Dogs are a wonderful addition to the family, but like any family member, a dog can have some pretty annoying habits. If you don\u2019t step in and get those habits under control, you can end up with a dog whose behavior is out of control. This is part two.<\/p>\n
Just like human babies, puppies are going to explore. They\u2019re going to put things in their mouth and dig into things. They\u2019re going to want to snatch things and run. Dogs have been known to destroy furniture, toys, shoes and even chew on the ends of a corner wall.<\/p>\n
If this behavior isn\u2019t corrected, it will get worse. Just as babies are taught the right and wrong way to act, all dogs – puppies or not – must be taught what\u2019s acceptable and what isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Depending on what the dog tears up, tearing up things in your home can be expensive and dangerous for him. You can reduce your dog\u2019s odds of tearing something up by pet-proofing your home.<\/p>\n
Dogs will tear up anything when they\u2019re bored, lonely, or experiencing separation anxiety. Therefore, put away things that dogs are normally attracted to tearing up, such as shoes and pillows.<\/p>\n
Keep stuffed animals out of sight when you\u2019re not home because dogs often mistake stuffed animals for chew toys. Give your dog items that he can chew on – such as dog toys and dog teething rings. If your dog is teething, giving him a dog teething ring that\u2019s been chilled will prevent him from chewing on things he shouldn\u2019t chew on.<\/p>\n
Dogs will repeat behavior when there are no consequences. If they chew on the end of the sofa and you laugh or simply replace it, it reinforces to the dog that his actions were okay.<\/p>\n
When a dog does destroy something and you fuss at him after you discover it, your dog doesn\u2019t understand what he\u2019s done. He understands only when you interrupt him while tearing something up.<\/p>\n
Firmly say, \u201cNo!\u201d and gently remove him from the item. You want to be gentle, but you don\u2019t want to engage or pet the dog when he\u2019s tearing something up.<\/p>\n
He\u2019ll associate that action with your petting him or giving him attention. When there are no consequences, dogs will keep returning – such as chewing on the same piece of furniture.<\/p>\n
There are some natural repellants that you can buy at the pet store. You can spray down the part of the furniture where he\u2019s been chewing with this repellant. The spray won\u2019t hurt him, but it gives him a nasty taste, like he\u2019s bitten into something very bitter.<\/p>\n
He quickly learns that the furniture doesn\u2019t taste good. To head off the issue of chewing on furniture, some pet owners spray the edges of the furniture down ahead of time with repellant.<\/p>\n
Make sure that you\u2019re keeping your dog active. Many dogs will tear things up because they have a lot of energy that isn\u2019t being released through enough exercise.<\/p>\n
When dogs engage in rough play, without meaning to, they can harm themselves, other pets, and even people. That\u2019s why rough play should always be stopped.<\/p>\n
Dogs are fast learners and pick up behaviors from other dogs and people. If your dog does play too rough, it\u2019s either because he\u2019s caught up in the playing, he thinks it\u2019s okay because he\u2019s been allowed to play rough, or because the dog is asserting an alpha side.<\/p>\n
When the dog begins to play rough, the play needs to end immediately. Remove the dog from the play or remove the object he\u2019s playing with. When a dog gets caught up in playing, he\u2019s too focused on the playing to understand that his actions could quickly cause him to be too aggressive.<\/p>\n
If your dog begins to assert his alpha side, the play can escalate into serious biting as he attempts to subdue the other pet or person he\u2019s playing with. Signs that your dog is playing too rough include changing body language from relaxed to stiff and unyielding.<\/p>\n
He often stares in aggression and growls in a deeper growl than he normally uses. Play growling is a growling that lasts longer than it usually does.<\/p>\n
When your dog is playing with other pets, look for signs that he\u2019s playing too rough and stop him immediately. Don\u2019t allow your pet to be aggressive with other dogs or people.<\/p>\n
Let him calm down from the play before you engage with him. Never allow your dog to ever play like he\u2019s biting you. Most people will put out an arm and let a puppy or small dog bite on their arm.<\/p>\n
When the dog gets bigger and older, he learns that this is okay and doesn\u2019t realize that his tiny jaws and teeth are now a lot stronger and sharper. Instead of letting the dog bite on you, encourage him to bite dog toys.<\/p>\n
When your dog is playing too rough, like a child engaged in inappropriate play, it needs a time out. It\u2019s easy for dogs to get riled up when they\u2019re playing, especially if they have some energy to work off.<\/p>\n
Make sure your dog has a way of letting off some of that stored up energy before he starts playing. Take him for a walk or let him run around in the yard and chase a ball.<\/p>\n
Dogs beg only because someone has rewarded that behavior at some point. Don\u2019t start the habit of allowing your dog to beg while you eat, and it won\u2019t become a problem.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t want your dog to learn to beg, and you don\u2019t want to give in because not only does it establish the foundation for future begging, but people’s food isn\u2019t healthy for your dog.<\/p>\n
If your dog has an established begging habit, you can stop it by not allowing him in the same room while you\u2019re eating. Let him stay in another room or in his crate whenever you\u2019re having a meal or a snack.<\/p>\n
Teach him to go when you\u2019re eating. Train him that when you\u2019re eating, he must be lying down in another room or on his dog bed. You can train him that it\u2019s time for him to rest in his crate with the door open, and if that doesn\u2019t work, you can confine him to the crate during meals.<\/p>\n
Never allow a dog to sit and stare at you or your guests whenever you\u2019re eating. With their big eyes and sad faces, dogs can tempt even the strongest pet owner into giving in just this once.<\/p>\n
When your dog does beg, whine, or bark to get a bite of what you\u2019re eating or cooking, you have to ignore the dog. The best way to train a dog and stop bad behavior is to be consistent.<\/p>\n
You can train him to think that when it\u2019s time for you to eat, it\u2019s time for him to eat. Your dog will learn to associate mealtime with his comfort, and he\u2019ll look forward to his food rather than yours.<\/p>\n
Some pet owners choose to block access to the room where meals are held by putting a baby gate across the doorway. By consistently training your dog, you can establish boundaries that will keep him safe and healthy and prevent him from developing annoying habits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dogs are a wonderful addition to the family, but like any family member, a dog can have some pretty annoying habits. If you don\u2019t step in and get those habits under control, you can end up with a dog whose behavior is out of control. This is part two.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":8582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[191],"tags":[250,220,228],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37364"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37364"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37364\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37368,"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37364\/revisions\/37368"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}