behavior extinction
Oftentimes we are caught off guard in our training by what’s called Behavior Extinction. Or, Extinction Bursts. Here is the definition of Extinction Bursts from the Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development: Extinction burst refers to the phenomenon of a previously reinforced or learned behavior temporarily increasing when the reinforcement for the behavior is removed. Learning theory suggests the organism is increasing the frequency of the behavior in an attempt to regain the original reinforcement for the behavior. In the absence of additional reinforcement, the behavior will diminish to lower (pre-extinction burst) levels and eventual cessation.
In layman’s terms - It’s going to get worse before it gets better!
When you’re working to eliminate or change a behavior from your dog, you’re most likely going to see this happen. Sometimes it may be slight and last only a few moments. Sometimes it can actually flow over days and maybe even weeks. Part of it depends on your consistency, part of it depends on your dog's willingness to change, and a large part depends on your dogs persistence. Patience is always key! Our dogs have been bred for generations to be persistent!
Picture this, your dog is out on the boat, back in the day. He has a job. He’s a working dog, alongside the Portuguese fisherman. He is commanded to jump off the boat into the cold sea water off the coast of Portugal. A moment of mental and physical motivation is necessary to take the leap. If your PWD sat there and said, nah. I think I’ll sit this one out, do you think he would be bred? Nope! Only the dogs that worked tirelessly, day in and day out.
Working in all types of weather, swimming constantly throughout the day with an overly-willing attitude to jump in the water without hesitation. They have a competitive nature. They like to win. They like “the game”. They are wicked smart. That is what a PWD has been bred for. I know how I feel when someone tells me I can’t or shouldn’t do something. It makes me want to do it even more! If you tell a PWD to stop doing a behavior, well, they are not ones to calmly say okay, and go lay down...
There are many different scenarios where you may see Behavior Extinction during training or behavior modification - Demand Barking, Dog Reactivity, Barking in the crate and Leave It to name just a few. You can see it rear its ugly head when you’re working to curb a behavior, or eliminate an unwanted behavior. I saw clear Extinction Bursts when I was teaching my dog to no longer scratch at the door when he wanted to come in from the backyard. This is a behavior that I wanted him to “unlearn” because I was noticing the scratch marks on my screen door, and I didn’t want them to get any worse.
I knew if I tried training the behavior, in the classical sense of training, it wouldn’t work. This is where you get your treat pouch on, your clicker in hand. You work on things like timing and reward, but you also have a physical presence with your dog, and you have eye contact. Training typically involves direct interaction with your dog. With this behavior I didn’t want to have to talk to my dog, because I didn’t want to tell him to STOP pawing at the door. I wanted to not have to talk to him at all. I wanted to Shape the behavior, but I wanted my dog to figure it out all on his own. I didn’t want to interfere with his training by having him see me. Whether we like it or not, we are a huge influencer of our dogs behavior. Even slight little movements, eye contact, voice inflections. Those can all influence training. I wanted him to learn it on his own, because if HE learned it, it would stick.
My goal was that I simply wanted him to stop pawing at the door and offer whatever benign behavior he wanted. It could be to sit. It could be to lay at the door. It could be to stand there and stare at me, to try to use his mind power to guide me to let him in. No scratching and certainly no barking… I wanted him to calmly wait for me to let him in when I was ready, not him.
I knew that if all of a sudden I stopped letting him in when he pawed at the door, I was going to get some type of Behavior Extinction, and I was ready for it! Heck, all he knew was to paw. He thinks - I paw at the door, the door opens for me. If all of a sudden I let him know that his pawing at the door is no longer working, he’s going to try something different. He’s a PWD after all. He’s not going to just think, oh well.
Here is how he worked through his Behavior Extinction:
Day One
Morning - Scratched at the door. Nothing (from me). Scratched again. Nothing. This probably happened 5-6 times and then he heard a neighbor dog bark, so he turned and walked a couple steps away from the door. I quickly opened the door and called him in. Yes, this sounds like cheating, but it still counts! Remember, he’s not scratching at the door. In fact, he is placed further away from the door, not barking, just standing there when I let him in.
