Immediate corrective action required

[Tribe XGen]

just wanted to say I’ve been going through the material and I really like the approach so far. I haven’t completed the full course yet, but I’ve been reviewing it and starting to apply some of the methods with my own dog, and I’m excited to begin promoting it.

I did have one question about something I want to make sure I fully understand before pushing it more heavily.

I understand the principle of not “entertaining” unwanted behavior — not reinforcing it with positive or negative attention. That makes total sense for attention-seeking behaviors.

But when it comes to behaviors that could be unsafe or harmful, like my dog chasing the cat or jumping on someone, simply ignoring it doesn’t seem effective in the moment because the behavior continues.

What’s the recommended approach in those situations?

Is the goal to calmly interrupt and redirect to a correct behavior without adding emotional energy, or is there a specific method the course prefers for handling unsafe actions?

I really want to make sure I’m using the system correctly as I’m applying it in real life.

Thanks again — I’m genuinely enjoying the content and looking forward to working with it more.

Best,

Russ

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi Russ,

Thank you for the thoughtful message and welcome to the forums! I’m glad to hear you’re finding the material useful and have already beginning to apply it. I appreciate you taking the time to clarify this point before promoting the system more broadly.

You’re absolutely right to distinguish between attention-seeking behaviors and behaviors that pose a safety risk. The principle of not “entertaining” unwanted behavior is primarily aimed at avoiding reinforcement, but it does not mean allowing unsafe behavior to continue unchecked.

For behaviors such as chasing the cat or jumping on a person, the priority is always safety and management. In those moments, calmly interrupting the behavior is appropriate. This can be done by using environmental management (leashes, barriers, tethers), blocking access, or briefly removing the dog from the situation, ideally in a neutral, low-emotion manner. The goal is to stop the behavior without adding arousal, frustration, or reinforcement.

Once the behavior is interrupted, redirecting the dog to a clearly taught, incompatible alternative behavior (for example, orienting to the handler, going to a mat, or engaging in a different activity) is consistent with the system. Over time, proactive management and reinforcement of appropriate behaviors reduces the likelihood that unsafe behaviors will occur in the first place.

So in short: unsafe behaviors should be calmly and efficiently interrupted for safety, while minimizing emotional energy and avoiding reinforcement. The longer-term focus remains on prevention, skill-building, and reinforcement of desirable alternatives.

You’re thinking about this exactly the right way, and I’m glad you reached out for clarification. Please don’t hesitate to ask if additional questions come up as you continue working through the material.

Happy training!

Best regards,

Adrienne