ALLELOMIMETIC BEHAVIORCATION:

:This comes from the word mimic. Monkey see; monkey do. Monkey takes right after you!
That's right. Use this to your advantage.
Your dog will copy your ACTIONS and ATTITUIDES. If you handle roughly, he'll respond likewise.
The more concerned or nervous we are about our dogs behavior, the more we MAY ACTUALLY COMPELL SUCH BEHAVIOR TO BEGIN!

EXAMPLE; If your dog is about to growl at a stranger and he sees you become upset, he doesn't think we are worried about his actions, but those of the stranger. Now he has a real cause to be wary.

SOLUTION: Use allellomimetic behavior to demonstrate a sense of calm and trust. Don't take chances, but the more relaxed you must appear. Many times we see people try to calm their pet by patting. As they become more nervous, they pat faster and faster. This quick patting further excites their pet. Try to stroke the full length of the body at about the normal rate of respiration.

POSITIVE THIGMOTAXIS: The opposition reflex.
This is the MOST DIFFICULT CAUSE OF BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS, because we AUTOMATICALLY FALL VICTIM TO IT.

EXAMPLE: As your dog pulls, you pull back. Now you are both pulling. Next, you get frustrated and mad. Then ALLELOMIMETIC BEHAVIOR COMES INTO THE PICTURE, and your dog copies your actions and attitudes and gets frustrated and mad. What may have started out as a nice walk could soon become a tense, frustration situation. This anxiety, with out a vent or release mechanism, continues long afterward.

SOLUTION: Don't allow pulling. When your dog pulls, just say "no", relieve the tension on the leash and praise immediately. Do this consistently. We have just a split second to praise him after telling him "no", or else the message will not get across. Pulling on the leash, even as little as one pound of pressure per square inch, for just a second and a half is enough to trigger the opposition reflex. That's just one small example. .