How can "leadership" resolve normal, self-rewarding behaviors?

luvmyswissy

What about when your not home?  Or when your taking a shower?  How do you stop the dog then, management I would assume?  I do similiar things if I catch my dog noising around.  But for the most part, if I am in the other room I will just close the pantry door and not worry about if they are in it or not.

I probably have hundreds of items in the house that the dogs can fit into their mouth and possibly destroy.  Do all of you propose either hiding those items or teaching the dog in advance that each one of those items are MINE?  Are you also suggesting a wait and see approach as to which of those hundreds of items the dogs are going to favor?  This is how we should manage the dog?   

Just because something can fit in to a dog's mouth doesn't mean it's at all tempting for the dog to do that. I try to manage things so that stuff that I know is tempting, that I know the dogs will take a chance to try to get, is not just laying all about at their level and easily accessible when I'm not around. That, to me, is setting a dog up to fail, and giving the dog a lot of opportunity to form bad habits. I can leave books and magazines on coffee tables, but I'm not going to leave a ham sandwich on the coffee table and leave the room for a half an hour and still expect it to be there when I get back.

snownose

I have to touch on something that houndlove mentioned......giving dogs need what they need,

Exactly!  As the dog defines its needs, is fulfilling the dog's needs leadership or is that just being a good caretaker?

Providing leadership is very important to dogs....dogs thrive on good leadership, keeps everything in order and keeps the stress level down in a multi dog household.

houndlove

Just because something can fit in to a dog's mouth doesn't mean it's at all tempting for the dog to do that. I try to manage things so that stuff that I know is tempting, that I know the dogs will take a chance to try to get, is not just laying all about at their level and easily accessible when I'm not around. That, to me, is setting a dog up to fail, and giving the dog a lot of opportunity to form bad habits. I can leave books and magazines on coffee tables, but I'm not going to leave a ham sandwich on the coffee table and leave the room for a half an hour and still expect it to be there when I get back.

I was being proactive and pre-emptive to make sure all potential items in the house are safe from destruction.  I can't read a dog's mind as to when an item will not be tempting one day but will be tempting the next day.  I believe in the statement that a valued or high prize item loses value over time (satiation) in favor another item of original lesser value.  Therefore all items that the dog can get at are potentially at risk.  At the other end of the managment is the wait and see approach.

snownose

Providing leadeship is very important to dogs....dogs thrive on good leadership, keeps everything in order and keeps the stress level down in a multi dog household.

I'm lazy, one of the dogs in the pack can do that.  Why do I have to?

DPU

I'm lazy, one of the dogs in the pack can do that.  Why do I have to?

LOL....are you familiar with the word " Mayhem"

snownose

I can say this, a GSD that has issues will change your mind about crates........ask Glenda....

maybe DPU's dogs are so well trained, that he can sit and do nothing while the dog in charge knows exactly what needs to ne done in an orderly fashion just to show DPU how humanly smart he is

 I use pro-active operant conditioning and management of the environment to set up habitual behaviors that prevent self-rewarding behaviors from ever occurring.

People who claim to use leadership to modify behavior, especially to stop self-rewarding behaviors, are usually acting as bullies, not leaders. Leaders don't "set boundaries and limits"; those are the actions of bullies and/or parental figures (depending on how it is done). 

Leadership is the ability of an individual to motivate a group towards achieving a common goal. In dogs, it would only come into play when hunting as a pack or raising a litter of pups as a pack. Or perhaps defending territory as a pack. When you and your dogs are just hanging out at home, leadership is not relevant.

mudpuppy

People who claim to use leadership to modify behavior, especially to stop self-rewarding behaviors, are usually acting as bullies, not leaders. Leaders don't "set boundaries and limits"; those are the actions of bullies and/or parental figures (depending on how it is done). 

I knew this was coming.......

Are you saying you set no boundaries or limits for your dogs, or did I misunderstand you?

I set lots of boundaries and limits. As a parental figure or caretaker. I'm not a leader.

mudpuppy

 I use pro-active operant conditioning and management of the environment to set up habitual behaviors that prevent self-rewarding behaviors from ever occurring.

If I understand, you set up habitual behaviors as a substitute for bad behaviors or phrased differently, you teach pastime activities that pleases the dog.  Exactly how many "set ups" do you do?  If, for you, there are not alot, can you name/describe them. 

So, in essence all your interactions with your dogs are as a caretaker or a parental figure.

My interactions are different, ever walk through the woods with your dogs, off leash......just going where you want to go and your dogs follow you? I don't look at myself as a caretaker or parental figure at that time.

mudpuppy

People who claim to use leadership to modify behavior, especially to stop self-rewarding behaviors, are usually acting as bullies, not leaders. Leaders don't "set boundaries and limits"; those are the actions of bullies and/or parental figures (depending on how it is done). 

 This reponse caused me to pause and wonder why I even bother trying to communicate to some of the folks on this forum. It is obvious that it is pointless. You have no real clue where others are coming from and have made your judgements and perceptions and seem to be content to stick with them. That is your right. I am not even going to speak to the bully comment as IMO it is not deserving of one. I find it offensive since I do claim to use leadership in my household but I will leave it alone. I could make many comments about what I think, but I will restrain myself.

 I would ask one question. What is wrong with being a parental figure to your pets? Are you not responsible for them and for their behavior? What do you consider yourself? Are they your equal? Do you share the responsiblities?