5 Common Dog Behavior Problems And How To Solve Them
At times it can be difficult to understand why dog do some of the things they do. We must keep in mind that they are not humans and they all come with instinct and habits that are contrary to peacefully cohabiting with us. However, with patience, the right strategy and persistence, any dogs behaviours can be modified to a more acceptable level if not removed completely.
So How Do We Do It?
It requires that we clearly show the dog what behaviour we want to happen. All dog behaviour training relies on one principal, that through repetitive reinforcement, we can trick a dogs brain into wanting to do the preferred behaviour over it’s instinctive one.
The old saying that “stupidity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results” rings particularly true with dog behaviour training. The number of times I have seen people walking their dog on a leash and jerking on it every 5 feet to try and correct the dogs pulling behaviour is countless! Owners often repeat this technique for years, without every considering if there’s a better way.
1. Jumping Up
Dog jumping up on a man
Be it in the dog park, at the front door or while you’re sitting low in a chair, the strategy to stop our playful dogs from jumping up is always the same.
Firstly you or anyone that interacts with the dog must be told that they need to refrain from giving the dog any type of verbal or physical praise when he jumps. We know this can be difficult as you want to shower your pup with affection, however with jumping in particular this can undo a lot of the hard work you have put in already.
As with many dog behaviour issues there is more than one effective way to solve jumping up, you may need to progress through them, or use multiple in order to get a result.
If you see no improvement after applying one technique several time throughout the week, that is a clear indication you need to level up your training.
Ignore – If your dog is doing its jumping mostly at the front door due to excitement when people enter, the first port of call is to ignore them for a few minutes until they have somewhat calmed down.
Turning around – A simple turn around when the dog jumps may be all you need for puppies. It shows them that jumping gives them the opposite effect of what they wanted, your attention. It is also helpful in the ignore phase.
Paw hold – Gently holding onto your dog paw and ignoring them for a few second.
Knee push – This is a gentle and slow physical push with your knee to get the dog off you.
Standing on a leash – This is best accomplished with a guest or helper and is a great tool for when people are visiting who don’t yet know the dog greeting rules. In times when you know your dog will jump, keep your dog on a leash and stand on it to restrict them from jumping.
Using treats – Does your dog have all four paws on the ground? Great, praise them with affection and treats. You don’t need to wait for your dog to do a backflip before its time for a treat, if you can see they are making even the slightest effort to maintain contact with the floor, dog some treats on the ground.
Luckily for us, jumping up is one of those behaviours that if you can fix it in one place it will tend to apply in other. If you can stop your dog from jumping on guests at the front door, they will likely no long jump on people in the dog park.
2. Leash Pulling
Pulling on the leash is a common and serious problem for dog owners, especially those who have large or powerful dogs. You can easily be injured when your dog pulls you over or suffer problems with your wrists or shoulders from persistent pulling. It isn’t impossible to teach your strong dog not to pull, but it does require patience and consistency in order to be effective.
If your dog is too strong for you to control on a standard harness, it is a good idea to use a head halter paired with a standard martingale collar to give you safe control.
Dogs pull for a number of reasons, including excess energy, desire to get to something, fear or anxiety, and habit. If your dog is overly energetic, she will need to be exercised sufficiently before walking training will be possible. If your dog has triggers like other dogs or smells that she wants to get to, or if she experiences a lot of anxiety in certain environments, you should start training somewhere free of these triggers. Whether you use a standard back-clip harness or a head halter, the steps to stopping the pulling are the same.
Begin walking with your dog briskly. Slow down and let your dog sniff if she wants to sniff.
As soon as your dog puts tension on the leash, stop. Don’t pull back on the leash, but don’t let your dog pull you at all either.
IF your dog relaxes the tension within a couple of seconds, immediately start walking again. IF your dog doesn’t relax the tension within a couple of seconds, walk briskly in another direction, calling your dog to follow you.
That’s it. Simple right? If your dog has not had a chance to burn off some energy or if she is very anxious, she may continue to put pressure on the leash no matter how often you change directions. If you find yourself walking in erratic circles, you may need to practice in an environment with less stimulus to scare or excite your dog or let your dog exercise more before you attempt leash training. if you need additional guidance, here is a more in depth guide on stopping leash pulling.
WHO IS ADRIENNE FARRICELLI?
Adrienne Farricelli is a professional dog trainer certified by the CCPDT. Her work has appeared in notable publications such as USA Today, Everydog Magazine, and the APDT Chronicle of the Dog.