Lunch - Scratched at the door. Nothing. Scratched again. Nothing. Jumped up on hind legs and scratched. Nothing. He stood there on his hind legs with his feet on the door for a few seconds. Jumped off. Scratched again. Walked backwards and barked. Huh… Interesting. Do you see how the burst is starting? In the morning he became distracted so he didn’t really have the time to work through his frustration. But now he’s thinking about it more because nothing else is going on, and he wants to come in.
He probably scratched and barked for about 5 minutes at this point. He walked away from the door in a large circle and I quickly called him in. I think he was going to just circle around and come back to the door, but I called him in before he had a chance to.
Evening - Same scenario as Lunch…
Day Two
Morning - Did not scratch this time, but went to the door and barked. Walked backwards, barked some more. Came over to the window (near the door). I could see him staring in the window (but he couldn’t see me). At this point I could have let him in, but I thought that at any second he’d start barking again, and I didn’t want him to hear my hand on the doorknob as soon as he barked. That would have been horrible timing!!
Lunch - He came near the door but didn’t bark (yay!!!!!). I quickly let him in before he had time to think more about it…
Dinner - He came over to the door and didn’t move. This time I wanted to wait a second to see if he’d bark. My goal at this point is to wait longer and longer. But, only by a few seconds extra each time. Shoot, he barked. So I waited. I look like a weirdo because I’m hiding behind the door so he can’t see me. If he could see me it would be game over.
Day Three
Morning - He didn’t scratch. Didn’t bark. Just stood at the door. I waited until the count of 10 and let him in. Yippe!! This doesn’t mean we are home free, but for sure on the right path. From this point I can start waiting longer. Or, I can decide if I want him to offer a different behavior, like sit or lay down and wait.
If at any point during this Behavior Extinction period I would have looked at him, said something to him, let him in when he was about to bark (or scratch or whatever is an unwanted behavior), I would have had to start from scratch. In fact, it would be harder then starting from scratch because I’ve already shown him that if he’s persistent in his unwanted behavior, he’ll get attention.
It’s so easy for us humans to yell at our dogs, “be quiet”! It makes us feel good to get that release of frustration. And, it may work… for a minute. But all it does is give our dog attention. Albeit negative attention, it is still attention.
So, at this point all of my dogs come up onto the deck and wait to come in. I can usually hear them walking on the deck. They just hang out there and wait. Sometimes they look around like Yertle the Turtle and survey their surroundings. Sometimes they sit and stare at the door or window. Occasionally I get a whine here and there, and then I have to think about my training again.
Hopefully this helps you to recognize Behavior Extinction. When it’s happening in your dog, and how to work through it. If you still have questions, let me know!
Need more help? Contact us for a Private Lesson.
Related Article: Anxiety Remedies
Giene Keyes
Giene Keyes is the Moon Dog Training, LLC, providing positive in-home training, behavior consultations and group classes. After receiving “Best of Madison'' multiple years in a row, Giene sold her dog daycare to focus on her dog behavior work. Giene has been working with pets and their owners for over 20 years. She is a professional animal trainer and behavior specialist in Southern Wisconsin. Giene divides her time between teaching group classes and private lessons – Specializing in manners and aggression cases. Giene works with vets, rescue groups and shelters, evaluating dogs for adoption, developing Canine Aggression Management Programs, and educating staff on dog language and behaviors. She consults for dog daycares and training companies on educating staff on dog body language, cues, managing a pack, difficult dogs and much more. She provides behavior consultations for service dog organizations and rescue groups in the Midwest. She has been an Instructor with the American Red Cross in Pet CPR and First Aid, a Certified Canine Good Citizen Evaluator with the American Kennel Club, and a Licensed Judge with the WI Dept of Ag, Trade & Consumer Protection. Giene is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. She routinely presents seminars on dog behavior and training, as well as chicken training seminars to promote team building. Giene has been a regular guest on popular Madison radio shows and evening newscasts. Giene has also been featured in numerous local magazines, including the cover for Wisconsin Woman. Giene is a published author and loves demonstrating to people how clever dogs, chickens and pigs can be.
In layman’s terms - It’s going to get worse before it gets better!
