Nothing in Life is Free
(NILIF) - A Hands - Off Approach to Being a Good Pack Leader
by
Deb McKean
Undesirable
behavior can be caused by many things, including undetected
illness. No behavior modification program should begin without
first taking the dog to a veterinarian for a complete physical
examination. While you're there, give your vet a printed copy of
this page and ask if it would be an appropriate technique for
you to try. The NILIF program is an accepted standard in dog
training/behavior but it is not, and is not intended to be, a
substitute for an in-person, professional evaluation of your
dog's behavior. This technique is intended for dogs in good
health and of sound mind and stable temperament.
The
NILIF program is remarkable because it's effective for such a
wide variety of problems. A shy, timid dog becomes more relaxed
knowing that he has nothing to worry about, his owner is in
charge of all things. A dog that's pushing too hard to become
"top dog" learns that the position is not available
and that his life is far more enjoyable without the title.
It is equally successful with dogs that fall anywhere between
those two extremes. The program is not difficult to put into
effect and it's not time consuming if the dog already knows a
few basic obedience commands. I've never seen this technique
fail to bring about a positive change in behaviour, however, the
change can be more profound in some dogs than others. Most
owners use this program in conjunction with other behaviour
modification techniques such as coping with fear or treatment
for aggression. It is a perfectly suitable technique for the dog
with no major behaviour problems that just needs some fine
tuning.
ATTENTION ON DEMAND
The program begins by eliminating attention on demand. When your
dog comes to you and nudges your hand, saying "pet me! pet
me!" ignore him. Don't tell him "no", don't push
him away. Simply pretend you don't notice him. This has worked
for him before, so don't be surprised if he tries harder to get
your attention. When he figures out that this no longer works,
he'll stop. In a pack situation, the top ranking dogs can demand
attention from the lower ranking ones, not the other way around.
When you give your dog attention on demand you're telling him
that he has more status in the pack than you do. Timid dogs
become stressed by having this power and may become clingy.
They're never sure when you'll be in charge so they can't relax.
What if something scary happens, like a stranger coming in the
house? Who will handle that? The timid dog that is demanding of
attention can be on edge a lot of the time because he has more
responsibility than he can handle.
Some dogs see their ability to demand attention as confirmation
that they are the "alpha", then become difficult to
handle when told to "sit" or "down" or some
other demand is placed on them. It is not their leadership
status that stresses them out, it's the lack of consistency.
They may or may not actually be alpha material, but having no
one in the pack that is clearly the leader is a bigger problem
than having the dog assume that role full time. Dogs are
happiest when the pack order is stable. Tension is created by a
constant fluctuation of pack leadership.
EXTINCTION BURSTS
Your dog already knows that he can demand your attention and he
knows what works to get that to happen. As of today, it no
longer works, but he doesn't know that yet. We all try harder at
something we know works when it stops working. If I gave you a
twenty dollar bill every time you clapped your hands together,
you'd clap a lot. But, if I suddenly stopped handing you money,
even though you were still clapping, you'd clap more and clap
louder. You might even get closer to me to make sure I was
noticing that you were clapping. You might even shout at me
"Hey! I'm clapping like crazy over here, where's the
money?". If I didn't respond at all, in any way, you'd
stop. It wasn't working anymore. That last try -- that loud,
frequent clapping is an extinction burst. If, however, during
that extinction burst, I gave you another twenty dollar bill
you'd be right back in it. It would take a lot longer to get you
to stop clapping because you just learned that if you try hard
enough, it will work.
When your dog learns that the behaviours that used to get him
your attention don't work any more he's going to try harder and
he's going to have an extinction burst. If you give him
attention during that time you will have to work that much
harder to get him turned around again. Telling him
"no" or pushing him away is not the kind of attention
he's after, but it's still attention. Completely ignoring him
will work faster and better.
YOU HAVE THE POWER
As the human and as his owner you have control of all things
that are wonderful in his life. This is the backbone of the
NILIF program. You control all of the resources. Playing,
attention, food, walks, going in and out of the door, going for
a ride in the car, going to the dog park. Anything and
everything that your dog wants comes from you. If he's been
getting most of these things for free there is no real reason
for him to respect your leadership or your ownership of these
things. Again, a timid dog is going to be stressed by this
situation, a pushy dog is going to be difficult to handle. Both
of them would prefer to have you in charge.
To implement the NILIF program you simply have to have your dog
earn his use of your resources. He's hungry? No problem, he
simply has to sit before his bowl is put down. He wants to play
fetch? Great! He has to "down" before you throw the
ball. Want to go for a walk or a ride? He has to sit to get his
lead snapped on and has to sit while the front door is opened.
He has to sit and wait while the car door is opened and listen
for the word (I use "OK") that means "get into
the car". When you return he has to wait for the word that
means "get out of the car" even if the door is wide
open. Don't be too hard on him. He's already learned that he can
make all of these decisions on his own. He has a strong history
of being in control of when he gets these resources. Enforce the
new rules, but keep in mind that he's only doing what he's been
taught to do and he's going to need some time to get the hang of
it all.
You're going to have to pay attention to things that you
probably haven't noticed before. If you feed your dog from your
plate do you just toss him a green bean? No more. He has to earn
it. You don't have to use standard obedience commands, any kind
of action will do. If your dog knows "shake" or
"spin around" or "speak" use those commands.
Does your dog sleep on your bed? Teach him that he has to wait
for you to say "OK" to get on the bed and he has to
get down when you say "off". Teach him to go to his
bed, or other designated spot, on command. When he goes to his
spot and lays down tell him "stay" and then release
him with a treat reward. Having a particular spot where he stays
is very helpful for when you have guests or otherwise need him
out of the way for a while. It also teaches him that free run of
the house is a resource that you control. There are probably
many things that your dog sees as valuable resources that I
haven't mentioned here.
The NILIF program should not be a long, drawn out process. All
you need to do is enforce a simple command before allowing him
access to what he wants. Dinner, for example, should be a two or
three second encounter that consists of nothing more than saying
"sit", then "good dog!", then putting the
bowl down and walking away.
ATTENTION AND PLAY
Now that your dog is no longer calling the shots you will have
to make an extra effort to provide him with attention and play
time. Call him to you, have him "sit" and then lavish
him with as much attention as you want. Have him go get his
favourite toy and play as long as you both have the energy. The
difference is that now you will be the one initiating the
attention and beginning the play time. He's going to depend on
you now, a lot more than before, to see that he gets what he
needs. What he needs most is quality time with you. This would
be a good time to enroll in a group obedience class. If his
basic obedience is top notch, see about joining an agility class
or fly ball team.
NILIF
DOES *NOT* MEAN THAT YOU HAVE TO RESTRICT THE AMOUNT OF
ATTENTION YOU GIVE TO YOUR DOG.
The NILIF concept speaks to who initiates the attention
(you!), not the amount of attention. Go ahead and call your
dog to you 100 times a day for hugs and kisses!! You can
demand his attention, he can no longer demand yours!
Within a day or two your dog will see you in a whole new light
and will be eager to learn more. Use this time to teach new
things, such as 'roll over' or learn the specific names of
different toys.
If you have a shy dog, you'll see a more relaxed dog. There is
no longer any reason to worry about much of anything. He now has
complete faith in you as his protector and guide. If you have a
pushy dog he'll be glad that the fight for leadership is over
and his new role is that of devoted and adored pet.
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