Learn more
3. Barking
Dog barking can be a testing and frustrating habit to overcome. However with the right strategy applied consistently, barking can and will become a thing of the past. It is natural for dogs to bark to alert your attention to potential dangers or new things in your environment, and to communicate with other dogs and animals. You probably want your dog to bark sometimes, like when someone is at the door, but you don’t want her barking all of the time. Here are some things you can do to stop the barking.
Cover up windows. If your dog is barking at everything that she sees out the window, one solution is simply to cover the window. Some dogs will stop problem barking when they don’t have anything visible to bark at.
Call away from the cause. If you know what your dog is barking at, calling her away is a good way to show her that you understand that something is there, and that you don’t want her to bark at it anymore. Reward your dog when she comes to you and stops barking so she learns that you want her to be quiet.
Teach “Speak” and “Quiet”. By teaching your dog commands for barking and for being quiet, you can ask for which one you want. Simply say “speak” when your dog barks and reward her, and say “quiet” when she’s quiet and reward her. Eventually your dog will understand the meaning of both commands and respond accordingly.
Time outs. If your dog is ignoring all of your attempts to tell her to be quiet and seems too over-stimulated to calm down, a time out is a good way to teach her that barking doesn’t get her anything she wants.
Bark Collars:
In extreme cases, with difficult dogs coupled with an owner situation that does not allow for the presence and time to correct the behavior, bark collars are a good solution. Barking is a reason that dogs are kicked out of apartments and neighborhoods and end up at shelters. A bark collar might be your only solution to avoid losing your pet.
You should always start with citronella spray collars and progress to a shock collar only if absolutely necessary. Contrary to common belief they should not be worn all the time, only during the day time and only when you are not present to correct the behavior.
4. Chewing
Chewing is not only a normal and natural activity for dogs, but it is also essential for maintaining dental health and alleviating anxiety. Dogs seek out all kinds of different materials for chewing, especially when they are puppies and still getting a sense of what the world is made up of. Dogs explore the world through their mouths, and often it takes more than a few chomps for them to determine whether they want to chew on something or not. Whether you have a puppy or an adult dog who chews on things that she shouldn’t, the solution is the same.
Provide Chew Toys. The first key to eliminating inappropriate chewing is to provide plenty of things that are appropriate for your dog to chew on. Provide as wide a range of safe chewing materials as you can afford, including natural products like dried esophagus, pig’s ear, hooves or horns and artificial products like nylon and rubber chew toys and food dispensing toys.
Redirect. Once your dog has as many chew toys available to her as she could possibly want, it is a matter of teaching her what is hers and what is yours. Reducing clutter helps your dog distinguish her toys from your stuff. Place a couple of decoy items like shoes or other things your dog has previously chewed near you while you are in a room with your dog and provide your dog with her chew toys.
Pay attention, and as soon as your dog approaches the things she shouldn’t be chewing and puts her mouth on them, redirect to the appropriate item. It may take several weeks of repetition before your dog learns what is hers and what is yours, and she may still destroy things when left alone, so is it a good idea to continue crating when your dog can’t be supervised. See our more in depth guide on stopping destructive dog chewing.
5. Peeing/Pooping Inside
Potty training can be one of the more challenging aspects of dog ownership. If you have adopted an adult dog who has never been potty trained, you will need to start at the beginning as if dealing with a puppy. Even dogs that have previously been potty trained may forget their training during the time they spend in the shelter.
If you have been trying potty training and your dog is still peeing and pooping inside, it can be extremely frustrating. Here are some techniques to finally solved the problem.
Routine. A routine is essential to potty train your dog. Not only will a routine teach your dog when and where it is appropriate to go to the bathroom, but it will also teach her body how to hold it when she needs to. Establish a routine for feeding, crate time, and potty time to set your dog up for success. Start with brief periods in the crate between potty breaks and increase the time gradually to set your dog up for success.
Watchfulness. Every accident that you don’t catch sets you back. Even if you use a good enzyme cleaner to remove all traces of the accident, your dog will still remember where she went and that she was able to do it without interference. Therefore, it is essential that you watch your dog very closely when she is not in her crate or outside so that you can make sure she doesn’t have an accident. If you find yourself struggling to keep an eye on your dog or if she has managed to have a couple of accidents despite your best efforts, it is a good idea to try tethering your dog to you. You will be unlikely to miss an accident when your dog is tied to you.
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Adrienne Farricelli is a professional dog trainer certified by the CCPDT. Her work has appeared in notable publications such as USA Today, Everydog Magazine, and the APDT Chronicle of the Dog.
Learn more
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