ABC’s of Behavior Modification

Use this method of thinking to help you change behaviors to certain triggers.

Overview

A = Antecedent

  • An antecedent is any stimulus present in the environment before the behavior occurs. It doesn’t have to tell the dog anything. But, an antecedent can be used to tell the dog to do a behavior. The word “Come” is an example of a human planned cue. Anything the dog notices can be an antecedent, if the dog can notice it, it can be a cue.

    • Antecedents to counter surfing: Dog is free in the house, food is unguarded on the counter.

    • Antecedents to jumping: New people come over.

    • Antecedents to barking: Doorbell Rings, cat walks by, etc.

B = Behavior

  • Behavior is anything a dog does. Dogs are constantly emitting behavior. Behavior happens whether or not the dog notices an antecedent. We can begin training by ignoring antecedents but selectively reinforcing the behaviors we like.

C = Consequence

  • Anything that happens to the dog as a result of the behavior is a consequence. It can be something good or bad or nothing at all. It must be the actual consequence of the behavior, not what the owner planned to have as a consequence. Consequences drive behavior. Dog’s do what’s rewarding or what they need to to avoid something unpleasant.

  • The Consequence is either a Reinforcer (+R/-R) or a Punisher (+P/-P) See Operant Conditioning. OR the behavior itself may be internal reinforcing (barking, chasing).

  • What purpose is that behavior fulfilling? What happens after the behavior which makes the animal want to continue it?

    • Dog Barks at the Mailman and the mail man leaves. (Barking was rewarded because the mailman walked away.)

    • Dog barks at the cat, cats runs away. (Barking was rewarded with an exciting game of chase the cat.)

    • Dog jumps on guests, guests either pet or shove the dog. (In either case, the jumping was rewarded with attention.)

    • Dog jumps on the counter, gets food. (Behavior earned a huge reward!)

EXAMPLE:

-Dog sees mailman (Antecedent)

-Dog Barks (Behavior)

-Mailman leaves (Consequence -R) OR Barking is internal reinforcing as it just feels good.

How Habits Change Your Brain

This video isn’t about dogs but the points all still apply to our canine friends and shows how with enough time and repetition you can train a dog a new behavior or break an old habit.

How to Use ABC’s to Modify Unwanted Behaviors

Manage Antecedents

Examples :

  • Is your dog barking at people walking past the window? Shut the blinds.

  • Does your dog eat off the counters? Keep the counters clean or the dog out of the kitchen when you aren't there.

  • Does your dog jump on guests? Keep him behind a baby gate, crated or on leash until he calms down.

Remove the Consequences that have been Rewarding/Maintaining the Unwanted Behavior

Examples :

  • If your dog counter surfs, keep your counters clean. If he never finds food, he'll stop checking.

  • If your dog pulls on leash, stop walking. After an extinction burst, he'll probably realize that pulling isn't helping.

  • If your dog barks at the mail man, trap the mailman so he can't leave until your dog is quiet. (Kidding!)

Replacement Behavior Strategy : Set Your Dog up to Win

This is where the real training happens. Take a step back and decide how you want to put together your understanding of the behavior into a comprehensive training plan. This should include:

  • A: Manage the Antecedents so that the behavior doesn't occur when you aren't working on changing it

  • B: Train an incompatible behavior which results in a better consequence.

  • C: Consequences which maintain your new behavior and make the old behavior unnecessary.

Example Behavior Modification: Fear Aggression

Your dog barks and lunges to get strange people to stay away from her. In order to change this behavior you can:

  • A : Manage her environment so that she doesn't get too close to the scary monsters and go off

  • B : Reward appropriate behavior like standing still, looking at the scary monsters or turning away from the scary monsters with

  • C : Distance and sometimes treats.

This method is employed with Grisha Stewart's B.A.T. protocol. Note that eventually, the antecedents (scary monsters) and consequence (safety, distance) will be the same - but the dog learns to work for them by staying calm and offering appropriate behaviors instead of lunging.