Even if you have one of the nicest dogs there ever was, there comes a time when us, the dog owners, are going to need to call on dog behavior training. Some people call this behavior modification but it all comes down to solving the problems that your dog is having with their behavior.
There are so many different kind of dog behavior problems and more are becoming more common every day. Every dog breed can have an issue and at any time throughout their lifespan. Near the bottom of this article I have laid out some of the most common dog behavior problems and then some of the training methods that have been proven to correct these behaviors. If at any time I stumble across others, I will add them to the list to keep it up to date.
Rules For Dog Behavior Training
Each article below will go further in detail, but in general, these are some rules to keep in mind when dealing with any dog behavior problems.
- Separation anxiety is one of the main causes for dog behavior problems. This is true for puppies as well as adult dogs.
- Behavior problems may come from a lack of communication with your pup. These can include digging, barking, or biting at you or household items. Your dog simply does not know that these things are out of bounds and have not been taught properly.
- The earlier you start to give your dog proper obedience training the better! If you start when the dog is young, you can generally correct behavior faster, but also prevent problems in the future from popping up. If you are reading this, this may be irrelevant, but do not fret!
- If you set a boundary for your dog, stick with it and do not deviate. This makes it easy for your dog to learn what you want them to learn. You should always position yourself as the leader or alpha dog in the relationship between you and your pet. Every time they are not behaving, you need to let them know that it is not acceptable. The same goes for when they do something good. Each and every time you must let them know what is expected!
- Sometimes, we are very frustrated and think that the dog is behaving in this way to spite us. This is not true at all and most dog behavior problems actually arise because there is some sort of trigger that sets them off in the first place. If you can figure out what this is, that is the first step to fixing this behavior.
- Make sure you do not reward a bad behavior by mistake. This is easier said than done but think of this example. If your dog is barking, you might just get up and bring them inside the house so they will stop barking. Wait! Do you see what just happened? You rewarded them for their bad behavior and most likely, they now know that if they bark, they get what they want.
Dog Behavior Training Changes Your Dogs Life And Yours
So many animals end up in shelters across the country and somethings even worse things happen to them. A lot of the reason for this is because of behavioral problems that owners just do not want to deal with. This extremely disheartening and does not need to end up this way. If your dog has any problems such as aggression or destructive behavior, then all is not lost. These can be managed if you administer proper dog behavior training.
Applying proper training techniques for your dog as well as having an extreme amount of patience and commitment can yield the results that you want with your dog. Keep faith, you can do this!
Dog Behavior Training Methods
| Chewing Problems | Poop Eating (Coprophagia) |
| Counter Surfing/Thieving | Problem Digging |
| Dog to Dog Aggression | Puppy Biting/Mouthing |
| Excessive Barking | Puppy Whining/Crying |
| Fence Jumping | Separation Anxiety |
| Food Aggression | Stop Running Away |
| Hyperactive Dogs | Submissive Urination |
| Jumping Up On People |
If at any time you feel like you can not solve these problems on your own, please go here to join a large community of trainers and people who own dogs who love helping others solve common dog behavior problems. There is so much information about puppy biting, aggression, leash pulling and barking and digging. Good luck in training your dog! Please let me know how it goes in the comments.