🐶 What is a Dog Behavior Management Plan?

A Behavior Management Plan is a set of guidelines and practices designed to:

  • Limit your dog’s opportunities to practice undesired behaviors
  • Encourage and reinforce desired behaviors
  • Create an environment where your dog can succeed while learning new habits

This is not training alone—it’s about setting up daily life to support good behavior and prevent bad habits from forming.

🔍 Key Elements of a Behavior Management Plan:

✅ 1. Identify Desired Behaviors

These are the behaviors you want to see more often:

  • Calm greetings
  • Relaxing quietly during meals
  • Walking politely on leash
  • Chewing appropriate toys
  • Coming when called

🚫 2. Identify Undesired Behaviors

These are the behaviors you want to reduce or eliminate:

  • Jumping on people
  • Barking at the window
  • Pulling on the leash
  • Chewing furniture or shoes
  • Digging in the garden

💡 Core Reminder: Set Clear Rules & Stay Consistent

When welcoming a new dog into your home, it’s essential to have a clear plan and ensure everyone in the household is on the same page. Dogs thrive on consistency and structure—conflicting messages can create stress or confusion.

📋 Ask Yourself:

  • Are dogs allowed on the couch or in the bed?
  • How should the dog greet family members vs. guests?
  • When and where is play allowed, and what are the approved toys?
  • What is the routine around mealtimes, walks, and bedtime?

🔄 Inconsistency leads to confusion. If one person rewards jumping while another scolds it, your dog won’t know what to do. Consistency helps your dog feel secure, understand boundaries, and learn faster.

🛡️ 3. Prevent Practice of Undesired Behaviors

Use tools and strategies to block access to triggers or prevent your dog from rehearsing the behavior.  For example:

  • Use leashes, baby gates or crates to prevent jumping on visitors
  • Cover or block windows to stop visual triggers for barking
  • Keep items out of reach to avoid chewing or counter-surfing
  • Avoid overstimulating environments during leash training

🎯 4. Encourage the Desired Behaviors

Actively reinforce behaviors you want to see more of:

  • Reward calm behavior around guests
  • Give treats and praise for loose leash walking
  • Provide a comfy mat and reward your dog for settling
  • Use puzzle toys or chews to redirect chewing needs

🧠 5. Meet Your Dog’s Needs

Unwanted behaviors often come from unmet needs. Make sure your dog is getting:

  • Physical exercise (walks, play, fetch)
  • Mental stimulation (training, puzzle toys, sniffing games)
  • Social time (with humans or appropriate dogs)
  • Rest and calm spaces (quiet, safe places to decompress)

🔄 6. Offer Equivalent Alternatives

Give your dog an appropriate outlet for their natural behaviors:

  • Instead of chewing shoes → provide stuffed Kongs or chew toys
  • Instead of barking at the window → offer a treat mat in a quiet room
  • Instead of jumping up → teach and reward sitting for attention
  • Instead of digging in the yard → create a sandbox where digging is allowed

Dogs aren’t “bad”—they just need direction and options that meet the same need.

💡 Core Reminder:

“Behaviors that get practiced get repeated.”

If your dog keeps doing something, it’s likely because:

  • It works for them in some way
  • They haven’t been shown a better option
  • They’re allowed to keep practicing it

So, manage the environment, meet their needs, and guide them to better choices.

🐶 Dog Behavior Management Plan Worksheet

🐾 1. Dog Information

  • Name: _____________________________
  • Age: __________
  • Breed/Mix: _______________________
  • Date Started Plan: ________________

🚩 2. Problem Behavior Description

  • Undesired Behavior(s):
    (e.g., barking at window, jumping on guests)
  • When & Where Does It Happen?
  • Possible Triggers or Motivation (Why):
    (e.g., fear, excitement, guarding, attention-seeking)

📝 3. Baseline Behavior Tracking

  • How often does the behavior occur?
    (track daily or weekly)
  • Notes or patterns noticed:

🛡️ 4. Management Strategies

How will you prevent the behavior from happening?

  • ☐ Crate
  • ☐ Baby Gate
  • ☐ Visual Barrier
  • ☐ Avoiding Triggers
  • ☐ Supervision/Leash Indoors
  • Other: ___________________________

Notes on setup or plan:

🏆 5. Desired Replacement Behaviors

  • What should the dog do instead?
    (e.g., sit to greet, chew toys, settle on mat)
  • How will you teach and reinforce it?

🧠 6. Meeting Needs

How are you providing:

  • Physical exercise? ___________________________
  • Mental enrichment? ___________________________
  • Social needs? ________________________________

🎾 7. Equivalent Alternatives

What appropriate outlets will you offer?
(e.g., digging box, chew toys, safe bark window)

🔄 8. Consistency Checklist

Are house rules clearly defined and followed by everyone?

AreaRules Set?Everyone Consistent?
Furniture Access☐ Yes / ☐ No☐ Yes / ☐ No
Greeting Behavior☐ Yes / ☐ No☐ Yes / ☐ No
Play Rules & Toys☐ Yes / ☐ No☐ Yes / ☐ No
Mealtime & Feeding Routine☐ Yes / ☐ No☐ Yes / ☐ No

Notes on needed adjustments:

📈 9. Progress & Adjustments

What’s improving?

What needs to change?

👩‍⚕️ 10. Professional Support (If Needed)

  • Referred to: ___________________________
  • Notes: ________________________________


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