In the Humane Hierarchy, which step comes fourth in the sequence?

• A. Health, Nutrition, and Physical Factors
• B. Antecedents
• C. Positive Reinforcement, Classical Conditioning
• D. Live with or Manage the Behavior

Answer: (D)

The idea behind the Humane Hierarchy is to address behavior in a stepwise, humane way, starting with conditions that affect the dog’s welfare and the situations that trigger the behavior, then teaching what we want, and finally managing the dog’s day-to-day life to prevent the undesired behavior from becoming reinforced. After health and physical factors are taken care of, and after altering or avoiding triggering situations, and after teaching and reinforcing a desirable alternative, there comes a point where you reduce the impact of the undesired behavior by careful management. Live with or manage the behavior means setting up the environment and routines so the problem can’t be triggered or reinforced as easily, while you continue training. This might include barriers, supervision, scheduled exercise and enrichment, removing access to the trigger, or using safe outlets for the dog's energy, all aimed at preventing escalation or reinforcement of the behavior while ongoing progress is made.