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Tech which makes Sense

Dog owners are sometimes faced with a behavior problem and don’t know how to deal with it. In my book, “The Amazing Dog Training Man,” I came up with an acronym that anyone can use as a tool to understand and treat any behavior problem.

This is how you can use the MUTT Method to treat any behavior problem.

M – Manage. The first step in dealing with any problem behavior is to manage the behavior appropriately. Behavior management will not fix the problem, it will only help contain it. For example, house training won’t be fixed by using a box, but it will definitely help control behavior. A muzzle can help control a dog that is aggressive towards other dogs. So the first step is to think about controlling the behavior.

U – Underlying. Every problem behavior has an underlying reason. You need to find out what the underlying reason is. Let’s say your dog has a digging problem. Why is the dog digging? Is it frustration, boredom, race specific, etc.? Let’s say you have a home workout problem. Is your dog stressed for any reason, does it have any health problems, etc.? Once you discover the underlying problem, you can move on to the next part of the MUTT Method…

T-Train. Now that we’ve got the behavior under control and discovered the underlying problem, we can start training the dog. Let’s go back to the dig for a moment. If the dog is digging out of frustration, we can remove the frustration and give the dog other activities. If the dog is digging because he is breed specific (terriers live for dogs) then we can teach him to dig in a designated area and so on.

T-Time. Once we have started to train a new behavior, we must be patient and give it some time. Behavioral experts say that it takes at least 21 days to learn a new behavior. So while you go through the process, be patient and follow the plan.

Behavior problems can be difficult to treat at times. When you understand why the behavior occurs and what you can do about it, the problem is much easier to treat.

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