A case study: The end of the eve of destruction

Abstract

A case study was presented about the behavioral modification techniques employed to stop the destructive chewing by a pet dog. Destructive behavior during the absence of an owner has long been a major problem for pet owners. A multitude of negative reinforcement procedures have been employed in an attempt to curtail the misbehavior, but all usually resulting in failure. Frustration and failure of negative reinforcement in the modification of destructive behavior prompted this case study in positive reinforcement with an l&month old male Irish Setter. The actual behavior modification proceeded through operant learning. Through reinforcement of a new response, any behavior other than destruction and defecation, to a known stimulus, the departure of the owner, the old response, destruction and defecation, was extinguished Initially, very short training sessions of 1 min were instituted to effect positive reinforcement before adequate time had elapsed to precipitate destructive behavior. The duration of the absences was gradually increased with profuse praise and a food reward as the positive reinforcement for each successful training session. The gradual increase in training session duration worked to effect the behavior modification by increasing the tolerance level to anxiety, reinforcing behavior that the trainer was confident the dog would elicit, and strengthening the relationship between good behavior and positive reinforcement. Training programs of this nature are not only effective in modifying destructive behavior, but also prove to be very rewarding to the owner and the pet for those who are sincere in their efforts.