the right place will be.
Chewing
Interrupt their behavior and calmly redirect their attention to something else, like a long-lasting chew or their favorite sturdy KONG toy. Once they latch onto the appropriate chew, praise them.
Biting
Arousal biting from puppies is a common experience and usually decreases as your puppy ages. Redirecting involves giving their mouth another target or a solid time-out. For more serious agressive dog behaviors, Trott advises seeking professional help. “These are safety issues that need to be addressed by an experienced [dog] trainer.”
Jumping
Dogs jump for attention or to gain access or proximity to what they want. To interrupt jumping, take a step back away from your dog and ask for an alternative behavior like down. Once your dog is in position, reward them by getting closer or giving them a treat.
Pro-tip: Some trainers advise against asking for a sit as sitting puts the dog in a position to pounce up. This can lead to some bruised noses, so we agree that down is probably a better cue!
Rough play
To stop rough play, teach your dog the “break” cue. This invovles shouting the word break and scattering treats on the floor so that their nose is to the ground. Sniffing helps calm dogs down and allows for an opportunity to redirect your dog.
Keep an eye out for behaviors like humping, snapping, growling, and flat ears and use the break cue when these behaviors start to show. When play becomes excessively rough, dogs can get overstimulated and the interaction can turn into real fighting.
What Not to Do
Training techniques based on dominance, fear, and punishment are outdated and ineffective. In fact, research shows adverise, dominance techniquesy have a negative impact on a dog’s welfare.
If a trainer recommends or displays any of the following behaviors, find a new trainer:
Shouting
Dogs are incredibly sensitive to our body language and tone of voice and become nervous or fearful when we shout. Shouting can be a reflection of our own frustration or loss of patience.Raising your voice doesn’t help your dog understand what they did wrong.
Hitting
Studies show that confrontational methods can cause fear-related responses like submissive urination and defensive aggression. Hitting your dog is NEVER the right response.
Shock collars
Shock collars deliver an electric shock that can burn a dog’s skin and cause pain. They can make some dogs more fearful or aggressive. Electric collars have been banned in certain countries and are opposed by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Crating as punishment
When done right—crating can be a great way to help dogs feel safe and comfortable. But crates should never be used as punishment. This can create negative associations, so a dog is less likely to want to go into their crate next time.
iStock/Carolina Santos Torre
Why Is My Dog Behaving Like That?
Here are some of the most common explanations behind your dog’s behavior. In some cases you’ll need to consult a dog trainer to help understand what your dog is trying to say.
Anxiety
Unresolved anxiety can show up in a lot of ways, including the following.
- Destructive behaviors
- Noise sensitivity
- Howling
- Compulsive behaviors
- Separation anxiety
Boredom
Being stuck at home bored and without any mental stimulation can lead to a wide range of unwanted behaviors, including counter surfing, restlessness, digging, jumping, and barking.
Fear
Fear can be rooted in a wide range of issues, from loud noises to road trips or strangers. Your dog can’t tell you why they’re scared, but they might bark more than normal, have accidents in the house, or engage in destructive behavior.
Stress
Dogs can feel stressed for all sorts of reasons—which can lead to behavior changes. Often these include changes to their body language but this can also extend to unfocused barking, growling, and even aggression.
Trauma
An adopted dog with an unknown past may have experienced traumatic events. These may impact how they behave in the future.
Attention-seeking
Sometimes, your dog is just looking for you to notice them. They might jump up excitedly in your face when you get home or paw at you when you stop petting them.
Lack of routine
Dogs thrive on routine, and if they don’t know when they’re next getting fed or going for a walk, they may become restless or exhibit other behaviors their pet parents might deem undesirable.
Little or no training
Jumping up, pulling on the leash, and not coming back when called might look like unwanted behaviors, but usually, it’s down to a lack of training.
Which Behaviors Should Be Redirected?
Often, the behaviors that pet parents want to redirect fall into one of the following categories:
- Barking: A natural behavior, but excessive barking at every noise can soon become tiresome.
- Biting: Often rooted in fear, pet parents should seek professional advice if their dog bites or is aggressive. On the other hand, puppy biting is normal and usually decreases as your puppy ages.
- Inappropriate elimination: Some dogs mark their territory, others pee to show submission. This issue can also be caused by medical conditions.
- Chewing: Dogs love to chew, but sometimes it goes too far. Destructive chewing is caused by many factors, including boredom, separation anxiety, and genuine hunger.
- Rough play: When play becomes excessively rough, or dogs’ play styles aren’t matched, it can turn into real fighting.
iStock/Aleksandr Zotov
Is A Dog Ever Too Old to Unlearn?
“Dogs can learn at any age!” Trott explains. However, she added that ingrained behaviors can be harder to resolve. “If a dog has ignored recall for months or years, it will take quite a bit of training and management to stop that dog from running off,” she says.
Consistency and patience are also crucial during this process as you work on establishing a new routine. This is especially important for pet parents of older rescue dogs who need time to settle into their new home.
When Should You Seek Help from a Professional?
Gentle redirection and positive reinforcement for good behavior can take a while to master. If you feel like you’re not getting anywhere, it might be time for professional help. “Pet parents should seek professional help whenever they feel like they’ve exhausted what they know to do and are still not seeing an increase in the behavior they want,” Siegfried recommends.
During the session, a professional behaviorist will:
- observe your dog in their environment and watch their reaction to situations
- take an in-depth history of the behavioral problem
- pinpoint exactly which triggers cause unwanted behaviors
- provide an in-depth training and management plan, explaining what your dog is trying to do with the behavior
Additionally, a dog trainer will determine if your dog’s needs are being met. Meeting your dog’s needs will get you half way to communicating with your dog as a full, happy, and calm dog is easier to communicate with.
