GETTING IN TRASH

Dogs getting into the trash, or getting into other places that you don't want, are behaviors that can really develop and manifest into major behavior problems. The main reason these unwanted behaviors occur is that the owner simply never corrected the dog for them.

Sometimes you want to put yourself in your dog's place. Why does the dog go into the trash? They go there to eat. Because they have found that out over time, this has become a very reinforcing thing. They will continue to repeat it over and over. Remember that the completion of the bad behavior is what is reinforcing to an animal. This makes them feel good because they got what they wanted which was the trash. It doesn't matter whether it was to eat the trash or just tear it apart. Just getting to do it was rewarding enough to them.

There are three things you want to remember in attacking this problem, and these things are common in dealing with many behavioral issues regarding an animal getting into an area you don't want them in.

• EXTINGUISHING THE BEHAVIOR - The first thing is you want to think about is extinguish the behavior, and that means get rid of it 100%. This is going to take consistency with everyone who has contact with the dog. You need to have a game plan that everyone is taking seriously, and it is really important that everyone living in the house is following that game plan. 

• PHYSICAL CORRECTION - The second thing you need to do is send a message to the animal that the behavior is not acceptable. This correction can be a variety of different things. It might be nothing more than you saying the word "No". This means that ideally you want to set up a situation where the animal is able to go into the trash. Yes get into the trash!! In order for your animal to understand, there is an exact time that is essential the animal should be corrected, and it is just as he begins the behavior. If you think about it from their point of view, they need to be corrected for thinking about going into the trash. This sends a message to them that just as they are getting into the trash that this is not acceptable. Timing is very important here. The mistake that some owners and trainers make is correcting the animal either BEFORE or AFTER they get into the trash. By correcting the animal just before they get to the trash, in their mind they might have thought they were corrected for being near the trash can. If they were corrected after they were at the trash can eating the trash, in their mind they were corrected for eating the trash. What we want to do is send a clear message to the dog that the idea of getting into the trash is what is NOT acceptable. This is why the timing of the correction is so important.

• The third thing involves PREVENTATIVE TRAINING. You do not want to give the animal the opportunity to get into the trash when you are not home. This involves making sure the dog is never in the area to get into the trash when you are not there.

In all situations where you are attacking a problem, you need to be consistent.

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Barry