Why Ignoring 'Bad' Behaviour Isn't The Best Advice

You’ve probably heard the advice “Just ignore it, and it’ll stop”.  It sounds simple, right? The theory is sound and rooted in behavioural science; if a behaviour isn’t reinforced, it should eventually go away. But it’s rarely that straightforward.

What Is “Ignoring” Behaviour?

In behaviour science, this approach is known as extinction. It means you deliberately stop reinforcing a behaviour; no rewards, no reactions, nothing. Over time, the idea is that the behaviour will fade out. Sounds easy enough… until real life gets in the way.

The Extinction Burst: When Things Get Worse Before They Get Better

Here’s where things start to unravel. Imagine your dog barks at you for attention. You decide you’re going to tough it out and ignore the barking completely. However, behaviours that we try to put on extinction schedules are generally those that we find annoying and irritating. It's no surprise that just two minutes in, you cave. You sigh, you turn your head, or you say, “Enough!”.

That reaction just rewarded two full minutes of barking.

The next night, after giving yourself a good pep talk and now determined to do better, you manage to hold out for four minutes until you break. You’ve now reinforced four minutes of barking. Not only is your dog learning to bark longer, but they may also start barking louder or more insistently.

This increase in intensity is called an extinction burst and occurs when a behaviour stops producing the expected result. Think about when you put money in a vending machine and nothing comes out. Do you quietly walk away? Probably not. You might push the button harder. Maybe you push it repeatedly, or give the machine a shake. That’s an extinction burst in action.

If the machine eventually pays out after that heavy button push, guess what you’re going to try first next time?

Some Behaviours Are Self-Rewarding

Here’s another curveball: sometimes behaviours are self rewarding. Think of shouting in frustration when you computer plays up. It doesn’t help the situation, but it feels good in the moment. The same can happen with dogs. In these cases, even if you do manage to ignore the behaviour 100% of the time, your dog may still find it rewarding on their own.

The Problem with Inconsistency

If you sometimes ignore a behaviour and other times reinforce it, you're creating what's called an intermittent reinforcement schedule. And this makes the behaviour even harder to get rid of! Think of it like gambling on a slot machine. If playing the slot machine occasionally pays off, you'll probably keep trying just in case this is the time it works.

So… What Should You Do Instead?

Instead of just trying to ignore a behaviour, focus on what you want your dog to do instead.

If your dog whines at the kitchen counter when you're cooking in anticipation of a dropped reward, don’t just ignore it. Teach them to go to their bed when you're cooking and reward that instead (heavily). While you're working on it, manage the environment; use a baby gate to block access to the kitchen.

Remember the Matching Law: animals (and people) are more likely to choose behaviours that they find most reinforcing. So if hanging around the kitchen counter results in finding great crumbs, and lying on the bed only sometimes earns a treat, your dog will go where the payoff is better.

To be effective, the alternative behaviour must be:

• Clear and understood (teach it separately and teach it well)

• Reinforced generously (especially at the start)

• Meeting the same need (if the function of barking is attention, food won’t cut it, your dog wants you)

Ignoring unwanted behaviour isn’t always wrong, it’s just rarely enough on its own. So don’t just ignore the “bad.” Teach the “good.” And make sure your dog knows it’s worth their while.