Dog Training 101

Chapter 10
Troubleshoot the Most Common Behavior Problems

Unruly behavior can cause havoc in your household. It can be annoying, chaotic, embarrassing, and dangerous to your dog or to other people. This chapter addresses each of the most common behavior problems with step-by-step responses.

Some of these problems do not have easy solutions. Continually barking or urine marking in your house are instinctual behaviors that will be very difficult to extinguish. In those cases, the advice in this chapter will lean toward realistic information and ways to manage the behavior you cannot change.

Patience and the ability to keep control of your own frustration are the most important qualities in a successful trainer.

Jumping on Visitors

TEACH IT:

Does your dog jump up on visitors? Teach her to wait politely on her pedestal and allow the visitor to approach her on THEIR terms. Practice this strategy over and over with a friend.

1 Ring the doorbell, send your dog to the pedestal (shown here), and give her a treat. You want the sound of the doorbell to eventually be a cue for her to get on the pedestal.

2 While she is on the pedestal, practice opening and closing the door. Give her a treat while she is standing on the pedestal.

3 Now practice with a friend.

4 If your dog jumps off the pedestal to greet the visitor, the visitor should turn his back and ignore your dog. Your dog won’t like to be ignored and will learn to stay on her pedestal to get attention.

5 If your dog stays on her pedestal, allow the visitor to approach her and give her a treat.

WHAT TO EXPECT: Dogs actually enjoy a pedestal greeting as it allows them to be up high, where they can better see and interact with the visitor.

STEPS:

1 Teach your dog that the doorbell means she should run to her pedestal.

2 Practice opening and closing the door.

3 Now practice with a friend.

4 If your dog jumps off, your visitor should ignore her.

5 Polite dogs get dog biscuits!

Dashing Out the Door

TEACH IT:

When you open the front door, does your dog bolt outside? Here are some techniques to gain control.

SCENARIO #1: DOG ON LEASH

1 Use this technique when you and your dog are exiting together. Send your dog to her pedestal (shown here).

2 Attach her leash while she is on the pedestal. The confined space will keep things calm.

3 You lead the way, exiting the door first.

SCENARIO #2: YOU LEAVE WITHOUT THE DOG

1 Use this technique when you are leaving for work. Send your dog to her pedestal (shown here) and leave.

2 When you come back, send your dog to her pedestal.

3 Only when she is on her pedestal do you give her attention and treats.

WHAT TO EXPECT: A pedestal is invaluable in controlling door dashing. It will take a few extra seconds, but make sure your dog is on the pedestal every time before you open the door.

STEPS:

SCENARIO #1: DOG ON LEASH

1 Send your dog to her pedestal.

2 Attach her leash in this confined space.

3 Lead the way as you exit.

SCENARIO #2: YOU LEAVE WITHOUT THE DOG

1 Send your dog to her pedestal and leave.

2 When you come home, send her to her pedestal.

3 Only then does she get attention.

Begging at the Table

TEACH IT:

Does your dog pace, whine, and paw at you at the dinner table? Use these steps to easily train her to lie down.

1 Have your dog lie down on her dog bed (shown here) next to the table.

2 Have a treat jar on the table. Every few minutes, give your dog a treat.

3 If your dog wanders around, send her back to her spot.

4 You’ll be surprised at how long your dog will hold her position in hopes of another treat!

WHAT TO EXPECT: This method is very effective and takes the stress out of dinnertime begging (for merely the cost of a few treats). Your dog is practicing self-control, and rehearsing the behavior of lying down politely.

STEPS:

1 Set your dog’s bed next to the table.

2 Every few minutes, give her a treat.

3 If she wanders, send her back to her spot.

4 She will learn to wait a long time for her next treat.

Chewing Shoes / Furniture

TEACH IT:

Some dogs (especially puppies) will chew destructively on your shoes, furniture, or other inappropriate items. Use these simple steps to manage this behavior problem.

1 Don’t set your dog up for failure by leaving your shoes out and then punishing her for chewing them. Put your shoes away.

2 If your dog has your shoe, do not chase her (as she thinks this is a fun game). Tell her “No, drop it” (shown here).

3 Replace the shoe with something better, such as a chew toy. Say “good” when you give it to her.

4 Your dog wants to chew, so give her something appropriate to chew on. Provide a variety of rubber and rawhide chews.

5 To deter your dog from chewing on furniture, rub wintergreen oil on it. This is an essential oil with a strong, refreshing odor that deters dogs. It is organic with no dangerous chemicals.

