Wait a minute you say, my dog already has me trained to give him what he wants. He barks to go out, I let him out. He paws at the door to come in, I let him in. He begs for food, I feed him. Yes, your dog has you well trained, but that’s not exactly what I mean. Let me give you an example. Let’s say every time you reach for your dog’s leash he goes nuts. He jumps all over you, mouthing you and barking at you. You get frustrated because it takes you too many tries to get the leash on him; the barking is annoying and the mouthing hurts. So, before the walk even starts the dog is all hyped up and you are all pissed off!
Why does your dog act this way? It’s simple; he loves his walks and can’t wait to get going. How you change this behavior is equally as simple. The next time you reach for your dog’s leash and he goes into hysterics, put the leash down and walk away. Be sure to watch the expression on your dog’s face the first time you do this, it’s quite amusing! Wait until the dog is calm and pick up the leash again. When your dog start revving up, put the leash down and walk away. Keep doing this until your dog realizes that his actions of acting like a Tasmanian devil every time you pick up the leash, cause your action of putting the leash down and walking away, which in turn keeps him from his walk.
On the flip side, your dog will also figure out that every time he is calm you pick up the leash, and he is one step closer to his beloved walk. By repeating this over and over until you can pick up the leash, attach it to your dog’s collar and begin the walk, all without the drama, your dog will learn that remaining calm when his leash is picked up, gets him his walk.Voila! You have successfully taught your dog to get what he wants by doing what you want. And, this works with so many other behaviors too!