Sunday, October 31, 2010

Pain is a Good Motivator

I came to the realization yesterday that I have settled for behaviors in my dogs, thinking it was good enough.  For example, Belle was in the habit of taking treats like a piranha.  I had worked on breaking her of the habit ever since she was a puppy--she's 4.5 years old now.  I finally settled for managing the way I presented the treats to her.  Then about three weeks ago, she jumped into the air to grab a frisbee from my hand.  Unfortunately, my forefinger was on the rim where she grabbed it.  It resulted in two deep puncture wounds which fortunately are healing nicely and never showed any signs of infection.

Needless to say, this incident motivated me to put an end to Belle's fishy ways.  No more grabbing toys; no touching with teeth when taking a treat.  I didn't have to get nasty about it, but I did have to become emphatic and consistent about it.

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