The Summary

This project does not have an end.  It does, however, have a conclusion.

I should be documenting what I learned in terms of Psychology, which I will get to, but what I have really learned to do is pay attention. My dog, Blue, tells me when he has to go out.  He tells me when there is someone at the door (or passing by).  He will show me where he wants to walk.  Though I put forth considerable effort to praise him when he exhibits desirable behavior, such as urinating or defecating outside, I believe that he looks for approval in my facial expressions.  He is constantly seeking approval.  The more affection and approval that I give him, the fewer problems we seem to have.  This is the the whole B.F.Skinner  - Operant Conditioning method.  Give no energy to undesirable behavior (exception is if you catch him in the act, good luck), only give positive energy to positive behavior.

The key in really driving this home was to use an already existing behavior and expound upon it.  In this case, the animals were already peeing in the dining room.  It seemed logical to use that room to encourage the herd to urinate there. Add the newspaper, allow the herd to become used to it as a permanent change.  Connect the urine to the newspaper.  Reduce the amount, but continue the behavior and reinforcements.

In December, we watched an excellent documentary called Dogs Decoded:  Nova .  In this film, it was suggested that dogs are genetically predisposed to read human facial expressions, and they are the only animal that can. So I am aware of what my face is doing when I am interacting with Blue.  We do not leave the dogs unattended for more than 4 hours.  If my partner Chuck is not home, then the dogs come to the shop with me.  I listen to what Blue is telling me.  When he barks to go out and he recently went, I get on the floor and talk with him.  Sometimes he just wants to play.

What really changed in this experiment was not the dog.  It was my behavior. When it was personally inconvenient, I treated Blue like more of a pest, than a pet.  I now take my responsibility to him more seriously.  I also respect his role as the sentinel.  I call it "insistent" barking, not "incessant" barking.  I find if I get up to see what he is making noise about, thank him, and update him as to our security status, he's good.  (NO, not always...  he often likes to drive a point home.)   Granted, 6 years of having an issue does make one irritable, but it only took a Psychology course and new carpeting to figure out the answer.  And Blue doesn't think very much of Psychology.