In our previous blog, we discussed some of the most common behavioral issues found in dogs and the potential reasons behind them. If your dog is exhibiting any of those behaviors, the first step is to rule out all possible medical reasons behind it. A trip to the vet will take care of it. If there’s no underlying medical reason, it could mean your dog is misbehaving, learned the habit, or is in a stressful situation.
Here are a few foolproof tips to deal with common dog behavioral issues:
Barking
- Excessive barking can be a result of boredom or stress. Eradicate these triggers with some mental and physical exercises.
- Hide treats around the house to keep them busy all day.
- Block your dog’s view of the outside world.
- Turn on a radio to calm them down with white noise.
- Ignore every time they bark and do not reward them in any way, nor give them attention.
- Test their training by exposing them to stressors.
Defecating Indoors
- Limit your dog’s access in the house and take them out frequently.
- Every time they do their business outside, reward them immediately.
- Go for spaying or neutering.
- Observe patterns and triggers that cause peeing inside the house, eliminate them.
- If it’s anxiety, find ways to calm down your dog, such as with music or a pheromone collar.
Chewing
- Keep important things out of your dog’s reach.
- Give them very distinguishable toys to chew on.
- Interrupt your dog every time it chews with a loud noise, replace it with a toy, and immediately praise them for taking it.
- Chewing triggered by separation anxiety can be dealt with by leaving your scent on all dog things. Hold the toys, eating bowls, and nylon bones in your hands for a long time before leaving your dog.
Biting
- Play with your dog and yelp loudly every time it bites, enough to startle it, and stop playing. This is the behavior dogs adopt with each other during play, to learn bite inhibition.
- Allow your dog to interact and socialize with other dogs and people under calm circumstances to eradicate their fear of the unknown.
- Dogs show certain signs before biting. Look out for these signs to take timely action. Raised fur, growling, and rigid posture are some of the signs dogs show before biting.
- Always use positive reinforcement to stop the biting behavior. Resorting to stricter and harsher means can sometimes worsen the situation.
Chasing
- Use a leash and treat generously when training your dog to stop chasing.
- Train them to follow the “watch” command and do so every time something passes by that they are often lured into chasing.
- Use high-value treats, so the allure of the reward is higher than that of the chase.
Use the above-mentioned methods along with lots of patience and positive reinforcement to help your furry friend learn to behave and follow your commands. These tips will come in handy in most situations. Still, if your dog’s behavioral issues are extreme and these tips do not seem to work, get help from a professional dog trainer.