Cat - How To Make Your Pet's Bad Behavior Extinct Like a Dodo

We all know that Consequences can be used to train new behaviours and reduce existing behaviours. But what about non-consequences? Extinction is the process of not reinforcing a previously reinforced behaviour. It involves identifying what the reinforcer is for a target behaviour and removing it. For a dog who likes to 'counter-surf', i.e check out the kitchen counters looking for food, the reinforcer is easy to identify - FOOD. To solve that sort of problem we need to use extinction. Whenever there is food on the counter, the dog must be doing something else or must be otherwise unable to come into the kitchen. He might be in a crate, or outside, or the kitchen door may be shut, or my favourite - we trained our dog to lie quietly in a designated area and shared a little of the food to reinforce this more acceptable behaviour instead. That way we both got what we wanted and our dog learned a better way to behave in the kitchen. When we're not cooking, or unable to supervise our dog, we must leave kitchen counters clean. We put away any food, and maybe even wipe the benches clean. That way, when our dog comes to check out the kitchen counter he will find nothing, and therefore the behaviour will not be reinforced. In the short term, the behaviour will get worse. Then it will get better. Then it will go away. Beware the gambler's curse - Variable Schedules of Reinforcement. This is where we forget one time to clean our benches and our dog finds some food. A Variable Schedule of Reinforcement makes behaviour very resistant to extinction, that is why addicted gamblers will spend every last cent on a poker machine that ultimately gobbles up all their money, paying out only occassionally to keep the gambler addicted. You can still extinguish behaviour that is on a Variable Schedule of Reinforcement, but it takes longer to do. A common problem is when family don't follow the rules and leave food out on the bench while the dog is unsupervised. You will need to explain extinction and Variable Schedules of Reinforcement so that they understand how important it is. Often it is simply a lack of understanding or communication that results in lack of co-operation. So how can you apply Extinction to your pet's behavior problem? First - identify the reinforcer. Second - remove it. If you can teach an alternative behavior or provide a more acceptable outlet for the unwanted behavior, then it may speed things up for you. Another example. Many people complain that their dog raids their rubbish bin. The reinforcer in this case is usually scraps of food or something smelly to play with. How do we remove the reinforcer? We could buy a more secure bin with a lid. We could put the bin in a cupboard. We could move the bin to another room and shut the door so that the dog can't access it. Any of these options will work, it depends on what suits you and your lifestyle the best. You may have to make a compromise, but that is just part of owning a pet. The joy and companionship they bring more than outweighs the small inconvenience of compromises like these - more so when you come home to a loving pet who has NOT spilled rubbish all over your yard or eaten tonight's dinner, I'm sure you will agree! Aidan Bindoff is Editor of http://www.positivepetzine.com, a free resource for people training their own dog. Each edition is packed with helpful tips for training your dog using the latest pet-friendly methods that work fast and don't require a degree in animal behavior to use. Join now, and for a limited time you may download all available back issues (a $29.95 value) for FREE! As Featured On Best Ezines Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aidan_Bindoff Cat - Pet Steps - Why So Popular As our pets age, it is up to us to make life a little easier for our beloved companion. After all the years of devotion to you, it is only fair that they get the utmost care and sensitivity when some sort of physical ailment limits them from performing once simple activities such as getting into the car or onto their favorite piece of furniture. Of course, as a pet owner, we know you only want the best for your companion, pet steps may be just the answer you are looking for. Your dog or cat should not be forced to forgo the closeness and cuddling that you once enjoyed together. When health, age or size begins to limit these activities and your pet can no longer hop up into your lap or lie beside you on the couch, you can always opt to lift your pet yourself. However, after a while this could cause you considerable pain or injury as well from the constant lifting. Therefore, you should consider pet steps. This not only allows your dog or cat easier access to the areas they love on thier own, but also helps you as well. Just as people have trouble when they age, dogs and cats do as well. Aging takes it toll and they just do not move as they once did. They find it more difficult to hop onto the couch to take a nap with you, climb into your bed to lay with you, get into the windowsill to watch the world, or even hop in the car for those rides they love. Pet steps make these activities easy once again. When it comes to getting pet steps for you cat or dog, you have a wide variety of choices. Most of the pet steps are available with a carpeted surface. This makes the steps more comfortable for you pet to use. Additionally, you can choose the number of steps, from two, three and even more steps, whatever makes it easier on your pet. You can also choose a variety of widths and heights to accommodate a wide variety of pet sizes. You will also need to consider the height of the area. Of course, access to a window sill will be higher than a couch, so you want to keep that in mind. The important thing is that your pet's favorite places are available to him or her once again. To make it even easier for you, you can match your pet steps to your home's interior. This allows your pet steps to blend in with your home d'cor. The wide variety of heights and widths as well as color choices make your pet steps choice easy. Of course, you want pet steps that are sturdy and durable enough to hold up to the weight of your cat or dog. It is vital that the pet steps be able to bear your pet's weight. When you shop for pet steps, one of the first things you should check is that it will support your pet's weight. Pet steps are the logical, loving choice for your injured or aging pet. They allow your pet access to areas that time has robbed them of the ability of accessing. With pet steps, your cat or dog can once again get up on the couch for a cuddle or on the bed for a nap. Pet steps will give your injured or aging pet their life back.