There are many common behavior problems in every dog in their early years:
- Chewing
- Leash Pulling
- Puppy Biting
- Barking
Your dog may be the love of your life but that doesnt mean they are always behave the way you wanted them to be. One thing I know of taking care of my precious is that she can certainly test my patience. When she was 3 months old, she started chewing everything in sight - socks, pens, books, tissue papers and even the carpet.
When my dog started to learn how to bark, she barks loud. Neihbors often complaints due to staying in an apartment. Everyday, i always ask myself, what could have been done? What shall I do ? How to avoid complaints from the neighbors once every 3 days?
There is nothing I have not done that others had. I bought soundproof wall, doors and windows, which actually works in reducing complaint from once every 3 days to once a month but I realized, my neighbors are iving peacefully, not me. I have to wake up at 3 am in the morning to bring her for potty, refill her bowl with water once every 4 hours (which is why I recommended automating water dispenser in my previous blog), and I have to play with her once in awhile even when i just got back home from a long day at work.
Finally, I've found a reason why my dog is behaving in such manner. They are actually communicating with you, they want you to know that there is a problem. In my previous blog, I have stated that controlling your dog's surroundings is very important. If your dog isn't acting the way you wnt them to, it's not their fault but instead it is yours. Know that about 90% of unwnted behaviors happen because your dog simply bored.
CHEWING
The only reason why they chew beacuse they're teething. They are hurt as their teeth come in (same as human babies) and chewing/gnawing on things helps relieve that pain. Some of them chew because they are feeling uncomfortable, example, they chew when you weren't around to bring her for potty and she has to hold it until you do so. Not only they chew due to pain but they chew to check things around them as dogs are born blind and deaf. Regardless of the reason, rest assured that a dog can learn to stop chewing at any age.
How to handle?
- control their surroundings completely, even if he's 10 years old as it is paramount if you want to put an end to this problem.
- Understand that you should not prevent your dog from chewing especialy if it's teething. The key is to teach him what he can chew on. Leave bones, antlers and other durable/safe toys of various texture around the house and in the crate.
- Assuing that you're supervising your dog and you notice that it is chewing on your shoe or sock, then you must do what it takes to get its attention on you. Clapping your hands or make any funny noises are the least to do to distract it momentarily. Avoid grabbing them or the shoe as you want them to originate restraint. Once you've got their attention, give him a praise or a sincere "Yes!" and replace the shoe with their toy to satisfy them.
- Make sure your dog is getting plenty of playtime with you. That way, maybe the next time they have some downtime, they;ll take a nap or just feel content instead of chewing apart everything they find.
Leash Pulling
Dogs pull on a leash because they walk faster than we do or because they're very interested in sniffing and investigating something out of their reach.
*Do not use prong or pinch collar as it may damage your dog's skin or internal throat *
How to handle?
- Take a few steps back and reprioritize leash training. Your dog may just need a refresher course especially on the "leave it/wathc me" combo, whcih needs to be solid for leash walking. Know that if you don't train them, then you'll have to be tolerant of the leash pulling until you've walked long enough for them to fatigue a bit.
Puppy Biting
Puppy biting is very normal thing to do and it will continue for many weeks, starting at about 8 weeks old/2 months old. They chew because they're teeting, they bite because they want to engage you but don't understand that you don't play that way.
How to handle?
- Be one step ahead of them since you know they are likely to bite, come armed with a small treat. LEt them know you have a treat by letting him smell it and then ask him to "sit." Reward him with the treat and that will be the first step to showing him the behavior you want when you approach.
- Always have a treat when you approach or pick them up so that they will lick yourhands and you may reward them for not biting you.
Barking
Barking is a dog's way of communicating. They bark to get attention and to show excitement, happiness, fear, anxiety, suspicion and many other emotions. They might bark to alert you of someone approaching, or he might bark because he gets anxious during thunderstorms. The most common types of barking are when something excites them, out of habit or they are a high-energy dog who's bored.
How to handle?
- Set up training exercises rather than waiting for real-life situations to emerge. Get your dog primed by asking for some easy things like "sit" or "down." Reward generously.
- Have a friend with a dog walk back and forth in front of your house, knock on the door repeatedly, or ring the doorbell - anything that's likely to tempt your dog to bark. Reward if your dog is quiet.
- If your dog doesn't stop barking, you should pull your dog away, take a step back and reward him when he's quiet.
These are the things that i know in fixing bad behavior. You should do ore research and learn how to overcome these problems. Example, watch some Zak George's training videos on youtube or read a book about fixing bad behaviors in public library.