WHAT TO EXPECT: Dogs chew for two reasons: for fun or from anxiety. Young dogs chew for fun and start to outgrow it as they get older. In either case, providing chew toys will go a long way to reducing the problem.

STEPS:

1 Set your dog up for success. Put your shoes away.

2 Tell her “No, drop it.”

3 Replace the shoe with a chew toy.

4 Provide a variety of rubber and rawhide chews.

5 Rub wintergreen oil on the furniture.

Digging

TEACH IT:

Is your dog digging up your yard? Some dogs want to dig, and it is futile to try to stop this behavior entirely. Instead, try one of these tactics to give your dog an appropriate place to expend her energy.

1 Dogs sometimes dig to find a cool spot to lie in. Define an area where she is allowed to dig, and add water to make it extra appealing to dig in.

2 To avoid muddy paws, make a digging spot filled with wood shavings or rubber mulch.

3 Section off a part of your lawn with shade and lush green grass or sand, both of which are ideal for digging.

4 An elevated dog bed will keep your dog cooler than a bed on the ground. This cool spot may stop your dog’s desire to cool off by digging a hole.

WHAT TO EXPECT: Giving your dog an appropriate place to dig is an effective way to get her to stop digging up your yard.

STEPS:

1 Water down an area that is appropriate for your dog to dig in.

2 Wood shavings or rubber mulch make a clean digging spot.

3 Section off a grass digging spot.

4 An elevated bed may stop your dog’s desire to cool off by digging.

Going into the Trash Can

TEACH IT:

Do you come home to find trash strewn about the house? Teach your dog to stay out of the trash can.

1 Put a few pennies in an empty soda can.

2 Sneak up on your dog when she has her head buried in the trash can …

3 … and shake the shaker-can! This should startle your dog and cause her to pull her head out of the trash can.

4 Act like you don’t know where that sound came from; “What happened?” You want your dog to think that her going in the trash can caused this startling sound.

5 Use positive redirection; send your dog to her pedestal (shown here) and reward her there with a treat or petting.

WHAT TO EXPECT: Results will vary depending on how sound-shy your dog is. Some dogs (such as gun-dog breeds) may not startle at all from the sound.

STEPS:

1 Put a few pennies in an empty soda can.

2 Sneak up on your dog when she has her head buried in the trash can …

3 … and shake the shaker-can!

4 “What happened?” Act like you don’t know where that sound came from.

5 Send your dog to her pedestal for a positive reward.

Hyperactivity

TEACH IT:

When a dog is hyper, any attention (whether good or bad) can reinforce or escalate the behavior. Therefore, when a dog is overly excited, we use the “least reinforcing scenario” to calm the situation.

1 When you play with your dog, there may come a time when she is too hyper, and you wish to de-escalate the situation.

2 Stop the game, turn your back on your dog, and ignore her.

3 Your dog will be a little unsure of what to do and will soon calm down and look at you.

4 Once she gives you calm attention, the game can resume. The game is her reward for the calm attention.

WHAT TO EXPECT: Every time your dog is too hyper, remove your attention. And every time she gives you calm eye contact, reward her with your attention. With every repetition, your dog will learn this game and will be quicker to give you her calm eye contact.

STEPS:

1 When your dog is too hyper, you may wish to de-escalate the situation.

2 Turn your back on your dog and remove your attention.

3 Your dog will soon calm down and look at you.

4 Once she gives you calm attention, the game can resume.

Barking

TEACH IT:

If your dog barks while you are not home, there is not a lot you can do other than control the environment (such as closing the blinds so your dog can’t see out the windows). This page deals with the problem of your dog barking excessively while you are home. There are different reasons why your dog may be barking; address each one with its proper technique.

1 Barking because she wants to go outside: Install some doggy doorbells and teach her to use them to alert you (shown here).

2 Alert barking: If she sees something novel outside (a strange car or a squirrel) she may be trying to alert you. Go look, and assure her “It’s nothing, settle down.”

3 Barking for attention: Don’t let your dog get in the habit of demanding attention from you by repeatedly barking at you. When she does this, REMOVE your attention.

4 Barking to scare away people: As much as it is in your control, do not allow this to be an effective technique. Instead, engage your dog when she turns her attention back to you.

5 Having your dog lie down (shown here) should cause her to stop barking.

WHAT TO EXPECT: Some types of barking are easier than others to stop. Excitable barking will be very difficult to change unless you are incredibly consistent with your training.

