Most dog behavior problems arise when a dog receives signals that the type of behavior regarded as a problem, has been acceptable up till now. These problems almost always occur when we give a number of conflicting signs to our dog.
For example, if you allow a puppy up on your lap, how will he know not to do it when he gets bigger? Only on the day you push him off, which is when you may have a confrontation.
Curing dog behavior problems is always more difficult than preventing them. Obedience training can play an enormous role in overcoming any potential behavioral problems; many dog enthusiasts develop their interest through the real need to have a well behaved pet.
Dominant Behavior
The most common cause of dog behavior problems is when a dog displays dominant behavior – and dominant behavior will lead to biting. Often, a dog has learned that one or two family members is in the pack leader’s position, but that others, such as children, appear to be lower in pecking order than the dog.
While dominance cannot always be cured, it usually can be controlled, as long as the entire family co–operates. You must re-establish the order of dominance.
Important - Never confront a dog unless you are confident you will win. If a dominant dog wants to protect his position he will most likely become aggressive.
You, and others in your family, should begin by totally ignoring the dog. Soon, he will approach you for attention, but don’t let him have any. Put a long lead on when you it’s safe to do, and leave it to trail. You’ll use the lead to make your dog do the things you want him to do.
Also, stop greeting the dog. If he wants attention, let him approach you, only to be rebuffed until you decide he has behaved well enough. Thankfully, most dogs don’t display dominant behavior problems but when a dog does he must be controlled before it leads to trouble such as biting.
Fear Biting
Highest on the list of unacceptable dog behavior problems involves biting. Aggression arising from dominance accounts for a lot of this, but fear biting often occurs in less dominant dogs. A dog protects himself by either biting his perceived attacker or running away. If the dog can’t get away, he will bite.
Usually, fear of the unknown is the cause. If, as a puppy, contact with people was insufficient, there’s a need to slowly and carefully introduce more and more people into the dog’s life, until nobody appears to be a stranger. You can try the same approach if a puppy is frightened of cars.
Use non-confrontational ways to put the puppy together with his object of fear to cure the problem.
Barking For Attention
A dog may use barking as an attention getter. Early on, if a puppy learns that barking at something results in getting lots of comforting attention, he’ll quickly realize that to get attention at anytime, he should bark. Don’t give positive reinforcement to bad behavior.
Jumping Up
Jumping up on people is very natural behavior for a dog. This can be corrected with proper training. Put the dog on a long leash and set up a training situation with help from another person. Have your assistant walk into a room where you and your dog are waiting. Just as the dog rushes towards the assistant and starts to jump up, you sharply tug on the leash and give a stern ‘No’ command, followed with a ‘Sit’ command. If the dog obeys at once, your assistant can praise the dog.
You may have to repeat this a number of times for the dog to understand the connection between the problem behavior and the punishment.
Read More About The Program For Dog Behavior Problems
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Surprisingly, it can be very easy to solve a dog behavior problem with training and in many cases the training should be started with the owner. That’s right, I said it. Usually, when a dog has behavior problems, it has nothing to do with the dog obedience training that the owner took part in.
Dog Behavior Video
Interview the dog’s veterinarian – Medical records from the veterinarian can sometimes show that the dog has had problems with aggressive or fearful behavior or that it was physically difficult or impossible for the dog to have done what is being claimed.
No matter how old the dog you’re interested in adopting, you must do whatever you can to find out about him. You want to avoid an adult dog that has too many behavior problems, especially aggression. Here are few questions that you must ask.
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