When you’re working to eliminate or change a behavior from your dog, you’re most likely going to see this happen. Sometimes it may be slight and last only a few moments. Sometimes it can actually flow over days and maybe even weeks. Part of it depends on your consistency, part of it depends on your dog's willingness to change, and a large part depends on your dogs persistence. Patience is always key! Our dogs have been bred for generations to be persistent!
Picture this, your dog is out on the boat, back in the day. He has a job. He’s a working dog, alongside the Portuguese fisherman. He is commanded to jump off the boat into the cold sea water off the coast of Portugal. A moment of mental and physical motivation is necessary to take the leap. If your PWD sat there and said, nah. I think I’ll sit this one out, do you think he would be bred? Nope! Only the dogs that worked tirelessly, day in and day out.
Working in all types of weather, swimming constantly throughout the day with an overly-willing attitude to jump in the water without hesitation. They have a competitive nature. They like to win. They like “the game”. They are wicked smart. That is what a PWD has been bred for. I know how I feel when someone tells me I can’t or shouldn’t do something. It makes me want to do it even more! If you tell a PWD to stop doing a behavior, well, they are not ones to calmly say okay, and go lay down...
There are many different scenarios where you may see Behavior Extinction during training or behavior modification - Demand Barking, Dog Reactivity, Barking in the crate and Leave It to name just a few. You can see it rear its ugly head when you’re working to curb a behavior, or eliminate an unwanted behavior. I saw clear Extinction Bursts when I was teaching my dog to no longer scratch at the door when he wanted to come in from the backyard. This is a behavior that I wanted him to “unlearn” because I was noticing the scratch marks on my screen door, and I didn’t want them to get any worse.
I knew if I tried training the behavior, in the classical sense of training, it wouldn’t work. This is where you get your treat pouch on, your clicker in hand. You work on things like timing and reward, but you also have a physical presence with your dog, and you have eye contact. Training typically involves direct interaction with your dog. With this behavior I didn’t want to have to talk to my dog, because I didn’t want to tell him to STOP pawing at the door. I wanted to not have to talk to him at all. I wanted to Shape the behavior, but I wanted my dog to figure it out all on his own. I didn’t want to interfere with his training by having him see me. Whether we like it or not, we are a huge influencer of our dogs behavior. Even slight little movements, eye contact, voice inflections. Those can all influence training. I wanted him to learn it on his own, because if HE learned it, it would stick.
My goal was that I simply wanted him to stop pawing at the door and offer whatever benign behavior he wanted. It could be to sit. It could be to lay at the door. It could be to stand there and stare at me, to try to use his mind power to guide me to let him in. No scratching and certainly no barking… I wanted him to calmly wait for me to let him in when I was ready, not him.
I knew that if all of a sudden I stopped letting him in when he pawed at the door, I was going to get some type of Behavior Extinction, and I was ready for it! Heck, all he knew was to paw. He thinks - I paw at the door, the door opens for me. If all of a sudden I let him know that his pawing at the door is no longer working, he’s going to try something different. He’s a PWD after all. He’s not going to just think, oh well.
Here is how he worked through his Behavior Extinction:
Day One
Morning - Scratched at the door. Nothing (from me). Scratched again. Nothing. This probably happened 5-6 times and then he heard a neighbor dog bark, so he turned and walked a couple steps away from the door. I quickly opened the door and called him in. Yes, this sounds like cheating, but it still counts! Remember, he’s not scratching at the door. In fact, he is placed further away from the door, not barking, just standing there when I let him in.
Lunch - Scratched at the door. Nothing. Scratched again. Nothing. Jumped up on hind legs and scratched. Nothing. He stood there on his hind legs with his feet on the door for a few seconds. Jumped off. Scratched again. Walked backwards and barked. Huh… Interesting. Do you see how the burst is starting? In the morning he became distracted so he didn’t really have the time to work through his frustration. But now he’s thinking about it more because nothing else is going on, and he wants to come in.
He probably scratched and barked for about 5 minutes at this point. He walked away from the door in a large circle and I quickly called him in. I think he was going to just circle around and come back to the door, but I called him in before he had a chance to.
