This page is part of the Happenstance Training section of the Dog Science
Dog Training
Workshop, which is an element of the Dog Science Network
The Example of Barking at the Letter Carrier in Proper Behavioral Terms
Target Behavior: Barking at the letter carrier
Goal: To cause your dog to stop barking at the letter carrier
Component one of the formula:
Reinforce an alternative behavior that is incompatible with the response you want to eliminate.
Your dog can't both bark and not bark at the same time. That is why we say that barking and not barking are incompatible responses. Therefore, you can mitigate against your dog's barking at the mailman behavior by reinforcing him for not barking at the mailman. So the first time your dog sees the letter carrier and does not bark at him, you need to be sure to immediately reward your dog.
Component two of the formula:
Abruptly remove the reinforcers for the behavior you want to eliminate
It could be that every time your dog barks at the mail carrier, someone picks him up and holds him, or gives him a treat to quiet him. If so, those could very well be the reinforcers that make it rewarding for your dog to bark when he hears the letter carrier's footsteps. So you will need to put a stop to anything that might be reinforcing the target response.
Component three of the formula:
Always punish the behavior you want to eliminate
If your goal is to eliminate your dog's barking at the mailman behavior, then, you are going to need to apply a punishment procedure to make sure that he finds it emotionally upsetting every time he emits that response.