Breaking Your Dog's Bad Habits
Read Breaking Your Dog's Bad Habits Online
Authors: Paula Kephart
What’s Causing the Misbehavior?
When Your Dog Forgets His Manners
Ignores the “Sit” or “Lie Down” Command
Jumps on Family Members or Visitors
Begs for Food When People Are Eating
Displays Jealousy or Overprotectiveness
When All Else Fails: Calling In the Experts
Some of the bad habits that dogs develop are only mildly annoying, but others can lead to serious consequences. Whatever the habit or your level of concern, there comes a time when you realize that the habit must go. With your help, your dog can replace his bad habit with acceptable behavior in just a few weeks.
Retraining your dog does not necessarily call for a lot of extra time and effort on your part. Most retraining requires one or two 10-minute sessions a day. Once your dog has begun to figure out what you want from him, you can integrate continued retraining into the ordinary routines of your day.
There are a number of factors that can contribute to the development of behavioral problems. Poor health, old age, or the quirks of a particular breed may be to blame. Before you start retraining your dog, take some time to assess the factors that are contributing to your dog’s bad habit. If you understand the problem, you’ll find it easier to bring about a successful solution.
Is Your Dog Healthy?
Before you assume that your dog’s misbehavior is willful, make sure that there is not an underlying health problem. It’s not hard to imagine how a urinary tract infection, poor vision, diminished hearing, or other health problems could affect your dog’s behavior. Before tackling the bad habit, it’s a good idea to discuss the problem with your dog’s veterinarian to rule out any health factors.
Is the Habit Connected to Age?
Some bad habits are more common at certain ages. Just think of the bad habits a puppy can get into because of his need to chew. And an “unresponsive” dog may simply be old and losing her hearing!
Puppies.
Bad habits can develop if a puppy is weaned and removed from the litter too early. Watch a litter of puppies with their
mother. What looks like play to us is really the process of doggie socialization. As they tumble about together, the littermates learn the limits of acceptable behavior and the importance of rank. If a puppy is removed from the litter too early, he may not have the opportunity to learn the “pack rules.” Eight weeks is the youngest age at which a puppy should be taken from his mother and siblings; 10 to 12 weeks is better.
Adolescents.
Dogs, like humans, go through a physical maturation process that includes adolescence. The physical and hormonal changes of adolescence, which occur between 3 and 6 years (human) of the dog’s life, can sometimes undermine her ability to focus and behave appropriately. The keys to getting through this stage are patience and consistency.
Older dogs.
Changes at the other end of the age continuum can affect a dog’s behavior, too. Around your dog’s eighth year, you may begin to notice physical evidence of the aging process. The dog moves more slowly as joints become less flexible. An older dog whose sight or hearing has diminished may be startled enough to snap at a hand reaching out to pat her. Changes in blood flow and blood-oxygen levels can impair a dog’s cognitive processes, slowing her reactions.
The onset of aging is influenced by many variables, including breed, size (small dogs tend to have a longer life span than large dogs), health history, and the quality of care the dog has received. A dog that has been healthy, active, and well taken care of throughout her life may not show any evidence of age-related changes for several years after her eighth birthday.
Is Your Dog Confused about Who’s in Charge?
Dogs, like people, exhibit a wide range of personalities and traits. This is what makes a dog so appealing and, at times, exasperating. A dog with an eager-to-please personality is much less likely to develop bad habits such as ignoring you or challenging your authority. On the other hand, this personality type may foster bad habits such as whining, begging for food or attention, and separation anxiety.
A dog with a confident personality doesn’t demand a lot of your attention or affection. She seems to relish new experiences and adapts well to changes. Generally she is not afraid to make new friends among dogs or people. However, you may sometimes find yourself in a “who’s the boss” struggle with a confident dog.
Some dogs have distinctive character traits that can, when activated, override their usual demeanor. Sam, my 90-pound black Lab/German shepherd mix, is a good example. Generally loving and playful by nature with both dogs and people, he loses all control when another dog “trespasses” by walking along the street in front of his home. Although 7 years old, Sam can clear the 4-foot fence around the yard with ease to challenge the “trespasser.” His behavior is motivated not by viciousness but by anxiety about the safety of his family. While it may be endearing that he’s willing to face his anxiety head on, the resulting behavior causes a fair amount of chaos.
