Stopping your dogs 'bad' behaviour
- Dog Smart with Megan
- Jan 8
- 4 min read
Are you restricting your dogs behaviour? You might be in for short term success but long term failure.
Have you ever heard of a binge - restrict cycle? The term is essentially an unhealthy way of dieting where people restrict themselves so much from the foods they think are 'bad'. It seems to really work for a while but eventually it fails. They only have so much self control until that day they're stressed, tired, anxious, bored, or just craving a midnight snack because they've not eaten enough during the day. And so they binge, which makes them feel shitty and then they spend the next week restricting their diet again to compensate...and on and on the yo yo goes.
Now I can hear you thinking, Megan what the hell does this have to do with dogs?
Well the thing is, the above doesn't just happen with food. If someone was to restrict your access to something you enjoy, this doesn't all of a sudden make you want that thing less, it actually makes you want it more and will likely lead to a more intense response to this thing when you do get access to it. Especially if you're being restricted from multiple things that are very normal to you and that you enjoy a lot. Allowing yourself a moderate amount of the things you love regularly, has a much higher chance of satisfying you so that you don't feel the need to seek it out at a high intensity when you get access to it.
Look at your dog and think about the things they love to do, that you feel you are constantly restricting them from because your human biased mind views them as 'bad'. This could be something breed specific: herding, hunting, digging, guarding. Or it could be something they've learnt is a fun activity through practice: running up to dogs to play, ripping your favourite cushion to shreds, barking at the neighbours in the garden etc.
You will likely find that restricting them access to these things initially works because of course they're no longer frustrating you or causing mayhem. But then the inevitable happens and your dog gets access to doing it again and oh my god it's twice as bad as last time! So this time you're even more restrictive and you now you find yourself reducing both you and your dogs world so much that having a dog isn't as enjoyable anymore.
If your only plan of action is restriction (management), this WILL fail at some point. If you can live with that because there's no safety issue, it's only a minor problem, it's rare your dog comes across the situation, and your dog can live a fabulous life without it; then a full restrict/manage plan can work well. And the reality is there will be multiple small things everyone uses 100% management with because we are human and we can't train for everything. An example from my own life is that I always have my dining chairs tucked in otherwise Jacob will jump on the table, I have no motivation to train to change this because the management is easier and it's not a dangerous situation, but when inevitably a chair is left out Jacob thinks it's Christmas.
But if 100% restrict/manage won't work in your situation, what is the solution?
Note. This is a simplified example for the purpose of trying to help you understand your dogs behaviour from a perspective that's relatable. There is always more nuances and complexities to both human and dog behaviour that if you need more help you should seek out a professional.
To relate this back to the start of the blog, the solution to ending this yo yo effect is similar to ending a binge - restrict cycle diet. Everything in moderation, allow yourself to have the 'bad' stuff but also find alternatives that you enjoy, and exercise; because it's good for the heart, body and the mind. One of the biggest things I've not explained yet is to change your perspective of what is 'bad' which is why i keep putting it in quotation marks. Just like there is no 'bad' food, there is no 'bad' behaviour, it's just behaviour that is either appropriate to the situation and in our society, or inappropriate. Dogs don't know they are doing something bad they just do what they enjoy.
If the behaviour is something that you are able to allow safely in moderation then do so but also work on building value for more appropriate alternatives. Sometimes the behaviour is just totally unacceptable that you do need to fully restrict them from it and only give them alternatives. Does your dog...Love to herd? Get involved with herding games like treibball or sheepballs. Love to hunt? Get involved with predatory substitute training, Gundog Training or Scent Sports. Love using their physical abilities? Get involved in bikejoring, canicross, agility and flyball. Love to run away from you for ages and play with other dogs? Okay that one's a bit longer of an answer but essentially it's a combination of being around dogs doing other stuff to learn dogs aren't just for playing with and lots of fun recall training. Lastly, make sure they are getting decent exercise, not a 30 minute lead walk but a way to stretch their legs and have some form of freedom (if you can't do this off lead use a long line or hire a secure field).
Ultimately stop making your dogs world smaller by restricting their behaviour, and try to find a way to be part of what they love to do.
Dog Smart with Megan
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