What is management?
“My dog gets in the trash when we leave.” “My dog grabs my dirty socks from the floor and takes off with them.” “My dog counter surfs.” Well, MY dog eats crayons if he can get to them.
I'm so ashamed. My dirty little secret is out....
Today we’ll discuss managing your dogs environment. Not so fun – but important!
As much as I love dogs and as much as I’m interested in learning new things about them, I honestly can’t summon an iota of interest in WHY my dog likes to chew crayons. He doesn’t eat them, he just…chews them up. And leaves them in colorful little piles all over the house.
That dog gives her so much grief! Good thing I'm perfect in every way!
Now, there are a couple things I could do about this. I could set him up – put crayons on the floor and then create an aversive when he heads toward them. Yell, use the shake can, etc.
The ‘leave it’ command might help if he ever chewed them in front of anyone. But he doesn’t. He’s a sneaky dog.
Sneaky dog? Not me! I do all my naughty behavior right in front of you!
I could get all the crayons and spray them with a nasty spray made just for that. And repeat as needed when it wears off.
OR I could tell my youngest child to pick up the stupid crayons and keep them off the floor. And that mostly just works. Management.
Yeah, spoiling all the fun is what mom's DO.
Your dog gets in the trash? Put a lid on the trash or put it behind a closet door for a while.
The kids’ toys – harder, but still – keep puppy out of the play room for a while and redirect often to puppy’s own toys. Work on the ‘leave it ‘ command every day.
Dirty socks? Oh come on….how hard can that one be? Put them In the basket – and put the basket on the dresser for a while.
After puppy class, we're just too tired to shred socks! For a couple hours anyway.
Give them – say it with me now! – MORE exercise and more things to do. Stifling boredom and giving them an energy outlet will help with these behaviors also.
I know we aren’t perfect creatures. I KNOW I’m not anyway – but a little bit of management will go a long way in creating a happier home environment for a while, while your puppy grows or your older dog loses their fascination with the socks.
Old? What is this 'too old' thing? My nose will work great forever!
What is your issue that could be handled with management? We can brainstorm an idea or six!
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