Dog Behavior Problems
Like people, dogs aren’t perfect. They can be loyal, loving and affectionate, but they can also be little stinkers, engaging in some downright aggravating behavior.
Most behavioral problems are simply annoying, like pulling on a leash, barking, digging, jumping up on people, chewing shoes and furniture or eliminating indoors, all of which can be managed with training. However, more serious behavior problems, such as biting and aggression, require more involved solutions.
Fortunately, with the appropriate veterinary care and training techniques, you can prevent or extinguish almost any bad behavior.
Spay or Neuter Your Pet
Intact male dogs can cause a great many problems, including aggression, territorial behavior, resource guarding and marking in the house. Unspayed females can be plagued with unwanted attention from male dogs and will often start fights with other bitches.
The best way to prevent general behavioral problems is to spay or neuter your pet as soon as they reach six months old (or a year for giant breeds). In addition to preventing pet overpopulation and minimizing your pet’s risk of contracting testicular or mammary cancer, spaying and neutering can curtail some of the of the naughty behavior your dog will display during the bratty teen years.
Visit the Vet
If dogs could talk, they’d tell you if they weren’t feeling well. Since they can’t talk, they have to rely on giving you non-verbal clues, such as depression, aggression, barking and whining, to alert you to pain or illness. Whenever you notice a new undesirable behavior, especially inappropriate elimination or aggression, take your dog to the vet for a full physical, including blood work, a fecal exam and X-rays, if you can afford them.
Set Up Your Dog for Success
Your dog won’t know how to please you unless you tell him. If you don’t teach a puppy not to chew, you’re going to have ruined shoes. If you don’t properly housetrain your dog, he’ll probably go potty in the house. If you leave out trash, he will eat it.
If you’re allowing any of these situations to exist, you can’t fault your dog for doing the wrong thing. You’ve basically set him up for failure. If, however, you are proactive, you can eliminate a lot of behavioral problems before they occur.
Set up your dog for success by putting away your leather shoes and other enticing chewables you’d like to keep intact. Ensure that you’ve properly housetrained him and give him enough access to the outdoors to meet his needs for elimination. Exercise him daily to tire out his body, and play with him to stimulate his mind and give him a job to do. Use positive reinforcement, and praise him enthusiastically when he does something right.
Dealing with Bad Behavior
The best way to deal with unwanted behavior is to nip it in the bud with positive reinforcement training. You and your dog have several options for training:
Group Training: Group classes are an effective, affordable alternative for dogs with few or minor behavioral issues, like poor self control, jumping and barking. If you have a puppy, don’t skip puppy training classes, where you’ll learn basic commands, such as sit, stay, down and heel. These classes will also give your puppy the opportunity to socialize with other dogs.
Private Training: Dogs who don’t do well in group classes might respond positively to one-on-one training. Usually done at your home, private training will address your dog’s specific problems and teach you how to prevent or resolve them. Of course, private classes are more expensive, but if your dog really needs them, the classes are worth the expense.
Animal Behaviorist: If you’ve been to the vet and tried training, but your dog still has bad habits, consider hiring a behaviorist. As trained professionals, behaviorists use a number of factors to determine the source of your dog’s issues and recommend solutions specific to his needs. Behaviorists usually have a high hourly rate, but if you follow their directions, you’ll probably only need one or two consultations.
As you participate in training with your dog, keep in mind that you need the most training. Even if you have the best dog in the world, he will only do well if you give him the right commands and enforce good behavior consistently and appropriately.
Positive Reinforcement
Most dog trainers and behaviorists agree that the best kind of training you can give your dog is based on positive reinforcement. According to this training model, your dog is rewarded when he displays your desired behavior and ignored when he doesn’t.
The theory is that dogs act out primarily for attention. It doesn’t matter if you scold or praise them—they’ll still be getting a response from you. However, when you give your dog negative feedback, you can frighten and confuse him. Unless you catch the bad behavior and respond immediately, which seldom happens, your dog won’t even know why he’s being punished.
Positive training is simple to incorporate into your daily life. Keep a jar of small treats handy, and reward your dog when he does something right, such as going outside to potty, walking nicely on a leash and sitting quietly when someone knocks on the door. He’ll soon get the point that whenever he behaves nicely, he’ll get a yummy snack.
Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF)
The fastest, most effective way to extinguish a bad behavior is to practice a training method known as NILIF (“Nothing in Life is Free”). The name says it all: You’ll teach your dog that whenever he wants something, like food, belly rubs or a cozy lap, he has to perform a simple task, like sit or lie down. The trick to this technique is firmness and consistency. You must make him perform the task every single time you ask until he complies every time.
Not only does NILIF teach your dog positive behaviors in a clear, understandable way, but it also helps build his self-esteem. When you praise him for being a good dog, you’re actually teaching him his status in the pack, namely that you are in charge. When dogs don’t have to worry about making decisions, they can focus on the important things in life: tennis balls, squirrels and bacon.