Bad Behavior Returns Months after Correcting

[NancyGladfelter]

Aubrey 11 Month Old Chocolate Lab female was conditioned not to fool with flowers on a coffee table - We got a poinsettia for Christmas at the end of November she would have nothing to do with it - we were cautious as we know that is not a pet friendly plant...such a good dog about it until today January 17th 2021 - she destroyed it...did not eat it...my husband replaced it this afternoon with new flowers...we weren't looking and 15 minutes or so later she was after those new flowers...what would trigger that behavior once again?????  Help!!!!!!!!!

Frussssstrated Dog Mom in Chicago

[Adrienne]

Hello and welcome to the forums,

To answer your question, "what would trigger that behavior once again?" there can be several possibilities. We may never really know the exact culprits that may cause the resurgence of a seemingly extinguished behavior, and until dogs can talk, we can only make some assumptions, however, based on what we know about our dogs, we can sometimes make some educated 'guesses.'

Here are just some things that come to mind that may have evoked the comeback of this behavior:

• Your dog may have been more bored than usual. Perhaps a rainy day leading to missing a walk or a surge in your dog' energy level may have created a deeper deprivation state which has paved the path towards making the presence of that plant extra salient. 
• Something about that plant yesterday caught her attention. Perhaps you had recently watered it and the dirt smelled good, maybe some worms or bugs may have established, maybe a leaf fell to the floor and it stimulated her prey drive, maybe as she walked by she brushed her fur against the plant and this got her attention. Several possibilities.
• Can she be sick? Maybe she got a bit nauseous and she decided to nibble on the plant. Many dogs are drawn to plants, grass, flowers, leaves when their tummy is upset as they naturally feel the need to ingest grass to induce themselves to vomit. With no grass around, many dogs will lick floors and carpets or they may nibble houseplants. Being that poinsettias have a rather bitter, unpleasant state that may explain why she didn't ingest it. 
• At 11, your big pup is  now an adolescent, and during adolescence, dogs may sometimes do some unexpected things. More about this phase here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/
• It can be a combo of things.  Something about the plant caught her attention, she was a bit bored, and you were away, and therefore the stars may have just aligned right, giving her the perfect opportunity to engage in the behavior.  Because she found the act of destroying the plant reinforcing, she has therefore repeated it again. The power of reinforcement is that behaviors that have a favorable outcome will strengthen and repeat. 

So what can be done about this? Here are a few ideas that come to mind:

-Evaluate whether she may have an upset tummy. Signs of tummy troubles in dogs include drooling, smacking lips, licking carpets/floors, swallowing often, burping, pacing and trying to ingest grass when sent out in the yard. There can also be some other underlying medical causes for dogs who engage in new behaviors out of the blue. So if she was always good and now you notice changes, it may be worthy mentioning it to the vet. 

-Evaluate whether she needs some more mental stimulation in her life. You likely already know this, but it may be worthy of discussing because sometimes dogs undergo life changes where they may need more enrichment than usual (like during doggy adolescence). Among the possible owner-absent problematic behaviors displayed in dogs, boredom therefore needs to be kept in top consideration. "Idle paws are a devil's workshop" goes the canine version of this saying. When boredom sets in, there is only one solution that comes to mind in dogs: alleviating it! And what better way than ripping those leaves on the table into a million pieces? And oh, it's so nice to sniff dirt and empty the pot. So much fun!

Here's the thing:  If you look at the history of most dogs, you'll find that they were mostly working for most of the day, hounds were chasing rabbits out of holes, the small working terriers were keeping mice out of mills, pointers were holding still at the sight of birds to tell their hunters where to toss the net, coonhounds were barking when racoons went up a tree, and retrievers were catching downed birds falling down the sky for a good part of the day.  After a day of work in the field, with their minds and bodies entertained, once home, these working dogs could only think of eating their meals and then falling asleep by a crackling fireplace. 

Therefore, dogs struggle when they are kept home unemployed for most of their day. If they have little resources to count on, or their needs increase, they'll come up with their own "hobbies," but us owners won't find them amusing! So try to keep her busy with some chew toys or food puzzles and brain games if you aren't doing that already! She may love the muffin game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-muffin-game/ or her meal served in a Kong Wobbler.