Evening - Same scenario as Lunch…
Day Two
Morning - Did not scratch this time, but went to the door and barked. Walked backwards, barked some more. Came over to the window (near the door). I could see him staring in the window (but he couldn’t see me). At this point I could have let him in, but I thought that at any second he’d start barking again, and I didn’t want him to hear my hand on the doorknob as soon as he barked. That would have been horrible timing!!
Lunch - He came near the door but didn’t bark (yay!!!!!). I quickly let him in before he had time to think more about it…
Dinner - He came over to the door and didn’t move. This time I wanted to wait a second to see if he’d bark. My goal at this point is to wait longer and longer. But, only by a few seconds extra each time. Shoot, he barked. So I waited. I look like a weirdo because I’m hiding behind the door so he can’t see me. If he could see me it would be game over.
Day Three
Morning - He didn’t scratch. Didn’t bark. Just stood at the door. I waited until the count of 10 and let him in. Yippe!! This doesn’t mean we are home free, but for sure on the right path. From this point I can start waiting longer. Or, I can decide if I want him to offer a different behavior, like sit or lay down and wait.
If at any point during this Behavior Extinction period I would have looked at him, said something to him, let him in when he was about to bark (or scratch or whatever is an unwanted behavior), I would have had to start from scratch. In fact, it would be harder then starting from scratch because I’ve already shown him that if he’s persistent in his unwanted behavior, he’ll get attention.
It’s so easy for us humans to yell at our dogs, “be quiet”! It makes us feel good to get that release of frustration. And, it may work… for a minute. But all it does is give our dog attention. Albeit negative attention, it is still attention.
So, at this point all of my dogs come up onto the deck and wait to come in. I can usually hear them walking on the deck. They just hang out there and wait. Sometimes they look around like Yertle the Turtle and survey their surroundings. Sometimes they sit and stare at the door or window. Occasionally I get a whine here and there, and then I have to think about my training again.
Hopefully this helps you to recognize Behavior Extinction. When it’s happening in your dog, and how to work through it. If you still have questions, let me know!
Need more help? Contact us for a Private Lesson.
Related Article: Anxiety Remedies
Giene Keyes
Giene Keyes is the Moon Dog Training, LLC, providing positive in-home training, behavior consultations and group classes. After receiving “Best of Madison'' multiple years in a row, Giene sold her dog daycare to focus on her dog behavior work. Giene has been working with pets and their owners for over 20 years. She is a professional animal trainer and behavior specialist in Southern Wisconsin. Giene divides her time between teaching group classes and private lessons – Specializing in manners and aggression cases. Giene works with vets, rescue groups and shelters, evaluating dogs for adoption, developing Canine Aggression Management Programs, and educating staff on dog language and behaviors. She consults for dog daycares and training companies on educating staff on dog body language, cues, managing a pack, difficult dogs and much more. She provides behavior consultations for service dog organizations and rescue groups in the Midwest. She has been an Instructor with the American Red Cross in Pet CPR and First Aid, a Certified Canine Good Citizen Evaluator with the American Kennel Club, and a Licensed Judge with the WI Dept of Ag, Trade & Consumer Protection. Giene is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. She routinely presents seminars on dog behavior and training, as well as chicken training seminars to promote team building. Giene has been a regular guest on popular Madison radio shows and evening newscasts. Giene has also been featured in numerous local magazines, including the cover for Wisconsin Woman. Giene is a published author and loves demonstrating to people how clever dogs, chickens and pigs can be.
So, here is how he worked through his Behavior Extinction:
Day One
Morning - Scratched at the door. Nothing (from me). Scratched again. Nothing. This probably happened 5-6 times and then he heard a neighbor dog bark, so he turned and walked a couple steps away from the door. I quickly opened the door and called him in. Yes, this sounds like cheating, but it still counts! Remember, he’s not scratching at the door. In fact, he is placed further away from the door, not barking, just standing there when I let him in.
Lunch - Scratched at the door. Nothing. Scratched again. Nothing. Jumped up on hind legs and scratched. Nothing. He stood there on his hind legs with his feet on the door for a few seconds. Jumped off. Scratched again. Walked backwards and barked. Huh… Interesting. Do you see how the burst is starting? In the morning he became distracted so he didn’t really have the time to work through his frustration. But now he’s thinking about it more because nothing else is going on, and he wants to come in.
