ATTENTION SEEKING BEHAVIOUR

ATTENTION SEEKING BEHAVIOURS REVEALED:


By Louise Thompson Accredited Animal Behaviour Consultant. (ABC of SA ©®™)

From a dogs point of view, if a behaviour is successful, (which means that the dog is rewarded for exhibiting a particular behaviour), then he will repeat the behaviour.

Reward, to a dog, can be one of many things, including receiving attention from his owner or pack leader! Most dogs even perceive negative attention as rewarding. So in other words, shouting, smacking and nagging the dog is rewarding, as the dog is getting you to take notice of him = attention = reward!

Dogs that constantly demand attention from their owners have learnt that this behaviour is successful.

More often than not, the more attention they demand, the more attention the owners give – if only to sometimes just keep the peace! This tends to just perpetuate the problem which then usually tends to worsen!

Attention seeking behaviour can present in many forms such as:-

• Demanding to be stroked

• Nudging for a stroke

• Pawing

• Resting his head on your lap for a stroke

• Constantly demanding to be let in / out

• Demanding food / water

• Refusal to eat – especially in the hope of being hand fed / or provided with higher value food, in overindulged cases.

• Vocalisation / barking / howling / yapping (the reward is the owners yelling “shut up”) = owner attention

• Vocalisation when the owner is on the telephone.

• Toy control

• Demanding to play (with or without toys)

• Demanding to go for a walk (ritualised behaviours)

• Begging at the table

• Physical exhibition of neurosis – to receive a response or comfort (shivering etc)

• Jumping up and certain excitable behaviour

• Some destructive behaviours.

• Leash forging (pulling on the lead)

• Jumping up against you to be picked up or carried.

Dogs who exhibit “attention seeking” behaviours are often insecure and over-indulged. These dogs often are suffering from stress caused by a lack of leadership – thus the basic pack responsibilities are directly on their shoulders! (Shame poor dogs!)

If a human does not provide leadership, the dog will instinctively have to take over that role – that is a natural part of hierarchal pack behaviour.

Being a leader does not mean you have to be harsh or nasty to your dog, as a leader you should be calm and a bit more aloof, but most important of all, as a leader you are the protector and decision maker (never a bully!)

In this regard, dogs also often receive conflicting signals from their owners – thus adding to their confusion and indirectly encouraging the behaviour – if only to receive a response.

Attention seeking dogs often are low ranking individuals, given owner status that they have not earned – this also causes confusion and encourages negative behaviours and dissention in a pack.

The miscommunication is often caused by Anthromorphisismn (owner’s misguidedly attributing human feelings and emotions to animals) this causes insecure, unhappy, confused dogs.

WAYS TO REDUCE OR ELIMINATE ATTENTION SEEKING BEHAVIOUR:

• Ignore negative behaviour and only reward and react to “good” or positive behaviours. For many dogs, the only attention they ever seem to get is when they are misbehaving! Try to consciously make more fuss of your dog when he is being “good”. The reward for being good is then habituated as if you are ignoring “bad” behaviour – the dog will desire attention and learn to get it by displaying behaviour that gets him attention!

• Use the “doggie time out” principles – which include – If the dog wants to be included in YOUR pack he has to abide by your rules.

• Become a good leader and decision maker – do not let the dog make any decisions. This will make you more valuable, reduce much doggy stress, and make your dog feel more secure as it lifts much (decision making / high ranking) responsibilities off his shoulders.

• Ensure that you initiate any contact with the dog – for example, if your dog comes and demands to play - ignore him until he stops demanding. Wait a couple of minutes and then call him for a game. In this way you have taken control, been the decision maker and rewarded the dog be encouraging the “good” behaviour to be repeated (as when he was calm and quiet – you then called him for a game)

• Make sure you make all decisions not the dog. You need to decide when all the good things in life happen – not the dog. This will take a huge “load” off his shoulders as you bear the brunt of the leadership role! Also he should learn that you are the provider of all good things, such as a walk, food, meals, grooming, games etc. All which should be on your terms and at your invitation!

• He should also have to “earn” all the good things in life. A simple sit or compliance with any other simple command can precede a reward, or a valuable thing in his life. Nothing should be given for free!

