Yogi the Corgi

For my Training Tip this month I had to look no further than the internet. It amazes me the things that dogs do that people think are funny, until they are not. For those who missed it, check out this video that went viral of Yogi the Corgi setting his kitchen on fire.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEtg7QZCbPk

The problem: every time they opened the cabinet under the kitchen sink, Yogi would dive under and grab anything he could reach.

The bigger problem: his family thought this behavior was funny. (I personally can’t see anything remotely funny about a dog potentially ingesting a poison.) It is possible they were laughing out of frustration, but I think calling a dog trainer or behaviorist to help solve the problem would be a better choice than calling a TV station.

My first thought when I saw this video was that this problem would be so easy to fix. Solving any behavior problem involves three basic steps:

1. Manage the environment so the dog cannot continue the behavior.

• In this case I would temporarily put up a gate to keep the dog out of the kitchen

• Or put a latch on the cabinet door to remind everyone to confine the dog before opening the cabinet.

2. Meet the dog’s need for mental stimulation and physical exercise so he doesn’t find creative ways to meet those needs himself.

3. Teach an alternative behavior. Here are several choices:

• Teach Yogi to get out of the kitchen on cue and to respect the boundary until invited back in

• Teach Yogi to get a toy in his mouth and hold it while opening the cabinet

• Teach Yogi to go lay on a mat any time you reach for the cabinet door

All of this would be far simpler than explaining to your landlord or your insurance company how your dog set your kitchen on fire!
My dogs often catch me off guard with new and amusing behaviors. I am sure your dogs do too. And of course I laugh, as I’m sure you do too.

But then I consider: Do I want this behavior to continue? And if not, how to I prevent it from becoming a reinforced attention seeking behavior? I hope you will also now consider this, before that behavior you thought was funny suddenly isn’t.

Need help fixing any of those not-so-amusing behaviors? You know where to find me!