He probably scratched and barked for about 5 minutes at this point. He walked away from the door in a large circle and I quickly called him in. I think he was going to just circle around and come back to the door, but I called him in before he had a chance to.
Evening - Same scenario as Lunch…
Day Two
Morning - Did not scratch this time, but went to the door and barked. Walked backwards, barked some more. Came over to the window (near the door). I could see him staring in the window (but he couldn’t see me). At this point I could have let him in, but I thought that at any second he’d start barking again, and I didn’t want him to hear my hand on the doorknob as soon as he barked. That would have been horrible timing!!
Lunch - He came near the door but didn’t bark (yay!!!!!). I quickly let him in before he had time to think more about it…
Dinner - He came over to the door and didn’t move. This time I wanted to wait a second to see if he’d bark. My goal at this point is to wait longer and longer. But, only by a few seconds extra each time. Shoot, he barked. So I waited. I look like a weirdo because I’m hiding behind the door so he can’t see me. If he could see me it would be game over.
Day Three
Morning - He didn’t scratch. Didn’t bark. Just stood at the door. I waited until the count of 10 and let him in. Yippe!! This doesn’t mean we are home free, but for sure on the right path. From this point I can start waiting longer. Or, I can decide if I want him to offer a different behavior, like sit or lay down and wait.
If at any point during this Behavior Extinction period I would have looked at him, said something to him, let him in when he was about to bark (or scratch or whatever is an unwanted behavior), I would have had to start from scratch. In fact, it would be harder then starting from scratch because I’ve already shown him that if he’s persistent in his unwanted behavior, he’ll get attention.
It’s so easy for us humans to yell at our dogs, “be quiet”! It makes us feel good to get that release of frustration. And, it may work… for a minute. But all it does is give our dog attention. Albeit negative attention, it is still attention.
So, at this point all of my dogs come up onto the deck and wait to come in. I can usually hear them walking on the deck. They just hang out there and wait. Sometimes they look around like Yertle the Turtle and survey their surroundings. Sometimes they sit and stare at the door or window. Occasionally I get a whine here and there, and then I have to think about my training again.
Hopefully this helps you to recognize Behavior Extinction. When it’s happening in your dog, and how to work through it. If you still have questions, let me know!
Photo credits; Diana Albright Kilburn, Alyssa Smith, Dani Blin, Danielle Collins
Day One
Morning - Scratched at the door. Nothing (from me). Scratched again. Nothing. This probably happened 5-6 times and then he heard a neighbor dog bark, so he turned and walked a couple steps away from the door. I quickly opened the door and called him in. Yes, this sounds like cheating, but it still counts! Remember, he’s not scratching at the door. In fact, he is placed further away from the door, not barking, just standing there when I let him in.
Lunch - Scratched at the door. Nothing. Scratched again. Nothing. Jumped up on hind legs and scratched. Nothing. He stood there on his hind legs with his feet on the door for a few seconds. Jumped off. Scratched again. Walked backwards and barked. Huh… Interesting. Do you see how the burst is starting? In the morning he became distracted so he didn’t really have the time to work through his frustration. But now he’s thinking about it more because nothing else is going on, and he wants to come in.
He probably scratched and barked for about 5 minutes at this point. He walked away from the door in a large circle and I quickly called him in. I think he was going to just circle around and come back to the door, but I called him in before he had a chance to.
Evening - Same scenario as Lunch…
Day Two
Morning - Did not scratch this time, but went to the door and barked. Walked backwards, barked some more. Came over to the window (near the door). I could see him staring in the window (but he couldn’t see me). At this point I could have let him in, but I thought that at any second he’d start barking again, and I didn’t want him to hear my hand on the doorknob as soon as he barked. That would have been horrible timing!!
Lunch - He came near the door but didn’t bark (yay!!!!!). I quickly let him in before he had time to think more about it…
Dinner - He came over to the door and didn’t move. This time I wanted to wait a second to see if he’d bark. My goal at this point is to wait longer and longer. But, only by a few seconds extra each time. Shoot, he barked. So I waited. I look like a weirdo because I’m hiding behind the door so he can’t see me. If he could see me it would be game over.
