Routine Maintenance

I took my car in for service last week.  It was just routine maintenance (oil change, tire, rotation, etc.) and I'm sure you know the drill when it comes to maintaining your vehicle to keep it in good working condition.  While I was waiting for my car to be done, I got to thinking about routine maintenance as it applies to other things.  Which, of course, led me to thinking about our pets and what "routine maintenance" could mean for them, beyond the obvious yearly (or biannual, if your pet is a senior) physical exam and blood work.

If your pet had a behavior problem and you solved it, kudos to you!  But did you realize that you have to keep doing routine maintenance with them to ensure that the problem doesn't return AND to make sure that you are still reinforcing them for the absence of that behavior problem? Let me give you an example.

Let's say your dog was previously fearful of riding in the car.  You worked with him slowly, getting him used to being around the car while you washed it, perhaps, building up to sitting in the car with the doors open and then closed. And you slowly worked your way to starting the car in the driveway, and then to a slow drive around the block.  Eventually, you worked up to longer distances away, all the while reinforcing your dog for not being afraid of the car. You used really high value treats to do this and lots of praise.  Now, your dog rides in the car like a champ, even getting excited when you ask him if he wants to go for a ride, tail wagging in anticipation.  Did you notice, however, that he drools a bit, licks his lips, or seems to be looking at you for a treat while wagging that tail in anticipation of the car ride?  He's doing that because he's actually anticipating the positive reinforcement (the yummy, high value treats) that you desensitized him to the car with! Sure, you could pat him on the head and tell him he's a good boy, but really, he wants that treat, the one that rewarded him all those times before for being brave and learning to deal with a moving vehicle.  So, what does this mean for you?  It just means that you should still use treats for car rides.  You don't need to use as many, but you should certainly use a few.  Maybe one for being happy to go with you to the car, and another for getting in, and maybe one more when you get home from the car ride. Thus, you are reinforcing the absence of his fear, ensuring that he still understands how rewarding it is to NOT be afraid of car rides.

Now, I'm not suggesting you dish out treats for every behavior that your dog knows and that you wish to see maintained. I am, however, suggesting that you think about it a little bit more and keep yourself prepared.  While your dog knows to sit when asked, perhaps a treat when he does so without being asked AND when he's being approached by a stranger for attention, might be a good time to reinforce that basic behavior as part of his routine maintenance. In order to do this, all you would need to remember to do is to keep treats in your pocket.  And, seriously, who doesn't have treats in their pocket? I know I do!

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

Westley used to hate riding in the car. He'd quiver, pant, drool, and sometimes vomit.  Clearly he was afraid of the car and ultimately getting carsick as well, but living with my daughter meant lots of car rides in his life, some quite long road trips, so we needed to help him move through his fears right off the bat.  We worked with Westley during his first summer with us, building up his tolerance and ultimately his enjoyment of car rides. Now, he rides in the car like a champ, often trying to "call shotgun" as you see in this photo. He's a happy car companion now, and we definitely do routine maintenance with him to make sure he stays that way.