Why Bans Don’t Help

Sometimes dog owners complain that they forbid something to their pet, they forbid it – but it still does “badly”. Bad, they say. Sometimes you have to forbid a dog certain things all his life. And it’s as if the pet doesn’t learn anything … Why don’t prohibitions help?

Why prohibitions do not work in the education and training of dogs

And everything is very simple.

A dog never does anything “just like that”. Any behavior is based on the needs of the dog. More precisely, the desire to satisfy this need. When it’s hot, the dog looks for a cool place. When he wants to drink, he looks for water. When he wants to eat, he looks for an opportunity to get food. And so with absolutely any need – they must all be satisfied, in one way or another.

But what happens when you simply forbid something to the dog? Nothing good. The need remains unmet. Motivation doesn’t go anywhere.

Besides, prohibitions do not teach anything. You can’t bark to beg for a piece of food – but what can you do? You are not offering the dog another way to interact.

And the dog insists. Or looking for another way to get what they want. And it’s not a fact, by the way, that you will like this “other way” more.

But what to do if prohibitions do not teach the dog anything?

If your dog is behaving “badly” (from your point of view), you should do at least 3 things:

1. Prevent unwanted behavior. You can organize the dog’s living conditions or use controls so that unwanted behavior does not occur.
2. At the same time, give the dog the opportunity to meet the need in a way that is acceptable to you. This also includes teaching the right behavior instead of the “wrong” one.
3. Reinforce desired behavior. And here it is important not to skimp. After all, the behavior that is reinforced is manifested more and more often.

In this way, the dog will learn to behave correctly, and you will not have a reason to block this or that behavior with prohibitions.

If you can’t cope on your own, you can seek help from a specialist who works with humane methods. Now this option is available to everyone, because consultations can take place not only in person, but also online. So “territorial inaccessibility” is no longer a hindrance or an excuse.