I mean ,you said it was coming, you recognized the behavior as neurotic, and still opted for the smacking solution. Did you talk to your vet about ways to reduce boredom before that happened? Or about redirection training?
I saw this without chastising, but all you’re really reinforcing is to not do it when you’re around, OR you’ve reinforced a negative set of hormones being released when they feel like licking their paw. The behavior you’re trying to stop is the licking, but the behavior you probably need to stop is the underlying reason for the licking. Find more things to entertain the dog during the day, or reinforce a new behavior to replace the old one. That way, when they go to do the paw licking, a different behavior will be vying for the top braincell and whichever one feels better or floods the dog with the most positive emotion will win out. Let it be fun for the dog, not fearful.
“I was a dick and scared/bullied my animal into not doing something! Works like a charm!”
Same shit as spanking. Yeah I know the animal wasn’t permanently physically harmed, but you have taught it to fear you with the threat of physical violence… sure it can be effective, but is that what you want to impart on the world? Meh. You know what else is effective? Training your dog properly.
I should also note that grooming is a self-soothing behavior that makes your dog feel better. Imagine being smacked every time you took some deep breaths etc. If having an animal annoys you, maybe you shouldn’t have the animal you are not equipped to deal with.
I mean ,you said it was coming, you recognized the behavior as neurotic, and still opted for the smacking solution. Did you talk to your vet about ways to reduce boredom before that happened? Or about redirection training?
I saw this without chastising, but all you’re really reinforcing is to not do it when you’re around, OR you’ve reinforced a negative set of hormones being released when they feel like licking their paw. The behavior you’re trying to stop is the licking, but the behavior you probably need to stop is the underlying reason for the licking. Find more things to entertain the dog during the day, or reinforce a new behavior to replace the old one. That way, when they go to do the paw licking, a different behavior will be vying for the top braincell and whichever one feels better or floods the dog with the most positive emotion will win out. Let it be fun for the dog, not fearful.
“I was a dick and scared/bullied my animal into not doing something! Works like a charm!”
Same shit as spanking. Yeah I know the animal wasn’t permanently physically harmed, but you have taught it to fear you with the threat of physical violence… sure it can be effective, but is that what you want to impart on the world? Meh. You know what else is effective? Training your dog properly.
I should also note that grooming is a self-soothing behavior that makes your dog feel better. Imagine being smacked every time you took some deep breaths etc. If having an animal annoys you, maybe you shouldn’t have the animal you are not equipped to deal with.
tsst