STEPS:

1 Barking to go outside: Doggy doorbells.

2 Alert barking: Go look.

3 Barking for attention: Remove your attention when she barks.

4 Barking to scare away people: Engage her when she looks at you.

5 Lying down should stop the barking.

Puppy Biting, Nipping

TEACH IT:

As puppies’ baby teeth grow in, they have the urge to bite on things, including your finger, nose, and ear. We gently inform the puppy (without punishment) that we don’t like this behavior.

1 Puppies have control over how hard they bite. YOU decide what is an acceptable pressure.

2 If your puppy bites too hard, say, “Ouch! That hurt! I’m not playing with you anymore,” and turn your back on your puppy.

3 After about 10 seconds, go back to playing with your puppy. Keep repeating this process.

WHAT TO EXPECT: Your puppy values your attention and engagement. Your puppy will learn that every time he bites too hard, he loses you. He will learn to not bite hard.

STEPS:

1 YOU decide how hard your puppy is allowed to bite.

2 Say, “Ouch! That hurt! I’m not playing with you anymore.”

3 After 10 seconds, go back to playing with your puppy.

Peeing: Submissive or Excited

TEACH IT:

Is your dog housetrained … until a visitor reaches for him? Does he immediately squat to pee in excitement or roll onto his back and pee from submissive fear? Manage this issue with these simple steps.

1 Potty your dog often to help her be successful. Clean and deodorize accidents when they do happen.

2 Visitors should approach your dog sideways, and not face forward as this could be intimidating and cause submissive peeing.

3 Visitors should get down low when they approach your dog.

4 Allow the dog to have an escape route. Don’t let her feel boxed in.

5 Don’t reach for the dog or hover over the dog.

6 Don’t look directly at the dog, as this could be intimidating for her.

WHAT TO EXPECT: This behavioral problem can absolutely be fixed. The more successful experiences your dog has, where she meets people without peeing, the faster her learning will progress. Don’t push too fast … focus on successful experiences.

STEPS:

1 Potty your dog often and clean up accidents.

2 Approach the dog sideways, not face-on.

3 Get down low when approaching the dog.

4 Make sure the dog has an escape route.

5 Don’t reach over the dog.

6 Don’t look directly at the dog.

Peeing: Marking Behavior

TEACH IT:

Territorial urine marking is a difficult behavior to extinguish. Below are some techniques you can use to reduce this problem behavior.

1 Clean soiled areas thoroughly with a cleaner specifically designed to eliminate urine odor, as dogs will re-mark those areas. Make previously soiled areas inaccessible, or else feed and play with your dog in the areas where he marks.

2 Watch your dog; when he begins to urinate, interrupt him with a loud noise and take him outside.

3 Put away items likely to cause marking, such as guests’ belongings and new purchases.

WHAT TO EXPECT: If your dog has been marking for a long time, a pattern has already been established which will be difficult to break, even with spaying or neutering. Multiple dog households, particularly those with more than one male dog, may find this behavior even more prevalent and difficult to prevent.

STEPS:

1 Clean soiled areas. Make those areas inaccessible, or feed and play in those areas with your dog.

2 When he begins to urinate, interrupt him with a loud noise and take him outside.

3 Put away items likely to cause marking, such as guests’ belongings and new purchases.

Humping

TEACH IT:

Humping is a behavior male dogs do when they mate. But dogs may hump other things and for other reasons. They mount furniture, stuffed toys, and people. Dogs may hump when they are excited, and it is common in puppies.

1 When a dog is humping a person, the person should just get up and walk away, which teaches the dog that this is an unacceptable behavior.

2 Some dogs hump as a dominance behavior. Tell your dog “no.”

3 The best way to handle humping is with positive redirection. Distract the dog with a game or by asking for a trick.

4 This gives the dog a chance to be a “good dog” and receive the attention he is wanting.

WHAT TO EXPECT: Puppies and dogs outgrow this behavior as they age. It may still be common to see a brief bout of humping when the dog is playful and excited.

STEPS:

1 When a dog is humping a person, the person should just get up and walk away.

2 Some dogs hump as a dominance behavior. Tell your dog “no.”

3 Use positive redirection. Distract the dog by asking for a trick.

4 This gives the dog a chance to be a “good dog” and receive the attention he is wanting.

Growling at You

TEACH IT:

Here are some steps to managing common growling situations.

