Most unwanted behaviours are results from the dog not being shown the appropriate behaviour, instead inappropriate behaviours are reinforced.

Take for example, a dog that barks excessively whenever someone walks by the window of a house: Why is the dog barking? For a number of reason, one being the dog may feel slightly cautious and uneasy about strangers walking by the house. He/she may be barking to protect the house from intruders. What is being rewarded? The dog continues to bark because he/she believes that barking makes the stranger go away. As the pedestrians walk by the house, the dog barks until the threat is gone. Success! The barking is thus reinforced in the dog’s mind. The longer these unwanted behaviours continue, the harder it is to correct them. Best approach is to correct behaviour issues as soon as they arise.

By using counter conditioning and positive reinforcement, we can:

1. Redirect the dog’s attention away from the window and towards you by using something that catches the dog’s attention
2. Lure the dog away using treats/toys into the behaviour you want
3. Reward with treat/toy and praise

Let’s break it down:

• We use counter conditioning to redirect the dog’s attention away from the window and into a sitting position
• We used positive reinforcement to encourage the dog into the behaviour via treats/toys and praise
• If we keep up with this every time someone walks by the window, soon enough the dog will associate pedestrians with something good (treats/playtime) and the barking behaviour will become extinct

Depending on how long the unwanted behaviour has been going on, behaviour modification may take days to weeks, to months!