• If the dog repeatedly jumps up against you for a stroke or to be picked up. As he starts his “routine” then without speaking or reacting, simply jump up, march out of the room, and slam the door in his face. Give it a minute or two and then return and repeat if necessary. The second the dog does not demand to be picked up, then call him to you and pick him up and give him attention. Reward only good behaviour. This principle can be followed through to reduce various attention seeking behaviours.

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DOGGY TIME OUT
By Louise Thompson Accredited Animal Behaviourist ABC of SA: (©®™)

Owning an excitable or demanding dog, or pup, can ruin your social life; make family functions and other social events a nightmare. People can even begin to look for excuses not to come around to see you! If a dog or pup has not learnt social manners – it is never too late to instil new rules and regulations in your household. It is a fallacy that you cannot teach an old dog, new tricks! Any habit can be changed if the owners are consistent and send the “right” messages!

The most important rule of all is for everyone to be CONSISTENT!

Through repetition, patience, and consistency, dogs and pups learn patterns of behaviour very quickly! Therefore, to alter their attitude, and response, is actually very easy - if you go about it the right way!

RULES AND TIPS FOR EXCITABLE AND DIFFICULT DOGS :
Never punish your dog (either verbally or physically) for excited behaviour as you will either elicit a submissive behaviour response or otherwise simply encourage the dogs to become more excitable.

Use the basic rule – ignore all negative / bad behaviour, and reward and praise positive / good behaviour.

Limit your dog’s options – do not put the dog in a position where he can misbehave, he will then learn appropriate behaviour and earn your praise and reward. Success breeds success!



VISITORS AND EXCITABLE DOGS

As your visitors arrive have the dog on a collar and leash for control. Do not permit the visitors to acknowledge or greet the dog. They must ignore the animal until he is calm!

Do not let the visitors make eye contact with the dog, nor should they speak to him. He should be completely ignored until he is behaving in an appropriate way.

Crate train your dog – see the relevant section on crate training. Let the dog decide what is rewarding! Either have a crate in the room or area where the social is taking place or make the dog a bed or put down a blanket in a corner or non- traffic area, so that he is comfortable. Keep the dog on his collar and leash and tether him to a piece of heavy furniture or the window bars and ignore him for five minutes.

You can give him his favourite natural chew or toy to give him something to do, but do not feed or give him titbits if he is not behaving in an appropriate manner. Reward and acknowledge only positive behaviour.

If he does not settle after five minutes – then very calmly, without making a fuss (and with no eye contact) put him outside or in a non-contact area for five minutes doggie time out.

If he performs at the door / window only let him in the second he is quiet

You may then go through the entire procedure again, and again, and again, as many times as it takes before the dog gives you the calm behaviour that you need for him to interact with the visitors.

He will soon work out, that if he wants to be included in the human pack, he has to behave in a particular manner. This “inclusion”, is very important (from the dogs point of view) as he is a pack animal, and inclusion into the human canine pack is the basis of his nature and where he feels most safe and secure, (as he has the pack’s back up and support!)

This will have to be continually repeated each and every time that you have visitors until you are successful! Please note: The most difficult dog I ever worked with took 14 days of daily visitors (the visits were set up with dog friendly – well trained – visitors)

Once he is calm with the visitors then you can either, un-tether him (keep his leash on, so that you can grab him if need be to ensure control and compliance to commands) or (with his leash still on) just open the door of his crate and let him decide on his next course of action.

Again give him a few minutes to settle, having the visitors ignore him.

If he does not settle, then follow the “doggie time out” rules as previously explained.

Only allow visitors to acknowledge him when he is behaving in an appropriate manner.

Once he has got used to the above and showing good house manners then the visitors may calmly greet him and even if his behaviour warrants it, give him a treat or toy.

Make sure that initially the interaction with the visitors is brief, and they don’t get him too excitable. The visitors must be very calm, with calm voice and calm slow body language, and slow hand and arm movements or he will become excitable again. If he does get excited again, then you know you have given him “triggers” or allowed the visitors to get too interesting!

If your dog has a relapse – go back to the stage where he was coping and then work forward from there. Repeat until he gets the message.

Remember to be CONSISTENT – and also to get your visitors to be CONSISTENT!

DOGS NEED GOOD ROLE MODELS – the best rule to follow is to be a good example to your dog.

CALM HOUSEHOLD = CALM DOG!