Dogs are imperfect animals, they have good behaviors and bad behaviors just as humans do. Just like Children, it is our job as parents/owners to help guide and teach them to avoid problem behaviors from occurring. Even with the best intentions there is a ever growing list of Common Dog Behavior Problems that need to be addressed. I have comprised the top 3 problems I see with my clients and how I work to solve them. Comment or Contact me today if more help is needed.
Chewing
Why do Dogs like to Chew?
Dogs use thier mouth to Explore their enviroments. Exploration is a key stage in any dogs life when they first get to their new home. Same concept when humans try new things we have to taste, touch and feel something to fully understand it to see if we like it
All dogs go through a teething stage called teething. This is where their Canine teeth are coming through and they are loosing thier puppy teeth. Self-Care Chewing is a way for them to relieve that pain. For older dogs self care chewing is to maintain a healthy and strong teeth and jaw.
Entertainment Chewing is to combat boredom as well as relieve mild anxiety or frustration. These can be in healthy forms of entertainment such as a bone or soft toy. They also find the concept of chewing a game and yummy so it is fun for them.
Causes of Bad/ Destructive Chewing
When you leave your dog alone for any amount of time do they have a tendancy to shred their beds or even chew on wood around your house? This is a form of Seperation Anxiety. Your dog chews to relieve stress from being left alone. Resolution: build up time you leave your dog as well as put thier favorite toy or treat in the crate with them. We want to associate being gone with positive things.
Dogs who have health issues and that are restricted to calorie limiting diets suffer from Hunger Chewing. There is nothing wrong with thier diet and make sure to consult your Vet if it gets out of control. I would recommend encouraging only chew friendly options around him. Keep them in a Ex Pen or crate as well if you cannot supervise them 100% this will prevent bad behaviors from happening,
As mentioned above Puppy Teething is something all puppies go through. This typically occurs the first 6 months of a dogs life. Make sure to puppy proof your house before you bring home your new fur baby. They will find any and all things you forgot about and put it in their mouths. Ice cubes, frozen wet chews are a great way to help numb their gums. Check out these recommended Puppy Teething Toy Pack for awesome engagement and soothing.
Encourage normal chewing behavior
Dog proof your house prior to your new dog arriving. I recommend getting down on the ground at level where your dog may stand and look around. Anything you see they will tr y to put in thier mouth so remove to a higher place out of sight and mind. Pick up shoes in entry way. The more you can prevent any of the Common Dog Behavior Problems from occurng.
Stock up on Healthy Chews from Amazon, Chewy or your local pet store. Use Kongs and other interactive toys to stuff the chews in or have the chews stand alone and make it a game. mentally challenging your dog is one of the best forms of exercise they can get. Make sure to rotate your dogs chew toys so they don’t get bored and start to destroy the chew or other things. Also supervise your dog with chews for safety reasons.
Common Dog Behavior Problems: Separation anxiety
Seperation anxiety is one of the most common pet parent issues I have seen as a dog trainer. When dogs are ;eft alone after having constant compainionship we see seperation anxiety more. Especially since COVID. If left for to long undiagnosed your dog might urinate, defectae, bark, howl, chew, dig or try to escape. As an owner who has a dog with mild seperation issues I can say there is hope but it takes time consistency and tru understanding of what your dog needs to best thrive.
At the end of training we want the dog to tolerate or enjoy being left alone in the end of the training. We do this by setting up situations that provoke their enxiety (being alone) wihtout expeirencing fear or anxiety.
Symptoms of this Common Dog Behavior Problem
Urinating and Defecating
Barking and Howling
Chewing, Digging and Destruction
Escaping
Pacing
Coprophasgia (poop eating)
Some Dogs Develop it and Others do not?
There is no conculsive evidence as to why dogs develop seperation anxiety but from my expeirence I can say that typically changes in enviroment even the slightest can cause this anxiety.
Examples are: Change of Guardian or Family, Change in Schedule, Change is Residence, Change in household memberships
**Always rule out medical probelsm first before begining training for seperation anxiety.**
In other words rule out other behavior issues before assuming it is Seperation Anxiety. Including: Submissive or Excitement urination, Incomplete House Training, Urine Marking, Juvenile Destruction, Boredom, Excessive Barking or Howling.
Treatment for Seperation Anxiety
Mild – counterconditioning might reduce or resolve the problem. The goal of this is to chaneg the animals fearful, anxious or aggressive reaction to a pleasant relaxed on. We do this by positive association with the crate, the door, new people, etc.
Moderate to Severe- requires more complex desensitization and counterconditioning program. In this case you want to gradually accustom the dog to being alone with short spurts and gradually increase them. For this reason I highly recommend you aligh yourself with a professional dog trainer, one who specializes in Seperation Anxiety. They can help tremendously. To summarize this will beneift both you and your dog.
Common Dog Behavior Problems: Leash Skills
Leash Skills is a common problem among dog owners. Walks are becoming unbearable between owners and dogs. Try some of the below tools and tips to help stop the pulling and have a loose leash dog.
The leash is a common dog training tool used by many dog owners to take their dogs on walks and travel with them. It is also a great tool to help to communicate to the dog what we are asking of them. Dogs who Pull need to go back to the basics of loose leash walking. In this case to make sure they are taught early on to loose leash walk and not pull you, I highly recommend a Runner’s Leash to begin any training with dogs who pull. This leash allows you to still have control of your dog but teaches your dog to be in sync with your body.
It is important to realize that everytime you allow your dog to pull on leash you are indirectly reinforcing the behavior. Pulling is a self rewarding behavior and each time you Talk, Touch or Look at your dog while they do this behavior you are reinforcing it. When your dog pulls on leash, turn your body away from them and walk, allow the leash to add a slight amount of pressure to the dogs harness or leash as a corrective communication, The moment they begin to walk towards you, Mark with “Yes” and reward at the knee. Repeat each time the dog begins to pull.
If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you would help spread it by email to a friend, on social media or even word of mouth
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my links
I may earn a small commission which will help me test more pet products.