Dog owners who are lucky and mindful that their pup will need training can often enjoy a problem-free dog-raising experience. Although dogs with personality traits that are quirky but manageable are fun, what you don’t want is any of the serious stuff – the small stuff that becomes a big problem.
Behaviors are often confused and misunderstood by owners, in part because there is so much insufficient information online and because they feel like they should know how to deal with it.
New dog owners aren’t always aware of the common behavior problems that dogs can have, and it is essential to be knowledgeable.
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Chewing
Dogs that chew can be a nightmare; you can lose shoes, cushions, and mattresses. While chewing is natural for a dog, sometimes it becomes excessive. Common causes of chewing are teething, anxiety, curiosity, and being bored.
Making sure they have enough suitable chew toys is a great start; distracting them when you catch them chewing something they shouldn’t be and ensuring they have enough exercise to burn off excess energy is a great start.
Jumping Up
When a dog is excited, their tails start wagging, it might run in circles, and a jump will happen for many. When dogs jump, they put a lot of energy into it and tend to grip with their front paws too. For older people and children, this can knock them off balance and hurt, and while some people don’t mind it – it is not a behavior to encourage.
Pushing the dog away or actively engaging with them can signal that they are getting attention, and they will continue to do it. Ignoring the dog and turning away can show them this behavior is unacceptable.
Biting
Puppies are the most likely to nip and bite; that is how they learn and explore. Immediate discipline is essential here because biting because of a bigger problem the bigger the dog grows.
Adolescent and adult dog biting is dangerous and a bigger problem and can be caused by things like resource guarding, defensiveness, fear, or a predatory instinct.
All dogs can bite, but those without sufficient dog training are more likely to bite, snarl, or show other unwanted behaviors.
Not all dogs who bite are trying to show aggression; it could be that they are in pain or sick, and their temperament changes.
Barking
No one wants to be the neighbor with the noisy annoying dog! Dogs bark for many reasons, and the one that you want them to bark for is as a warning or an alert. Although they often bark when they are playing too.
In circumstances where your dog barks a lot and often, it is more likely that they are anxious, bored, or hoping to get attention.
Excessive barking requires training your dog to respond to commands that keep them quiet or specifically ask them to bark. As well as that, the reason why they are barking is something that should be addressed.
Understand more about dog behavior before you welcome a dog into your home, and read this too: Top Tips For Welcoming A Dog Into Your Home – Tabbys Pantry.