Training or Behavior Issues Must Be Corrected By Everyone in Contact with an Animal

An issue I want to address is when animals and their owners are working on behavior or training issues and how everyone else around them can affect their progress. For example, if a dog has a bad habit of jumping on people when they walk in the door, let the owner do what they need to do to stop this behavior. The WORST thing a visitor can do while the dog is jumping on them is tell the owner it’s okay and proceed to bend down to pet the dog.

What did that teach the dog?
#1. He can ignore his owner.
#2. It’s okay to jump on everyone who comes in the house.
#3. He will get rewarded by being pet.

Is that what you want? No way!!! Let your visitors know ahead of time, if possible, that your dog has a jumping problem that you are working on. Tell them that you need their help to fix this, so when they come in the door, ignore the dog if he jumps on them. They can also give off non-welcoming energy that the dog will feel. They are not allowed to pet or talk to the dog when it’s jumping around. Make it clear to your company that you do not want them encouraging bad behavior. If you say it like that, it makes people realize that saying “it’s okay” and petting the dog after being jumped on will set the dog’s training back.

Getting everyone who’s in contact with your animal on the same page will boost your progress in fixing any behavior or training problems!