Behavior Modification Q & A

Typically, we can construct counterconditioning and systematic desensitization drills that remain beneath the dog’s stress threshold. We design the drills with two primary goals. Our first goal is building the subject dog’s relaxation, confidence, security, and trust amidst the stimulus. Our second goal is teaching the dog a passive replacement behavior that the dog will perform in lieu of the previous reactive behavior (barking, lunging, snarling, biting, et al.). We wish to modify the emotional state of the animal from an aroused emotional state to a calm, composed emotional state. Consequently, during the behavior modification process, the subject dog will gradually accept increasing levels of exposure to the stimulus without becoming reactive.