-Train your Lab to "leave it." Many dogs come to learn to leave things when we are in sight, but not when we leave. If your dog's problem behavior begins right when you leave the room, you may need to practice training your dog to leave it and proofing to the point of her doing it even when you are out of sight. Here's the guide: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/

 Train this fluently when you are in sight. Then, pretend to leave the room, but watch her closely from around a corner, through an outdoor window if your dog is indoors or you can even use a  mirror or baby monitor to remotely monitor her. The moment she begins to perform the undesirable behavior, remind her to "leave it."  After several trials, she may learn to leave the item alone whether you are present or not-but don't count on this training entirely. A time may come when she may get bored because you have left for longer, or she may just decide for some reason to re-engage in the unwanted behavior. Young dogs can be this way. To help your dog succeed, it can help to leave her with acceptable items to chew/interact with that you provide when you leave the room so that she can make good choices and you can routinely rotate such items to keep her interest alive. 

- Out of sight, out of mind. Dogs who repeatedly misbehave due to boredom are better kept confined in “dog-proofed” areas where they cannot rehearse their destructive behaviors. Putting your dog behind a baby gate can help her keep her mind off of the plant or the plant can be placed on a high shelf or out of the way somewhere else. There are now hanging wall vases that can be an alternate option. I have seen some dog owners use temporary fencing, found at Home Depot that can be trimmed and wrapped around pots securing it with twisty-ties. This may work though with larger vases that are difficult to knock down. 

Often, it's just more fair to leave tempting items out of reach rather than leaving them around young, curious dogs all the time. "Out of sight, out of mind" sort of how it's done with toddlers- where we keep things locked up and out of reach of  grabby hands. 

And this can also ultimately be the safest option. While poinsettias aren't as bad as thought, they can still cause mild GI signs such as vomiting and drooling, and if the milky sap is exposed to the dog's skin, annoying skin irritations may occur. While the symptoms are generally self-limiting and don’t typically require medical treatment unless severe, there is currently no antidote for this type of poisoning. 

I hope this helps, better understand her behavior,

Best,

Adrienne 

 

 

[NancyGladfelter]

Adrienne thank you so much for your response!!!  Most likely sounds like an adolescent boredom issue. Meant to throw in she has not come into season yet so maybe she is close to that as well. Would you agree with that??  In this era of the Pandemic we are all getting a little bored. My husband is retired and I am working at home soon to be retiring. We are also in our 70’s and 80’s believe it or not and still very active. My husband walks her and we play with her all day on and off but probably not nearly enough for her energy level. Think Wonder Woman on steroids!!!  We do the Kong filled bones mornin and evening. Interesting that she has gone for the flowers on 2 mornings right after the Kongs!!!!  We will continue to reinforce LEAVE IT and learn the other games you mentioned. She is very smart. Learned the airplane game and does well with that. Will keep you posted!!!!!   

[Adrienne]

You are very welcome!

It's hard to say whether or not this specific behavior is because she may be getting close to her estrus cycle, but we do most definitely see behavioral changes during these times. Especially during their first one. This is similar to a human female that would be going through puberty. Their hormones are often flaring up and so you may see them become more affectionate (staying close to you, whining more, panting more, or even picking a favorite stuffed animal to carry around). At times they can also be a bit more agitated and restless, so that can maybe play a role. 

Your pup is very fortunate to have have found such dedicated owners! Being home with her is a big plus and it's wonderful that she is being walked and played with so often! This age is often the most challenging, as they are rather restless and need lots of stimulation. Brain games, outlets for chewing and training sessions can be very helpful. 

I think if you provide more mental enrichment, practice leave its and make it a habit of when you need to leave for longer to leave something to keep her busy -that is far more interesting than the plant, you should see a decrease in this behavior over time. However, keep in mind that, progress will need to protected by lowering the chances for the behavior occurring again, (this may require some micromanagement such as listening in a room nearby for noises suggesting she may be messing with the plant and intervening with a leave it quickly). If by any chance she gets a hang of the plant once again, she'll have rehearsed the problematic behavior, and practice makes perfect, so the behavior becomes more and more difficult to eradicate-hence why sometimes it's just simpler to keep things out of reach. 

Certainly keep me posted on how things go!

Best,

Adrienne