1 Food bowl growling: Occasionally, while your dog is eating, walk over and drop a treat in his bowl. He’ll learn you are not trying to take food from him. Alternately, toss a treat away from the bowl.

2 Growling on the bed or under the bed: Don’t make this a battle. Simply lure your dog off or out with a treat. You are patterning her to obey, whether she realizes it or not. Do not give her the treat; ask her for a sit or other behavior, and then reward that good behavior.

3 Growling to protect a toy or bone: Have a better toy to trade for it.

WHAT TO EXPECT: We don’t want to get bitten, but we also don’t want to reward our dog for growling. So instead, we use positive redirection. We get our dog out of the growling situation, ask her for an alternate behavior, and then reward that good behavior.

STEPS:

1 Food bowl growling: While your dog is eating, drop a treat in his bowl. Alternately, toss a treat away from the bowl.

2 Growling on the bed or under the bed: Lure your dog off or out with a treat, but don’t give it to her. Instead, ask for a sit and then give her the treat.

3 Growling to protect a toy or bone: Have a better toy to trade for it.

Aggression (Muzzle Training)

TEACH IT:

Muzzles no longer have the negative connotation of the past. Nowadays, muzzles are recognized as a humane way of allowing your dog the freedom to be in public without the danger of aggression toward another dog or person. It is the correct, responsible thing to do—both for your dog and for the public. Never force the muzzle on your dog. Instead, train her to put it on willingly using these steps.

1 First introduce the muzzle to your dog with some yummy peanut butter.

2 Dab peanut butter on the inside of the muzzle. Allow your dog to put her snout in and lick it. You can also feed her treats through the front of the muzzle.

3 Once she is comfortable with that, buckle the strap behind her head.

4 She will want to fuss with the muzzle, so immediately take her on a walk to distract her.

WHAT TO EXPECT: When paired with positive experiences such as treats or walks, dogs take to muzzles quite readily. You’ll most likely find that your dog will receive more walks and outings with you, now that you are relieved of the apprehension of a potential biting situation.

STEPS:

1 Introduce the muzzle with some peanut butter.

2 Dab peanut butter inside the muzzle or feed her treats through the front.

3 Buckle the strap behind her head.

4 Immediately take her on a walk to distract her.

Lunging at Bikes, etc.

TEACH IT:

Does your dog bark and lunge at passing bikes, skateboards, motorcycles, and cars? The more you allow your dog to engage in this predatory behavior, the worse it will become; interrupt the behavior with these steps.

1 Create distance by moving away from the vehicle.

2 Get your dog used to the object by having it be still and then gradually moving it back and forth. Your goal is to get your dog bored with it.

3 Redirect your dog; when she starts to focus in on the vehicle, get her attention by having her do a trick or giving her treats or doing something fun. Ideally, you want to pattern her so that every time she sees a bicycle, she whips her head around to look at you instead.

WHAT TO EXPECT: Instinctual drives, such as a chase drive, are always difficult to control. These three exercises are the best ways to eventually reduce the drive, although it may take several months to see a change.

STEPS:

1 Create distance by moving away from the vehicle.

2 Move the object back and forth until your dog gets bored with it.

3 Redirect your dog with a treat or by doing something fun.

Safely Break up a Dog Fight

TEACH IT:

Hopefully you’ll never have to break up a dog fight, but it’s important to be prepared to do it safely.

1 Recognize a potential dog fight before it starts and prevent it from escalating by clapping your hands or spraying the dog’s nose with a water spray bottle.

2 If the dogs are engaged in a fight, pour a bucket of water on them.

3 If the dogs are locked on, you’ll have to pull them apart. Identify the aggressor (the dog whose mouth is locked onto the other dog). Use your foot to sweep his back leg to test his reaction. He probably won’t react, but it’s safer to risk his biting your shoe than your hand.

4 Lift his back legs off the ground. This will remove his leverage, so he won’t have tearing force on the other dog. Pull back slightly so that when the dog finally releases his jaws, he’ll be pulled away from the fight.

5 When the dog releases his jaws, walk backward, pulling him with you. In extreme cases, the dog will redirect his aggression onto you. Avoid this situation by continuing to walk backward so he is unable to get his head to you. You can also spin in place, so that centrifical force keeps the dog’s head spinning away from you.

WHAT TO EXPECT: This method of lifting the dog’s rear legs is effective. Don’t be in a rush, as the dog will be much less harmful to the other dog once he is in this lifted position. Once the dogs are separated, be aware that they may immediately try to engage again, so keep them separated.

STEPS: