Have a Plan

PJ, seen here, has gone to her new home and they adore her. However, they are running into some problems with one ingrained behavior that is difficult to break. PJ tends to run up to the shoulder quicker than a mouse! She finds comfort up there and becomes empowered with the position. Then, of course, she evades capture and even bites to resist arrest.

I am working with them to find a solution. When PJ was here, I immediately recognized this unacceptable pattern. I would always use my "teacher voice" and ask for the "step up". Then I would hold her feet firmly as we moved to the next location. Part of the enticement was that she knew we were going somewhere! So we would have a distracting conversation the whole way. "Here we go." "Want to go outside?" "Oh, look at this (a picture in the hallway)."

The secret, if you will, is to have a plan. You have to predetermine where you will go with her and not be distracted yourself with anything else on your mind. They know! If she went to bite my hand, (this only happened at the very beginning) I would gently swoop her a little and divert her attention to something nearby. I would not let go of her feet. No real drama and absolutely no punishment. Make the move to the new location fun and relaxed. If you are tense and waiting for a bite, she will feel the tension and bite. Tension is scary so the conversation will keep you relaxed and distracted as much as her!

You must be calm and positive and one step ahead of the behavior. If you're paying attention, you will be tuned in to the attempt to bite at the moment she thinks of doing it. When she doesn't find success in her misbehaving, she'll lose interest in doing it.