Think of it this way — you've just been placed in a foreign land — you don't speak the language, you don't understand what's expected and a lot of new — sometimes frightening, sometimes exciting — experiences are ahead of you. That's a taste of what it might feel like to a dog — be it puppy or adult — that has just come to your house to stay, hopefully for life.
There are bound to be a few problems along the way. The thing to remember is that most problem behaviors can be rectified with patience and love. The first step is usually trying to see the world as your dog and then together you both can start to speak the same language.
Separation Anxiety
Dogs, like humans, can develop irrational fears or phobias. Dogs seem particularly vulnerable to developing anxiety when separated from their owners. Separation anxiety is expressed differently in different dogs.
Signs that your dog may suffer from separation anxiety:
- Dogs become extremely distressed when family members leave them alone.
- Dogs may injure themselves in frantic attempts to get out (jump through plate glass windows, dig through doors with their claws, break their teeth, rip their paws trying to get out of the crate).
- Bark continuously when owners are away.
- Become destructive and do considerable damage (scratching and chewing).
- Lose their house training and eliminate in the house.
What to do?
Recent research has explored the use of human anti-anxiety medications for use with canine anxiety problems. These have been shown to have some effectiveness, but usually the best results are achieved with behavioral interventions supplemented by medication when the problem is severe. Consult your veterinarian if the problem is severe.
Aggression
Canine aggression is a serious problem.
What to do?
- Seek help from your vet to eliminate the possibility of physical causes.
- Consult an animal behaviorist or a trainer to assess the situation.
- Develop a plan to modify human-dog interaction.
- The best way to treat aggression is prevention: Unless you are an experienced dog owner, don't choose an aggressive breed and avoid play biting.
- Socialize your dog well.
- Don't allow your puppy to growl and snap because it's cute; discourage that from the start.
Destructive Behavior
A bored, anxious dog seeks an outlet for his energy and a release for his stress. When combined with a lack of exercise, this is a prescription for an unwanted remodeling of your house. If your dog does any damage in your presence, correct him and distract him into acceptable activities. Until he understands his boundaries, keep him either supervised or connected to you by leash.
If the damage occurs in your absence try some of the following:
- Crate your dog (unless the problem may be due to separation anxiety).
- Restrict him to a truly dog-proofed area.
- Try leaving a radio on.
- Hide toys for him to find.
- Hire a dog-walking service to break up his day.
- Provide your dog with stimulating and appropriate chew toys.
If destructive behavior continues, consult an animal behaviorist or trainer for advice.
Digging
Correct your dog if he starts digging in inappropriate areas, but since digging is an instinctive activity, provide him with a fenced-in, free-dig zone of his own, and teach him the "dig" command.
In your absence, limit his access to other areas of the yard. Provide other outlets for his physical energy.
