Management activities and items are ways and protocols used to help prevent a dog from practicing an undesirable or unsafe behavior. We use management to help keep the community and the dog safe. We also use it while we are working to teach a dog what is expected of them in certain situations. It prevents them from practicing and getting better at a behavior we don’t like or is unsafe. Your trainer probably has several options for you to implement for your situation. Because management can fail, we suggest using two to three different options to ensure that your dog is successful at NOT doing the things we don’t like.

These are to be used in conjunction with a positive reinforcement training plan. If your dog is experiencing extreme behavioral problems please contact us to schedule sessions with one of our trainers.

Common Management Ideas:

• If your dog barks at the windows or through a fence

• Cover windows with a translucent window cling

• Cover fences with tarps

• If your dog jumps on guests

• Separate the dog from the guest with a baby gate

• Keep your dog tethered to a heavy piece of furniture

• Use a waist or belt leash to keep them with you

• Use an exercise pen or crate to keep the dog separate from the guest

• If  your dog chases the cat, kids, etc

• Separate with a baby gate

• Keep your dog tethered to a heavy piece of furniture

• Use an exercise pen or crate to keep the dog separate from whatever they chase

• If your dog jumps on counters or tables

• Keep your dog out of the kitchen by using a baby gate

• Keep your dog tethered to a heavy piece of furniture far enough away they cannot jump on the counter or table

• Use an exercise pen or crate to keep the dog from jumping on things

• If your dog runs out the door

• Create an “airlock” between the door and the rest of the house with a baby gate

• If your dog is afraid of strangers entering their home

• Put them in a safe room away from the guest

• Play calming music to cover the sound of the guest and calm your dog

• Provide a high-value, stuffed chew toy to distract and calm your dog

• Do not make your dog interact with the guest

• If your dog eats or chews inappropriate things or nips, mouths, or bites others

• Muzzle train your dog to prevent things from going into their mouth when you are supervising

• Pick up and put away things most common for them to get into

• Restrict access to certain rooms of the house using a baby gate

• If you are afraid your dog might get away from you during a walk

• Use a waist or belt leash to keep them with you

• If you are having potty training troubles

• Use a waist or belt leash to keep them with you so you can notice changes in behavior before they have to go

• Use an exercise pen or crate to keep the dog from sneaking off to potty

• If the dog is a puppy, use a combination of a crate and an exercise pen to create a safe space for the puppy with a potty area, a play area, and a sleeping area.

• If your dog barks at people, dogs, cats, cars, etc on your walks

• Increase the distance between you and the trigger

• Scatter high-value food on the ground for them to search for

• Have several high-value treats in your closed hand, encourage your dog to try to figure out how to get the food out of your hand

• Use an open umbrella, parked car, bush, or other barriers to reduce what they can see

• Take them for a walk on a long line at a quiet park, cemetery, or industrial/office park

• If your dog resource guards a particular item or piece of furniture

• Remove the item completely and do no leave it out for them to steal

• Keep them off of the furniture by using a tether or exercise pen

• If your dog is hyper

• Provide calming enrichment activities, such as a chew, food stuffed toy, or snufflemat

• Take them for a walk on a long line at a quiet park, cemetery, or industrial/office park

• If your dog demands attention

• Actively ignore the dog until they provide a more desirable behavior (i.e. sits, lays down, etc)

• Before playing or feeding ask for a desired behavior (i.e. sit, down, give paw, etc) so they learn a better way to ask for things

• If your dog is begging for food

• Keep your dog out of the dining area by using a baby gate

• Keep your dog tethered to a heavy piece of furniture far enough away they cannot enter the dining area

• Use an exercise pen or crate to keep the dog separate from the dining area

• If your dog digs

• Keep your dog from the area they are digging at by using a tether or an exercise pen around the area

• Provide your dog an appropriate place to dig, such as a sandbox, bury high-value chews in the sandbox for them to dig

• Provide your dog a “digging” toy - iDig has some nice ones

• If your dog has issues with separation anxiety find a pet sitter or friend that can stay with them while you’re away (Dogs suffering from separation anxiety cannot be left alone nor crated without proper training from a Separation Anxiety Professional)