We animal behaviorists have 4 quadrants we refer to:
Tools related to each quadrant:
Then there's the ABC's of behavior modification. This refers to: antecedent, behavior, consequence. The antecedent is whatever happens that prompts the behavior we want to promote or extinguish. The behavior could be desirable or undesirable, it's just behavior. Then the consequence is what follows after the behavior, pleasant or unpleasant. We have several ways of working with this:
Remember, animals are just doing what seems like a good idea at the time. If we don't like their answer to the situation, we need to replace it with our preferred answer, give them better coping skills, or prevent them from making bad decisions in the first place. Dogs don't experience guilt, spite, or in any way conspire against us. Guilt implies they have the same understanding of right and wrong that we do, which they would have no reason to recreate in their world. Spite implies holding a grudge due to a perceived crime/wrong, which also makes no sense since dogs live in the moment. The whole alpha/pack leader theory was debunked decades ago since it was based on an experiment with 8 captive wolves who were all male, so conspiring for domination is out. What you're actually seeing is a dog who recognizes things are about to go very badly, and they're afraid. Let's not anthropomorphize human society onto dogs.
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AuthorAsh Miner holds two master's degrees in Animal Behavior & Wellness, one for canine & feline, then another in equine. She is a Certified Trick Dog Instructor and is a certified evaluator for the American Kennel Club. Archives
November 2023
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