If you own a dog, there’s a good chance you have noticed at least one behavioral problem. Most canines at some point in their lives develop tendencies and habits their owners find annoying. From digging and indoor urine marking to nipping, chewing, and jumping on the furniture, there are effective ways to modify these behaviors. But it requires knowing why your pooch is doing these and other things in the first place.

This article will provide an overview of the most common bad habits dogs form. To be sure, the list that follows is incomplete. There are many other tendencies canines develop that irritate their owners.

Different Types Of Aggression

Canine aggression is often misunderstood by owners. They observe their pets baring their teeth, growling, barking, and even trying to bite, and assume the reason is because their pets are ill-tempered. In reality, dogs may act aggressively for many reasons.

For example, the behavior may be triggered by a drive to protect their territory from other dogs. Or, it can be prompted by a desire for dominance over others – both people and other pets. Aggression may also be set off by an instinctive prey drive, as often happens when a small rodent is spotted.

Before you can curb the aggression, you need to determine what is causing the behavior in the first place. Dominance aggression may be best addressed in a way that is ineffective for resolving territorial aggression.

Separation Anxiety

Most canines grow accustomed to their owners being away during the day. While they would prefer to be at their owners’ sides, they learn to adapt. Dogs that suffer separation anxiety, on the other hand, cannot bear to be away from their owners. They bark, whine, chew furniture, and eliminate within the house in order to ease their stress.

A lot of owners unwittingly exacerbate the problem by greeting their pets joyously whenever they return home. This sends the message that the homecoming is a big event, which reinforces the stress a dog experiences when his owner leaves again.

Curbing this behavior requires desensitization training. It takes significant time, but will help your canine become comfortable with your absence.

Jumping On People

Dogs jump for different reasons, and the habit begins while they’re puppies. At that stage in their development, pups jump on their littermates and moms. They do so to greet each other and play. When they grow older, canines often jump on people to establish their position of authority. It is a sign of dominance.

It’s common for owners to inadvertently reward the behavior while meaning to do the opposite. For example, they’ll grab their dogs’ paws in midair, and hold them to cause mild discomfort, thinking that doing so will remove the motivation to jump. Or, they might simply lift their knee to block their canine.

Neither approach works well because they give dogs exactly what they desire most: attention. The solution is to turn your back on your canine, and completely ignore him when he tries to jump. When he keeps all four paws on the ground, praise him and give him a treat. He’ll quickly learn that jumping is inappropriate.

Incessant Barking

As with other behavioral problems, excessive barking can be caused by many possible triggers. Keep in mind that canines have a very limited repertoire of ways to communicate vocally with others. Barking is one of them.

Your dog might bark to warn perceived intruders away from his territory (i.e. your home); he might bark to warn you of a possible intruder nearby; he might start barking when he is excited about something; and he might do it to relieve his stress or boredom. These are merely a few of the reasons canines sometimes bark excessively.

Nearly all canine behavioral problems can be addressed through training exercises. In some cases – as with separation anxiety – desensitization techniques are necessary. In other cases, simple positive reinforcement with treats and praise is sufficient. Be patient with your pet. In the end, he wants to please you.

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Category: Pets
Keywords: dog training, positive reinforcement, training a dog, behavioral challenges