Ask a dog trainer: how do I fix a pushy dog? (Hint: you may be reinforcing the behavior!)

Do you have a pushy pup problem? Don’t worry, you are not alone! Pushy dogs quickly become a nuisance, and some even end up in the shelter because of their bad behavior. However, there is no reason why you can’t reform your pushy dog and live happily ever after.

Why Do Dogs Become Pushy In The First Place?

Dogs are opportunists, meaning they are going to do what works for them. That’s why once your dog has gotten food from the table once, they are suddenly at the table every time you eat. It worked once, it might work again.

Many dogs learn pushy behaviors because we inadvertently reinforce them, which makes the behavior stronger. For example, your dog jumps up on you as a tiny puppy and you pick him up or pet him. Soon, you have a 100-pound monster leaping at you as you try and enter your house. Or, a guest sneaks a scrap of food to your dog at the table and now your dog is begging at every meal.

Other pushy behaviors include:

• Thrusting toys at you until you play with them
• Pawing at you for attention
• Barking at you for attention, play, etc.

The good news is that since these behaviors are all conditioned, we can un-condition them in favor of more acceptable ones.

(Note: not everyone may find these “pushy” behaviors a nuisance and that’s fine! I like my dogs to jump on me because they are small and it makes petting and picking up easier. I also don’t mind my one pup who will follow me around with a toy planted in the back of my knee because he wants to play. This is personal preference! This article is written for those who, for whatever reason, do not want their dog(s) acting this way, and that’s okay too!)

Quit Reinforcing What You Don’t Want

First and foremost, you need to stop reinforcing these behaviors. Again, dogs “go to the place of most reinforcement” or they do what works, so if you keep reinforcing them they are going to not only keep up the bad behavior, but it will get stronger. So, for the previous listed behaviors:

Begging – do not feed your dog at the table, couch, kitchen, anywhere they currently beg. No more scraps! If you want to give them a bite of your rice, put it in his dish later.

Jumping up – do not pet your dog. You also do not want to yell no or push down on your dog. Why? Because negative attention is still attention on your dog’s mind. Instead, completely ignore it – it’s best to turn your back, fold your arms up so your dog can’t grab them, and look away from him until he stops jumping up.

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