Each time a bad behavior occurs (jumping up, counter surfing, nipping, barking, reacting at dogs/people/cars, etc) that neural pathway in your dog's brain gets stronger. Training and learning are not linear, so unfortunately as we're working on building better behaviors, we're going to have moments where the "bad" one happens again (and that's okay!)
However, the more we can prevent the bad behavior, the faster the good behavior can "take root" - aka the faster and stronger the new neural pathway in your pup's brain can form!
Think of it as tipping the scales in favor of the better choice. You probably reached out for training help because your dog was doing something you didn't like right? They probably did it dozens (if not hundreds or thousands) of times before you reached out for help. That means, we need to do a dozen + 1 repetitions of the new behavior before the scale tips in our favor (and that's assuming we prevent all attempts at the old behavior too) 😉
The chart below shows how using management AND training together can tip the scales faster. If we can prevent the bad behavior while also doing repetitions of the new one, learning takes place faster as the scales tip to the wanted behavior more quickly!
Your dog is jumping on guests when they come in your home? Use a leash or crate until everyone is inside, then work on training calm greetings.
Your dog is nipping during play or when they're tired? Have a leash on so you can move them away from your hands or into a crate/pen for a nap, then work on training around handling or rules during play.
Your dog is having accidents in the house? Use a crate or tether when you can't watch them like a hawk.
The more we are proactive in preventing issues, while training the behaviors we want to see, the more quickly we'll get to enjoying life together.
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