Down Boy! Blast You – Guide to Stop Problem Dog Behavior

Does your dog have behavior problems that you want to stop?  Read these 7 tips and you will find ways to to stop your problem dog behavior. 1) A tired dog is a good dog.   Does your dog get enough exercise?  Try walking your dog or playing more than you do now.   Some experts think that you ought to take about 90 minutes per day exercising and playing with your dog. 2) Has your dog learned to connect a bad behavior with some everyday events, like unnecessary barking when people come to the door, or jumping on people?  It could be that your dog is frightened about people at the door or connects getting attention by jumping on people.   Try to determine the reason your dog is behaving like this and then you can work on a remedy. 3) Chewing. Does your dog chew things when you are away?  Dogs use their mouths much like we use our hands.   They utilize their mouths to discover what something feels like or how it tastes.   Dogs absolutely like objects that have your scent on them.   Try to put these things away so that they are not easy for your dog to get at. 4) Aggression. Your dog growls, snaps or lunges at other dogs.   Once again, is there some reason that your dog is doing this?  It is difficult to train your dog to not act this way, but you should try to teach your dog to do something else when you see that there will be a problem.   Can you find a location where there is a barrior like a fence  between your dog and the threatening object (the other dogs)? Then there will be no contact while you train your dog a different way of behaving. Your dog may also have a medical problem, he/she might not feel good or could even be in pain.   Have your vet look at the dog just in case. 5) Excessive Barking. What is stimulating your dog to bark?  To deal with this problem you must understand the dog.   Once you have found the cause, try to eliminate theproblem from the dog’s environment.   You should be able to use the “wait and reward when they stop”method , the squirt gun method or wrap your hands around his/her snout and give a soft shhh command.   These methods will only be effective through repetition. 6) Dog ignores you.   The dog may think that something bad is about to happen, “paidattention last time and nothing good came of it”. 7) Pulling on the lead – the choke collar method is not as effective as using a head harness collar.   This is placed around the dog’s nose and neck and the leash is attached under the chin.   This operates more like a horses bridle and gives the handler added control.

In all of these situations, when you praise your dog, overstate your positive feelings. Let your dog really know that you are pleased. Use a positive, happy, excited tone of voice to reinforce your dog’s behavior.   Try physical encounter also, get down and open your arms.   These tips will get you started clearing up your issues, but it is crucial to get a more detailed program or system to give you expert advice.