One of the most important messages I want to send is about delayed correction.
This is one of the biggest misunderstandings I see between humans and animals.
Unless you actually catch your pet in the act of undesirable behavior, it is TOO LATE to correct them. They will not understand what they are being corrected for. All you will do is create confusion and lack of trust.
It can be frustrating when your pet is doing something you don’t want when you aren’t around. So what do you do? Prevent the behavior. It is not hard to prevent pets from undesirable behavior.
Use baby gates, lock things up you don’t want them to touch, use crates (in moderation), place covers over things (so cat’s wont scratch), etc.. There are always easy ways to prevent.
Then if you DO see them doing something you don’t want you can absolutely correct them. Be instant. Be clear. Be gentle. And then let it go. Don’t hold a grudge. Don’t punish them by locking them away in a crate or a room alone. (Again that is delayed correction).
You have about 3 seconds to issue a correction and after that, the correct should be over. A firm “No”, and/or quickly but gently moving the pet to another location. We are past the days of using force for correction. That is very old school. And I think everyone knows that. But what humans don’t seem to know is delayed correction is not appropriate or understood by animals.
That is the message I want to get across. Spread the word far and wide so pets all over can learn without confusion or loss of trust.
