Dog behavior modification is a hot topic. Some people think that dogs should be allowed to be dogs, others think you need to break the dog's spirit to keep them under control, and still others are on the fence about the whole thing.
If you can't find an answer here, try asking a question in our mini-forum.
With an untrained, mischievous dog under foot, dog behavior modification will make life at home with your furry friend much more enjoyable! Dog ownership accounts for some of the most rewarding and also frustrating experiences in life.
It really does take serious commitment to have a dog, understanding dog behavior, as well as time invested in turning him into the "perfect" pooch you've always wanted. All those dogs in the movies and TV shows you see? That's right... a TON of work went into training and preparing that dog for its role.
Enough with the downers! Look at the bright side - you can have a dog that listens well to you and isn't destructive in the home. Like I said, all it takes is a little
training
and a lot of practice.
Correcting dog behavior is sometimes as simple as understanding that something you are doing is causing the reaction in your dog. For example, if you pet the dog when he has his paws anywhere on your legs (greeting you at the door), you are inadvertently praising him for jumping!
When it comes to aggressive dog behavior, you should seek out the help of a
professional dog trainer
to first of all understand the nature of the aggression, and then in correcting dog behavior like this. While under-socialization as a young puppy is the most common reason for dog aggression, other reasons include:
Are you coming up empty for good answers on a dog behavior question you have? If your pooch is "in the dog house", ask me what you can do to improve his behavior. Go ahead, try me with your question. And feel free to "ask a question, answer a question", or comment on other dog owners' problems!
Explain what the problem is, in detail... when it occurs, what happens, your reaction, your dog's typical reaction, what you've tried in the past to fix it, and so on. Tell me about your dog, his home environment, etc. You can't be too specific - the more we know, the easier we can help you!
Please note, I cannot answer one-liner questions such as "My dog is starting to bite people and I don't know why?" or "How can I teach my dog to pee outside?" You need to give me lots of background... these short questions will not be answered as I don't know the story.
Remember - you need to hire a professional to work with you hands-on to solve aggression issues. We can't fix this type of problem by long-distance advice.
Click below to see questions and contributions from other visitors to this page...
Dogs behaviour to visitors
I have a 6 year old Staffy x. He is a lovely-natured dog with our 1 & 2 year olds, good with food etc. Our problem is with visitors. As soon as anyone ...
9 month old agressive pitbull/mastiff mix
I have a 9 month old Pitbull/Mastiff mix and a 3 year old Chihuahua. We got the the puppy when he was 7 weeks old and the 2 have always gotten along well ...
Aggressive Pitt
Any time this big boy sees another dog (and sometimes a person as well), he reacts very strongly. I have used a choke collar, and he is getting very good ...
Why did my dog just starting eating and playing with his poop??
My dog is 5 1/2 months old and up until now he never did this...
One day I came home from work and found that he had rubbed his poop all over the carpet ...
Too much time alone in home
In this family, both the husband and wife are Air Force Military: she is out of the house up to 14 hours a day with work and school. The husband is currently ...
Overly Adventurous
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Basically we have a beautiful natured male Staffy that is 2 years old - Tyson. He is wonderful... except that if we aren't home, he has to be in a pen ...
Dog Licking - Dominance?
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Why at times does our female pit-bull want to lick us excessively, then try to hump?
Answer:
Dog licking is very natural. There's several reasons ...
BAD DOG
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My dog is one of our two Chows. He is 3 years old and is out of control. I used to be able to let him out and he would come right back in. He now will ...
4 month old Lab mix
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Our family just got a 4 month old pup a week ago. She gets aggressive towards me every time she plays with me or when she wants to play. I don't rough ...
Lack of socializing, obedience training and fear
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6 weeks ago we brought home a Georgia,4-year-old Boxer/Lab rescued male who badly needed socialization (going well), obedience training (hit and miss), and ...
Fearful Rescue Dog
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I have recently adopted a 14 month old rescue dog that is extremely fearful. She will hide under desks & refuse to walk. I often have to physically place ...
Barking at Fence & Windows
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I have a 5 year old Great Dane neutered male foster dog.
Inside the house he is obedient, sweet & respectful, although a Velcro dog (follows me from ...
Puppy is over protective
of our older dog
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Hello,
About a year ago we adopted a 4 month old mixed breed puppy from a shelter. Since then, we've socialized him at every opportunity we've had: walking ...
Aggressive Dashund
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Hi, I have a male dashund who is 3 years old. He is aggressive towards other dogs. Sometimes he says hello nicely, and other times he snaps at them. Today ...
Barks at the cleaning lady
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Hi! Our cleaning lady comes every week and has been for over 4 years.
Missy, our dog, always barks aggressively at her and follows her around the house....
Too Protective and Jealous!
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Hello! We have a mutt at home. He is five years old and came from Spain when he was nine weeks. He was and still is not the easiest dog to train, since ...
Jumping
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My dog jumps on everyone!
When we go to my mom's house he jumps on her and the young children. He jumps when he gets excited to see new people ,too,...
Random Aggression
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I have a very loving and affectionate 3 yr old Jack. For reasons unknown he will suddenly snap and bite, sometimes with a snarl before sometimes just snap....
Puppy Problems!
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Hi,
We are having a few problems. My 4 and a half month old puppy mouths me, jumps up even though I have repeatedly pushed him down and told no. He ...
Aggressive Shih-tzu towards visitors
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We rescued a very affectionate and otherwise well behaved little dog from a shelter 19 days ago. She is a tiny 5 year old shih-tzu.
However, when visitors ...
Our 8month old puppy is suddenly a demon dog!
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I work during the day but my husband is home with our 8 month old Havanese puppy all day. He is in a wheelchair but has an attendant who comes every day ...
My puppy sits on my adult dog. What does that mean?
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My husband rescued a puppy (APBT) while we already had an adult dog (3 year old Dachshund), both males (the adult is neutured and the pup will be too). The ...
Dog doesn't like doghouse!
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A stray dog used to sleeping anywhere came to our yard. Feeling sorry for her, we built her a new dog house. Now she sleeps in the cold beside the dog ...
Territory and Food Aggressive!
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This is a unique problem because our Samoyed was diagnosed with glaucoma at 9 months old and has been progressively going blind since then. She is now ...
Need More Training?
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Hi,
My almost 5 year old golden is the baby of 4 dogs in total. I lost one of my pups a year ago, and the other two are 14 and their health is deteriorating....
Overly Protective Dog!
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My dog is 8 months old Rottie/Shepherd. He has a behavorial problem of growling at strangers that come near me or try and pet him.
I've taken him ...
What Can We Do For Our Fearful Dog?
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I have a one year old Lab and he is afraid of anything that makes a noise or has wheels, such as roller blades, bikes or skateboards (even his shadow in ...
Aggression Towards Family Members
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Hello:
My 5 month old Bulldog will aggressively attack my 10 year old daughter. It happened today - he bit her in the face aggressively, like trying ...
Disinterested Dog - How Do I Get His Attention On Me?
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We just got an 8 month old Collie/Siberian Husky mix. It does not seem to want to pay any attention to people, at least not as much as it pays attention ...
What about separation anxiety?
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What do you suggest to do for a dog who, I feel anyway, is having bouts of separation anxiety? What are the best methods to use to overcome this?
Answer:...
Barking at guests
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We have a little dog who constantly barks at people who enter our home. Also, it is becoming increasingly difficult to answer the door for sales people ...
Disobedient Dog
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My dog is very smart, and knows a lot of commands such as sit, lay down, stay, leave it, drop it, and tricks like paw and play dead. He has also been to ...
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