More often than not, dog owners misunderstand or mishandle dog behavior problems. Perhaps you are considering raising a dog or you are new to owning these furry friends. It is important that you thoroughly understand the common behavior problems that dogs exhibit s as this is the first step towards solving them. A solid program that covers obedience training in detail should be able to help you prevent or even control the majority of these issues. One outstanding program that I usually recommend to my readers is Brain Training for Dogs and I think it’s a great one to check out.
Common Dog Behavior Problems
1. Barking
It’s common for dogs to vocalize either way or another. This includes howling, whining, and barking among other things. But when barking is excessive, many consider it to be a behavior issue. Before attempting to fix this problem, you need to determine what makes it to vocalize in the first place. Below are the most common reasons dogs bark:
- Seeking attention
- Anxiety
- Playfulness and anxiety
- Warning or alert
- When it wants to respond to other dogs
- Boredom
To control excessive barking, you will need to teach it the quiet/bark commands. Consistency and patience are key virtues you are going to require to pull it off. If there any issues that cause it to bark, make sure you address those. It will require a great deal of attention and dedication to stop a dog from barking. Usually, when you have a good program like Brain Training for Dogs, you will find that these behaviors are covered in great detail. You can teach your dog good manners without breaking a sweat.
2. Chewing
Chewing is another behavior that many dog owners don’t approve of, yet it is a natural action that all dogs perform. In any case, chewing is a crucial activity for most puppies and indeed adult dogs. But excessive chewing is not to be tolerated especially if it leads to destruction by your dog.
Here are some of the reasons dogs chew:
- Puppy teething
- Anxiety
- Excess energy or boredom
- Curiosity
Provide your dog with appropriate chew toys instead of just chewing at anything. Make sure personal items are not within reach of your dog. Avoid leaving your dog unrestrained when you are away from home. Crate or confine him to a place where it cannot cause destruction.
If you catch it chewing at the wrong item, take it away and instead give it a chew toy. Another thing that will help is ensuring your dog has lots of exercise. This enables it to wear off its energy instead of turning to chew.
3. Begging
Preventing this bad habit is easier than curing it permanently. Therefore, from the get-go, when it is eating time, confine your dog in a room or put him in its crate with a toy to engage him. Allow him to come out only once you are finished eating. Even if you want it to feed on leftovers, make sure you put it in a food bowl, and then serve him as regular meals. And no matter the amount of whining and barking, do not free him from the confinement until he is quiet.
4. Playing Too Roughly
It’s important that you spot rough play and make efforts to stop it immediately. To deal with this problem, quit moving or stop making any sounds when it plays roughly with you. If you happen to be on the floor, stand up. Your arms and hands should be kept close to your body. Remain motionless if he jumps at you. Also, tell other family members, for instance, children, to pay no attention to the dog if it jumps upon them.
After he has settled to the point that you can physically handle him while not re-exciting him, lead him to his confinement or his crate. Any time it gets excited, have hi calm down and stop it. When he has settled down, perform some training with him, to show him that you are the boss.
5. Separation Anxiety
If there is one dog behavior problem that’s causing pet parents sleepless nights, it is separation anxiety. It can manifest this through chewing, vocalization, and inappropriate defecation and urination. But not all these actions will be due to separation anxiety. Below are true signs of separation anxiety:
- It becomes anxious when you are preparing to leave
- It misbehaves in the first 14-45 minutes after its owner leaves
- It is constantly following the owner
- It never misses an opportunity to touch the owner
To address separation anxiety, you will need behavior modification, desensitization exercises, and a lot of training. In extreme cases, your vet may recommend medications. Also, it helps to have a good book like Brain Training for Dogs to erase these behavior issues.
6. Leash Pulling
Does your dog give you a hard time when you are out on a walk with it by constantly pulling on its leash? Experts say part of the reason for this may be the trigger words that you use. Things like asking your pet if it wants to go out for a stroll can breed chaos and craziness in the dog’s head even before the actual walk begins.
The solution is to leash the dog silently before you start to walk with it. Make sure to use no trigger word. Once you have leashed your dog, walk with him around the home for a few minutes. Lastly, have a gap of a few minutes between the time of clipping the leash on its neck and leaving for a stroll. You can perform some chores or even watch TV for a few minutes before venturing out for a walk.
By doing this, you will break up the excitement that comes with the predictable walk pattern. It means your dog will not have much built-up and frenzied energy that he channels into sniffing and pulling on the leash during walks.
Conclusion
Dogs usually exhibit some behaviors that to them is nothing out of the ordinary but humans see it as misbehavior. It’s important to understand that dogs are not humans and therefore cannot behave like that. You will need time and patient to train it to drop its natural behaviors. As well as showing a great level of patience and commitment to stopping your dog from these behaviors, you also need to arm yourself with a great dog training program. Books like Brain Training for Dogs will usually contain tips about how to deal with these behaviors and teach your dog to be well-mannered.
