Yup, we’ve all heard it.
“Just ignore your dog’s barking/jumping/biting and they will stop.” As Dr. Phil so elegantly puts it: How’s that working for you? Well, I don’t know about you, but it never came close to working for me.
Ignoring bad behavior is not just bad advice, it’s dangerous advice. I would never tell my 5-year-old nephew (or 90-year-old grandma) to ignore a jumping dog. I want the people in my home to be safe and secure, and a jumping dog could create injuries.
Stopping a bad behavior requires one simple step. You need to correct your dog.
What does that mean? I will explain.
Correcting a dog means that whatever behavior you want to stop needs to be uncomfortable for the dog.
I don’t care what you tool you use (or don’t use) to stop this behavior. You can pop the leash, use a remote collar, shake a can of pennies, or use a squirt gun…as long as the behavior stops.
If you squirt your dog with water and they continue jumping/barking…that method obviously doesn’t work. Try something else. One method of correction might work for jumping, but you might need another for barking or nipping.
Please do not just ignore bad behavior. Not saying no is always saying yes.
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