Of course positive reinforcement is a great technique for teaching tricks, but it is also a great way to get your dog, cat or other companion animal to perform your preferred behavior (over behaviors that you might consider less than desirable). Rewards for exhibition of a replacement behavior can go a long way when one is trying to put undesirable behaviors on extinction.
A replacement behavior, however, should serve the same function for the animal that the target, unwanted behavior does. For example, if your dog is stealing your socks and running away with them in order to get you to chase after her, it is likely that her unwanted behavior is getting attention for her. Therefore, a replacement behavior could be performing a trick. When she does roll over, she will receive the attention she was craving by producing the wrong behavior.
It doesn't hurt to give your animal a repertoire of these tricks and behaviors. Even just being able to perform a sit/stay is a behavior that may come in handy to replace another undesirable behavior. Feel free to spend quality time with your animal teaching them various commands...you never know when they will come in handy!
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