By Fran Jewell
What is a gateway behavior? It is any behavior that leads to more destructive behaviors and even aggression. What might seem like a simple or even cute dog behavior may, in fact, be leading to more very undesirable behaviors in the future. It can be very difficult for anyone to anticipate where a behavior might go—unless they have had years and years of experience with a multitude of dogs.
What becomes even more difficult is that, depending on the essence of the dog’s temperament, what would be a gateway behavior for one dog might not be for another dog. To understand this, many dogs are status seekers, and display behaviors that will say to other dogs, “I’m higher in social rank than you!” A status seeker may also attempt these behaviors with people. Some dogs will only attempt it with humans, or maybe even only with other dogs. Whew! That can be confusing for people to understand.
To add more confusion for us, many times status seekers are using these behaviors because they are fearful, not because they are truly dominant.
Examples of gateway behaviors that can lead to worse behaviors and even aggression include darting out the door, barking for treats or dinner, crowding you for attention, growling when you ask your dog to get off the furniture or bed, and even demanding you play with them by sticking a ball in your lap continuously. Anytime you feel disrespected or find yourself getting hurt by a dog pulling on the leash, this could be a gateway behavior.
Many times humans will begin allowing these behaviors, thinking they are cute, or enjoy them because their dog is so engaging and smart. I see dogs grabbing their owner’s clothing or nipping at them to get them to take them for a walk.
When we find ourselves not being able to say “No!” to our dog in a manner the dog understands, we are headed down a slippery slope.
Those gateway behaviors can lead to harder nipping that turns into a bite. They can lead the way to your dog deciding who comes in the house or on your property. First, it is the house, then the yard, then down the street. And now you are well on your way to a lawsuit or fines imposed by the local authorities.
PREVENTION is always the best approach! Teach your puppy or rescue to respect you by placing emotional boundaries, like sitting for a meal or sitting at the door to go out. This may seem so simple but for a dog, it has huge meaning. Don’t wait until you have a problem that needs to be undone and then changed. It is so much more difficult to make those changes and help the dog become a good member of our human society.
Fran Jewell is an IAABC Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, NADOI Certified Instructor and the owner of Positive Puppy Dog Training, LLC in Sun Valley. For more information, visit positivepuppy.com or call 208-578-1565.