Dominance factor
refers to how submissive or dominant a dog tends to be with people and other dogs. His tendency toward dominance or submissiveness is not set in stone and can vary depending on the situation. For example, Gracie, my black Lab/beagle mix, is an outgoing 2-year-old. She loves people and generally runs up to—or after—anyone she sees to say hello. Yet she is very timid with other dogs and cowers when one comes along.
If your dog has a strong dominance trait, you need to be clear and consistent about your behavioral expectations and limits for him. Otherwise, your dog may get into the bad habit of taking charge, which can lead to an array of other habits, including overprotective and threatening behaviors.
Is Your Dog Outsmarting You?
If your dog is alert and quick to learn, you may find his repeated bad habit perplexing and aggravating—if he’s so smart, why is he acting so badly? Although you might expect a dim-witted dog to develop bad habits, in truth it’s often the opposite. A highly intelligent dog is a pleasure to train and have as a companion, but he is more likely to look for—and find—solutions to what he considers problems. For example, if he is shut in a fenced-in yard, he may figure out how to unlatch the gate to escape. Proud as the owner may be of her dog’s resourcefulness, leaving the yard without permission is definitely a bad habit.
Was Your Dog Bred for Trouble?
Personality, intelligence, the dominance factor, and health are all influenced to some degree by the dog’s breed. In addition, breed dogs may develop certain bad habits simply because they were bred for for certain characteristics. Beagles, for example, like to dig and whine. Labrador retrievers have a propensity for jumping or even climbing fences. Dogs bred to herd animals may exercise that tendency with the neighborhood children.
Saint Bernards make great family dogs because they were bred to be large, strong, loyal, and friendly. Without proper training, however, they can become overprotective of their owners.
Are You Giving Your Dog Mixed Messages?
One final factor that cannot be overlooked when investigating your dog’s bad habit is you, the owner. Your attitude, expectations, self-confidence, and understanding of your dog have a definite influence on him. For example, if you don’t give commands in a serious manner, and if you don’t take the time at the onset of training to ensure and insist that your dog obey your commands, your dog may learn that he doesn’t have to obey.
To be successful in retraining, it is important to clarify for yourself exactly which behaviors are acceptable and which are unacceptable. For example, do you want your dog not to jump on anyone? Or is jumping an acceptable way to greet family members, but not visitors? Do you want your dog to stay off all the furniture? Or is it okay for her to sleep on your bed? Once you’ve identified which behaviors you want and those you don’t, it will be much easier to give a clear message to your dog.
Retraining doesn’t have to be somber business. Make the sessions fun and satisfying for you and your dog. Generally, dogs like to learn and love to perform, especially if it means earning your praise and approval. As your dog catches on to the new behavior you’ve deemed acceptable, she’ll work harder to show you just how smart she is. You’ll see her chest puff up with pride as she responds to your command correctly. And you’ll puff up with pride, too, when you see your dog respond appropriately to a situation even before you give the command!
Dogs love to learn and perform, especially if it means earning your praise.
Serious behavior problems, such as chasing cars and being over-protective of family members, require focused retraining sessions at first. These sessions don’t have to be long, but they should be free of distractions for both you and your dog. Try to fit in two or three short sessions a day initially. Once your dog understands what is expected of him, you can decrease the number of focused training sessions and reinforce the retraining during the course of your daily routines.
One of the most valuable benefits of retraining is the positive effect it has on the relationship between you and your pet. As you work together, you’ll feel a kinship, a sense of being a team, that will strengthen the bond between you.
Training Techniques
There are many behavioral techniques for training animals. Learning occurs as a result of positive or negative reinforcement such as food treats, praise, or physical restraint and discipline. Many trainers believe that physical discipline (punishment) should be used as the primary method to subdue a dog. But the trade-off is that punishment creates contrariness, lack of trust, and resentment, all of which can build into aggression.
I’ve found that positive motivation, such as food treats or physical affection, is much easier and more effective for training than physical discipline. Furthermore, positive interaction deepens the bond of affection, trust, and respect between owner and pet.