Day Three
Morning - He didn’t scratch. Didn’t bark. Just stood at the door. I waited until the count of 10 and let him in. Yippe!! This doesn’t mean we are home free, but for sure on the right path. From this point I can start waiting longer. Or, I can decide if I want him to offer a different behavior, like sit or lay down and wait.
If at any point during this Behavior Extinction period I would have looked at him, said something to him, let him in when he was about to bark (or scratch or whatever is an unwanted behavior), I would have had to start from scratch. In fact, it would be harder then starting from scratch because I’ve already shown him that if he’s persistent in his unwanted behavior, he’ll get attention.
It’s so easy for us humans to yell at our dogs, “be quiet”! It makes us feel good to get that release of frustration. And, it may work… for a minute. But all it does is give our dog attention. Albeit negative attention, it is still attention.
So, at this point all of my dogs come up onto the deck and wait to come in. I can usually hear them walking on the deck. They just hang out there and wait. Sometimes they look around like Yertle the Turtle and survey their surroundings. Sometimes they sit and stare at the door or window. Occasionally I get a whine here and there, and then I have to think about my training again.
Hopefully this helps you to recognize Behavior Extinction. When it’s happening in your dog, and how to work through it. If you still have questions, let me know!
Photo credits; Diana Albright Kilburn, Alyssa Smith, Dani Blin, Danielle Collins
Giene Keyes
Giene Keyes is the owner of Moon Dog Training, LLC, providing positive in-home training, behavior consultations and group classes. After receiving “Best of Madison'' multiple years in a row, Giene sold her dog daycare to focus on her dog behavior work. Giene has been working with pets and their owners for over 30 years. She is a professional animal trainer and behavior specialist in Southern Wisconsin. Giene divides her time between teaching group classes and private lessons – Specializing in manners and aggression cases. Giene works with vets, rescue groups and shelters, evaluating dogs for adoption, developing Canine Aggression Management Programs, and educating staff on dog language and behaviors. She consults for dog daycares and training companies by educating staff on dog body language, cues, managing a pack, difficult dogs and much more. She provides behavior consultations for service dog organizations and rescue groups in the Midwest. She has been an Instructor with the American Red Cross in Pet CPR and First Aid, a Certified Canine Good Citizen Evaluator with the American Kennel Club, and a Licensed Judge with the WI Dept of Ag, Trade & Consumer Protection. Giene is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. She routinely presents seminars on dog behavior and training, as well as chicken training seminars to promote team building. Giene has been a regular guest on popular Madison radio shows and evening newscasts. Giene has also been featured in numerous local magazines, including the cover for Wisconsin Woman. Giene is a published author (see her Chicken Training Book!) and loves demonstrating to people how clever dogs, chickens and pigs can be.
Giene Keyes is the owner of Moon Dog Training, LLC, providing positive in-home training, behavior consultations and group classes. After receiving “Best of Madison'' multiple years in a row, Giene sold her dog daycare to focus on her dog behavior work. Giene has been working with pets and their owners for over 30 years. She is a professional animal trainer and behavior specialist in Southern Wisconsin. Giene divides her time between teaching group classes and private lessons – Specializing in manners and aggression cases. Giene works with vets, rescue groups and shelters, evaluating dogs for adoption, developing Canine Aggression Management Programs, and educating staff on dog language and behaviors. She consults for dog daycares and training companies by educating staff on dog body language, cues, managing a pack, difficult dogs and much more. She provides behavior consultations for service dog organizations and rescue groups in the Midwest. She has been an Instructor with the American Red Cross in Pet CPR and First Aid, a Certified Canine Good Citizen Evaluator with the American Kennel Club, and a Licensed Judge with the WI Dept of Ag, Trade & Consumer Protection. Giene is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. She routinely presents seminars on dog behavior and training, as well as chicken training seminars to promote team building. Giene has been a regular guest on popular Madison radio shows and evening newscasts. Giene has also been featured in numerous local magazines, including the cover for Wisconsin Woman. Giene is a published author (see her Chicken Training Book!) and loves demonstrating to people how clever dogs, chickens and pigs can be.
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