Anything
we get in excess, regardless of how much we like it, loses value over
a period of time. If you really like ice cream and indulge in a bowl
daily, you might look forward to that as your special treat each day.
But if you ate ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner and all your
snacks, at some point you would not consider ice cream to be very special.
Anything
we have access to anytime we want it, loses its value as a reward. When
you go to work, you know that at the end of the pay period you will
receive money for the time and energy of your working, your paycheck.
You could say that money is our reward for working. But, if you could
go out into your backyard and pick money off of a money tree anytime
you wanted it, how long do you think you would continue to go to work
for your paycheck?
Because
they are not only applicable to humans, but also apply to dogs, the
two above concepts become very important to anyone that is trying to
resolve a behavior problem that their dog may have. The big difference
lies in what is perceived as valuable and what is perceived as a reward.
A
dog is much like a 2 year old child in his perception of value. Abstract
concepts have no meaning. For instance, if you asked your dog to do
something for you such as "sit" and offer him a $5 bill if
he'll do it, he will not perceive any value in that piece of paper in
your hand. Money is a very abstract concept. As you get older you realize
that you can exchange money for other things of value to you such as
food. But a dog, like a two year old child, only puts value on the tangible
of the moment and only if they perceive the need at that moment. If
they are hungry or if the food being offered is thought of as a special
treat, it has value. But again, if they have just had two or three hamburgers
and are full, the juiciest hamburger has no value.
One
thing that most dogs put value to is physical contact with their owners
or anyone that they care about. This contact is often in the form of
"petting". It can also be in other forms such as leaning on,
jumping on, mouthing, or any form of their body touching our body. Many
dogs also value other types of attention from their people such as eye
contact and verbal interaction. But, if your dog controls these types
of interactions, their value is going to be diminished.
An
example: You are sitting on the couch and the dog comes up to you. Without
even thinking about it, you reach down and pet the dog. You may even
talk to him. Let's face it, that is one of the things we like about
having a dog. What could possibly be wrong with this innocent interaction
with your dog? Nothing, provided you are not having any major behavior
problems. But if you are, you need to look at this "innocent interaction"
from the dog's point of view.
The
dog has come up to you and asked to be petted. You comply. The dog has
just controlled the interaction. Chances are good that he will also
control when the petting stops by simply moving away. If the dog can
have access to petting by simply presenting himself to us, what reward
value does petting retain? Of course, one incident is not a problem.
But if you start paying attention to how many times a day the dog does
control the situation, a pattern may emerge.
The
NO FREE LUNCH program means the dog must earn the attention it gets.
Instead of diminishing the value of contact with your dog, you are going
to increase its reward value. If the dog presents itself for petting,
ask him to do something for you first. That something may just be to
"sit". As soon as the dog does sit you can pet him. But now
it is your idea, and not his. It is helpful to also keep the petting
to a brief interaction. Make sure the dog understands you are also controlling
the amount of attention and duration of petting. In other words, keep
the value of the petting high by doling it out in small quantities instead
of flooding the dog with the petting. Give him a stroke or two and quit.
If he wants more, again ask him to do something for you before you resume
petting him. KEEP CONTROL!
