Dog Talk: Are You Encouraging Your Dog's Problem Behavior? [24-10-15]

Dog Talk: Are You Encouraging Your Dog's Problem Behavior?


Not to wag fingers instead of tails, but the vast majority of dog problems are actually people problems. The dog's doing the misbehaving, to be sure, but odds are the owner either created or encouraged the behavior without even realizing it.

People who feed their dog at any time of the day or night and in every room of the house teach him that the dinner table is you and dinnertime is all the time. Essentially, they are teaching their dog to beg. Inevitably, they come to regret it.

Adult dogs that develop the destructive habit of chewing usually do so out of either boredom or frustration from inappropriate confinement. A bored dog will chew to expend pent up energy that would be better relieved through exercise. And a dog left alone for hours in a small room behind a closed door will chew to escape. Again, problem behaviors caused by owners who lack a basic understanding of their dog's needs.

Dogs who jump on furniture are usually dogs who are invited to sleep in the bed with their owner. How is he to know that the bed is OK but the couch is off limits?

Dogs who jump on people can ultimately be traced to owners who reward the behavior -- if only sometimes -- because they think it's cute. But a dog who is encouraged to jump on his owner when his owner is in a playful mood can't be expected to know not to jump on his owner or anyone else when they aren't in the mood.

Of course, there are problem behaviors and then there are problem behaviors.

Biting behavior, for example, often starts with an owner who literally inserts his hand in his dog's mouth during the course of play, essentially teaching the dog to bite. Excessive authority or dominance and abusive punishment on the part of the owner will also create a dog who bites and growls out of fear.

Dogfighting is an unpleasant and sometimes frightening behavior that, at its core, boils down to an instinctive need to defend territory. The territory in dispute could be anything -- a yard, a house, food, a toy or even a person. That's right. Your dog might not be protecting you because he loves you so much. He might simply be guarding a resource.

This territorial instinct coupled with improper socialization or a total lack of socialization makes a dog a likely candidate for dogfighting.

Recently, I was talking to a woman who says her dog guards his toys and doesn't "play nicely" with other dogs. So what does she do? She takes him to the dog park and brings his favorite toys. In doing so, she is encouraging the very behavior she wants to curb.

But dog aggression toward people or other dogs comes with dire consequences. Dogs get hurt. People get hurt. Homeowners insurance gets dropped. Expenses mount. Frustrations build. Tension bubbles. And with that kind of negative energy between owner and dog, you can only expect more trouble.

This is why it's so important to understand the role we play in our dogs' lives beyond the basics of food and shelter. We as dog owners exercise enormous influence over our dogs' behavior. Taking the time to examine the connection between our behavior and theirs empowers us to bring about the positive behaviors we want from our dogs. And it gives our dogs the chance to please us, which is all they really want.

Woof!
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