Canine Behavior Problems And Their
Solutions
Good
communication builds good relationships
Just as between people, good
relationships between dogs and their owners are based on
good communication. Dogs communicate between themselves
by means of body signals. It’s only natural, then, that
they’ll use the same method to communicate with people.
Your responsibility as a pet owner is to learn to
interpret such signals. Doing so will enable you to
teach your puppy or dog the appropriate way of telling
you what he or she needs or would like, whether it’s
food, to be let out, to play or› to receive some loving
attention from you!
Good behavior should be rewarded
Parents often don’t remember to
praise their children when they behave well, yet will never
forget to tell them when they do not. We tend to do the same
with our pets. We ignore them when they are quiet and well
behaved and pay them attention only when they behave
inappropriately. It’s always best to do the reverse and
praise™and reward™a desired behavior, and ignore the
unwanted.
Canine social skills
One of the most important lessons
your puppy or dog should learn is that he must sit before
interacting with you or any other human. You can easily
teach a puppy or even a mature dog to sit. Dogs learn at any
age, as long as lessons are repeated often enough and
teaching sessions are short and fun.
Step 1
To begin, take a very special food treat and hold it between you two fingers.
Place your hand close to the front of you pet's nose.
Step 2
Raise your hand above his nose and then backwards. Your dog's head will move to follow the treat.
Eventually, you dog will sit because it will be more comfortable.
Step 3
As soon as he does, say "sit" and give your pet his treat. As the dog always connects what he is doing with what your are doing at the same time, he'll associate the action of sitting with the word "sit" and the food treat.
Unwanted
behavior should be ignored
Dogs,
just like humans, are social animals and need
interaction with others, so withholding your
attention is a very effective passive punishment.
For example, if your dog jumps up on you, cross your
arms, turn your head away and remain absolutely
silent until he stops jumping. Don’t try to push him
away, look at or talk to him. He’ll interpret any of
these actions on your part as attention, or even
play. When your pet does finally sit, reward him
with your undivided attention and a treat of some
kind.
If, in the past, you allowed your puppy or dog to
gain your attention by barking or jumping up on you,
you must realize that if you subsequently decide to
ignore such behavior, your pet will only try longer
and harder to regain that attention. An analogy in
human terms would be a person who presses the button
of an elevator whose doors do not open. He or she
will press the button repeatedly, before giving up
and walking down the stairs. To success-fully change
your dog’s behavior, you must ignore™and outlast™all
his efforts.
Or interrupted
Dogs do react to eye
contact. Call your puppy or dog by his name. As soon
as he looks at you, you should give him a special
treat. Repeating this simple exercise at any time
will teach your pet that it is worthwhile to pay
attention to you. In fact, calling your pet’s name
is an effective way of interrupting, and thus
eliminating, unwanted behavior. Making an unusual
sound is another way of interrupting. Once your dog
is paying attention to you, you can ask him to come
or sit.
Play takes training also
Puppies
and dogs need to exercise and play and to have
contact and interaction with both people and other
dogs. They should be taught to play with toys only
and should learn that human hands, feet or any other
body part are not toys. If your pet grabs a hand or
foot, either intentionally or accidentally, such
behavior should be interrupted either by withholding
your attention (ignoring him) or by making a
high-pitched “ouch” sound. As soon as he lets go,
offer a large toy and resume playing.
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