Do You Know Dog Behavior Problems?

After having a new dog, you will think about how to start Dog Training. For most experienced dog lovers, they are familiar with common dog behavior problems. If you are new to dog ownership and just begin to raise a dog, Knowing more about dog behavior problem is the key thing and first step to solving and preventing them before you train your dog. Let me show these common dog behavior problems for you:

1. Barking

Most dogs bark, howl and whine to some degree. Excessive barking is considered a behavior problem. Before you can correct barking, determine why your dog is vocalizing in the first place. Most common types of barking as below:

• Waring or Scare
• Happy or Excitement
• Trying to Seeking
• Anxiety
• Boredom
• Responding to Other DogsHow to control excessive barking?  My Simple Methods of Controlling Dog Barking can help you.

2. Chewing

Many dogs like to chew on everything they encounter. Chewing is a natural action for all dogs – it’s just a part of the way they are wired. Certainly, very young puppies explore the world around them by tasting most of what they find. First of all, as a practical measure, remove anything harmful from the dog’s way. Put electrical wiring behind furniture wherever possible, put cleaning supplies up out of reach or secure the cabinet doors to them. Clean small objects off the floor.

Make sure you have a supply of allowable chewing items on hand. Whenever the dog is in a crate or small room, there should always be some of these toys to chew on. Whenever you are at home and see the dog about to chew on something it shouldn’t, say “AH-AH” and give it one of its toys.

There are products available to spray on items to make them taste unpleasant. Some caveats: a few dogs are not bothered by the taste; it’s not really a cure for the underlying problem, but it does help you train the dog; you must make sure the product does not harm the item to be sprayed first. Bitter Apple and Bitter Orange are available at most pet supply stores; veterinarians have other formulations they may sell to you. The judicious use of crating, toys, and watching the puppy closely will be the way you teach it to leave your house alone.

3. Digging

Dogs may dig out of boredom or to make a cooling/heating pit.

• Filling in the holes: Try refilling the holes with junk. With junk, dogs can quickly lose interest and pretty much stop digging. Fill the hole with whatever is at hand – dead leaves, sticks, pine needles, rocks or even dog feces. Fill the top 2 inches or so with dirt. The dog finds the stuff, gets discouraged and often quits digging. They seem to get the idea they’ll never know where they’ll find junk, and it’s not worth the effort to dig only to find junk so they quit.
• Surprises in the hole: The Koehler dog method advocates filling holes with water and sticking dog’s head under the water for a few seconds or so. This may not work with some breeds (e.g., Labradors), and may not appeal to you as a method to try. Alternatively, you can try burying a water balloon in one of the holes which will pop in its face when it starts digging (surprise).
• A sandbox: Try to remember that digging is a natural tendency for dogs. So, if there is any place where your dog may be allowed to dig, you should encourage it (and only in that place). Designate an area where the dog can dig. Many people build a sand box for their dog. Place the box in an area that is cool in summer and warm in winter.To teach the dog to dig only in the box, place or bury toys or treats (sliced hotdogs, for example) in the box. Encourage the dog to dig up the toy or treat. Praise the dog. Repeat until the dog willingly jumps in and digs. Watch the dog. When it starts to dig in any other place, quickly go out and take your dog to its box. Show it (by digging yourself), that it should dig in its box. To deter boredom, place several toys/treats in the box before you leave for work. The dog will spend its time digging in the correct place rather than digging up your roses. You can also sprinkle animal essence (available at hunting supplies places).Remember that dogs like to dig in freshly turned earth. So get out that shovel and turn the dirt over in the sand box every now and then. Toss in some fresh dirt. Keep a close eye on freshly planted areas, as they will be very attractive (bury some extra hotdogs in the sandbox when you are putting down new plants).
• Line the yard: for extreme cases you can line the yard with chicken wire and put a layer of sod over that. Use paving bricks or blocks around the edge to prevent the dog from injuring itself on the edge of the chicken wire.

4. Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety is one of the most commonly discussed dog behavior problems. Manifestations include vocalization, chewing, inappropriate urination and defecation, and other forms of destruction that occur when a dog is separated from his owner. Not all of these actions are the result of separation anxiety. Signs of true separation anxiety include:

• Dog becomes anxious when owner prepares to leave
• Misbehavior occurs in the first 15-45 minutes after owner leaves
• Dog wants to follow owner around constantly
• Dog tries to be touching owner whenever possible

True separation anxiety requires dedicated training, behavior modification and desensitization exercises. Medication may be recommended in extreme cases, but this should be a last resort.

5. Begging

Begging is a bad habit, but many dog owners unfortunately encourage it. This can lead to digestive problems and obesity. Dogs beg because they love food – but table scraps are not treats, and food is not love! Yes, it is hard to resist that longing look, but giving in “just this once” creates a problem in the long run. In a pack setting, a subordinate would never beg from alpha dogs without reprimand. When you teach your dog that begging is permitted, you jeopardize your role as pack leader. Before you sit down to eat, tell your dog to stay, preferably where he will not be able to stare at you. If necessary, confine him to another room. If he behaves, give him a special treat only after you and your family are completely finished eating.

6. Chasing

A dog’s desire to chase moving things is simply a display of predatory instinct. Many dogs will chase other animals, people and cars. All of these can lead to dangerous and devastating outcomes! While you may not be able to stop your dog from trying to chase, you can take steps to prevent disaster.

• Keep your dog on a leash at all times (unless directly supervised indoors).
• Train your dog to come when called.
• Have a dog whistle or noisemaker on hand to get your dog’s attention.
• Stay aware and watch for potential triggers, like joggers.

Your best chance at success is to keep the chase from getting out of control. Dedicated training over the course of your dog’s life will teach him to focus his attention on you first – before running off.

7. Jumping Up

Since most dogs are shorter than you, their natural tendency is to jump up to see you. It is also an expression of exuberance and happiness. However, you may be wearing your Sunday Best. The dog’s paws may be muddy. The puppy may grow too large. Some people are afraid of dogs. Train your dog not to jump on people. If you don’t mind your dog jumping on you, then train it to jump on you only when it’s “OK”.

In general, correct it immediately when it jumps on you, praise it when all four paws land back on ground. A helpful reinforcement is to give them a command and praise lavishly when they do it, e.g., “No! Brownie, sit! Good girl, what a good girl!”

Try to anticipate the jumping: look for their hindquarters beginning to crouch down, and correct them when you see them *about* to jump. With medium-sized dogs, you can discourage jumping with a well-timed knee in the chest (never kick). This does not work as well on small dogs and very large dogs. With small dogs, step back so they miss you; you can also splay your hand in front of you so their face bumps into it (don’t hit them, let them bump into you). Correct, then praise when on ground. With larger dogs, the kind that don’t really *jump*, but *place* their paws on your shoulders, grab some skin below their ears (be firm but not rough) and pull them down, saying “No!” Again, praise it when it is back on ground.

You should note that some dogs do not respond to the above physical corrections. They may view it as a form of rough play, or be so happy to get attention that they don’t mind it being negative. In these cases, a much more effective approach is to ignore such a dog, stepping back slightly or turning your back when it jumps. Give lavish praise and attention when all paws are on the ground again.

Gradually expand this to include friends and visitors. Start first with people who understand what you want to do and will apply the physical correction in conjunction with your “No!” As the dog improves, expand with other people. In the interim, a reinforcing exercise is to put your dog on a leash, and stand on one end of the leash or otherwise secure it so your dog can stand but not jump. When it tries to greet someone by jumping up, praise it *when it lands* and don’t correct it for attempting to jump.

