Thursday, May 15, 2014

Animal Behavior: Why Does My Dog Do That?

By Garrett McMahan


Does your dog jump up on you or guests? Is excessive barking driving you crazy? These are but two of the annoying behaviors that some dogs exhibit. A few others include chewing on furniture, urinating in the home or even running away from their owner. While we love our pets, difficult behavior makes dog ownership difficult, and it's important to understand why a dog misbehaves.

Every dog is different, just as all people are different. In general, dogs misbehave either because they have not been taught how to behave properly or perhaps because they are scared, lonely or bored. Dogs are pack animals and when their pack is gone, dogs tend to fret. Many dogs also have a great deal of energy and they need to run and play. If their exercise needs are not being met, they tend to become destructive. Taking long walks, going to the dog park and play time can be helpful.

If your dog is anxious, this also can lead to problems. Chewing, for example, can be a sign of boredom or anxiety. Sometimes dogs chew on their owner's personal items when they're gone, simply because they are worried and lonely. Chewing is also an instinctual habit for dogs, so if you are going to be away and your dog tends to chew, provide him with a proper chew toy and place him in an area where he can do little harm, such as a laundry room or in a dog crate. A crate can stop other problem behavior as well, such as urinating or scratching on doors.

Even if you understand why a dog is acting the way he is acting, it certainly doesn't decrease your level of frustration when you come home and find your home transformed into a disaster area. Finding a way to stop problems before they occur is important, and the best way to do that is to train your dog how to behave in the first place.

There are many reasons why training is so important, and one of the biggest is to prevent these aforementioned behavior problems. When you open the door to find that your dog has destroyed all of your pillows and peed on the rug, you are probably going to be quite unhappy, and while you might reprimand your dog after they have done something wrong, this is not going to correct the problem in the future. Dogs get that you are upset, but they don't understand why, the simply see that you are mad at them. The only way to stop bad behavior is to teach them how to behave so that they don't do these things in the first place. Your dog also will be safer because of training, which will teach them to sit and stay on command. You can teach many other commands as well, and you and your dog both will be happier after teaching these techniques.

Dog training doesn't have to be difficult, but it does take time and patience. Purchasing a helpful DVD dog training program such as The Dog's Way can simplify the process, providing the owner with clear, easy-to-teach lessons that get results. After you finish the program, your dog should be able to follow all the important basic commands such as sitting, staying, walking on a loose leash, jumping on people or furniture, coming when called and much more. You can set boundaries and rules that your dog will follow for a lifetime and this will make your time with your sweet dog all the more wonderful.




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