For those of you who don’t mind being jumped, you can gain control over it by teaching your dog that it can jump on you — when you OK it. At random times (i.e., not *every* time you correct it), after your correction and praise for getting back down, wait thirty seconds or so, and then happily say “OK, jump” (or something similar, as long as you’re consistent) and praise your dog when it jumps up then. At other times, when it is *not* trying to jump on you, encourage it to do so on your permission, using the same phrase. You must make it clear that it shouldn’t jump on you unless you give it permission, so you must still correct unpermitted jumping.

8. Biting

It is natural for young puppies to bite and chew on people; however DON’T let them do this. If your dog is a puppy, yelp pitifully when it chomps on you, and replace your hand with a chew toy; praise heartily when the chew toy is used instead. If it persists, stand up and stop playing with it. It is no fun for the puppy if you stop interacting with it, and it will learn to stop chewing on you fairly quickly. With older puppies and dogs, say “NO BITE” sternly and withdraw your hand.

If the dog goes through a cycle where it seems to be infuriated by your correction and returns ever more aggressively to chew on you, call a timeout and put the dog where it can’t get to you, preferably its crate. When it calms down, let it back and be prepared to interrupt the cycle if it starts again. Never put up with a puppy biting or mouthing you. When they are adult, the problem will be far more severe.

9. Aggression

Dog aggression is exhibited by growling, snarling, showing teeth, lunging and biting. It is important to know that any dog has the potential to become aggressive, regardless of breed or history. However, dogs with violent or abusive histories and those bred from dogs with aggressive tendencies are much more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior towards people or other dogs. Reasons for aggression are basically the same as the reasons a dog will bite or snap, but overall canine aggression is a much more serious problem. If your dog has aggressive tendencies, consult your vet first – it may stem from a health problem. Then, seek the help of an experienced dog trainer. Serious measures should be taken to keep others safe from aggressive dogs!

10. Getting in the Garbage

You should train your dog away from this habit. Crate it, to keep it out of the garbage when you are not home, and correct it when it gets into it when you are at home. This works best if you start in puppyhood. If you already have this problem, some approaches to try:

You can get “Mr. Yuk” labels and put them in the trash to keep them out of it or spray Bitter Apple into it. But you have to remember to do this regularly. If you can, put the trash out of reach of the dog, eg, under the sink. You may need to get the kinds of trash cans that have closing lids. Don’t start easy and work your way up as the dog figures each one out: you are just training your dog how to open garbage cans. Get a good, well secured one at the start.

Get some jalapeno peppers, or something that your dog REALLY HATES. Slice them up and spend some time wrapping each one individually in tissues or kleenex. Fill the trash can with the wrapped surprises and let your dog at it. A few days of this should convince your dog that trash cans are not fun.

Put a mousetrap in the bottom of an empty can, cover it with newspaper, then put something that the dog really likes in the can and leave the room. Only do this when you are around, do not trap all the trash cans and then go off to work for the day!

11. Growling Over the Food

The problem of dogs growling over their food is a common one because so many people feel that a dog is “entitled” to be food possessive. But in reality, growling over food can escalate to more severe problems. No dog should growl at a person over food. If you have several problems with your dog and growling over food is one of them, fixing this problem may go a long way toward clearing up the others as well. A wonderful solution to this problem is as follows:

Assuming that part of the reason the dog is growling is that it is guarding its resources, put down three bowls with the dog’s meal split between the three. Have something irrisistibly yummy at hand: Hotdogs, bits of chicken, liver, etc. Put all three bowls down, and as the dog is eating out of one bowl, pick another up, add some of the treats to it, and put it back down again. Keep this up until all the food is eaten. This way you are teaching the dog that people are not a threat to its food, which is as it should be.

In dealing with this problem, always think in terms of taking the food away from the dog and NOT in terms of taking the dog away from the food. In other words, if you try to push the dog away from his dish, you’ve potentially escalated the confrontation to a physical one; if you take the dish away, his attention is concentrated instead on the dish.