Chapter 14: Solving Behavioral Problems

Are you beginning to wonder where that irresistible bundle of fur you brought home just five or six short months ago went? Has that cute puppy grown into an incorrigible adolescent who ignores basic commands, such as Sit, Stay, and Come? Does he dig, chew, or bark incessantly? Ransack the kitchen trash cans and overturn the outside garbage? Fence-fight with the neighbor’s Poodles? Raid the cat’s litterbox? Embarrass you in front of your friends and in-laws? Are you thinking that your ruffian is beyond hope? Think you should have bought a cat instead?

In the Real World

It is OK to think and tell everyone that your dog is perfect. He probably is—even when he is being a little bit naughty. In a perfect world, your dog would never get into trouble. What a paradise that would be! Unfortunately, that is utopia, not the real world, and in the world of dogdom, utopia exists only in your dreams. It is unrealistic to expect any dog to go through his life without getting into some sort of mischief or developing an annoying habit or two. Here is why: dogs and humans view the world differently. Dogs have different priorities. They live in the moment. They sniff rear ends, roll in stinky stuff, drink toilet water, and ravage your trash. They chase cars, cats, and kids on bicycles. They swipe food off counters and pee indiscriminately around the house. Again, perfectly normal behaviors from a dog’s point of view.

Despite what many owners think, a dog’s brain is not hardwired to be vindictive. Dogs don’t lie around, conjuring up ways to make your life more difficult. When left to their own devices, they will do exactly what they feel like doing at that moment, be it shredding the couch, digging up your vegetable garden, or eating the linoleum. Problems arise in the human–canine relationship because most if not all of these behaviors are objectionable to owners. A terrier’s fanatical digging or an Australian Cattle Dog’s persistent heel-nipping is not abnormal but rather perfectly normal canine behavior.

Studies indicate that behavioral problems are one of the top reasons that dogs are surrendered to humane societies, abandoned, or given away. Thousands of truly wonderful dogs are euthanized for doing what comes naturally and breaking rules they never knew existed.

That said, you are not a bad owner for not wanting your dog to hike his leg on your couch, bolt out the door, or steal food off the table. The joy of interacting with a dog is the primary reason that most people have them as pets. However, when a dog’s extracurricular activities cause him to wear out his welcome, interacting with him is not nearly as much fun. Don't despair. Most adolescent behaviors—even the most exasperating ones—are quite predictable and easily remedied.

Trouble starts with “T,” and that stands for “turkey bones in the garbage can.”

Why Dogs Do What They Do

Canine genetics and behavior are complex topics well beyond the scope of this book. Without delving too deeply into the complexities of either, most dog behaviors fall into one of two categories: medical or behavioral.

Medical Issues

A number of seemingly naughty adolescent acts may actually be the result of an existing medical condition. If your dog is having house-training issues around the house, for instance, a urinary-tract infection, diabetes, or renal disease could be the cause; these are just a few of the painful medical conditions that can make getting outside to potty a problem for some dogs, making accidents in the house more common. Any number of health issues, from allergies and hormonal imbalances to serious diseases, could be to blame for house-training issues.

Think your dog has a temperament problem? Consider that pain, such as from a broken tooth, a fractured bone, a torn ligament, a pinched nerve, sore muscles, and so forth, can cause an otherwise friendly dog to growl, bite, or snap. Teething, while not a medical problem, per se, can cause puppies and young dogs to chew and chew and chew—usually on inappropriate items—to relieve the discomfort associated with teething. If your dog is showing signs of any behavior problems, first have him checked out by a veterinarian.

Behavioral Issues

Absent any medical issues, your dog’s naughty behaviors may be caused by one or more factors—some of which you may inadvertently be causing. Before you throw up your hands and say, “I've tried, but my dog is too hard to train,” consider that years ago, before dogs became our constant companions and treasured family members, most were bred for a specific working purpose, be it hunting, herding, guarding, or retrieving. The full-time jobs for which these dogs were originally bred required enormous amounts of energy, drive, stamina, courage, tenacity, and intelligence.

Border Collies, for example, have been bred for hundreds of years with a single goal in mind—improved herding ability. These hardy, intense, type-A, get-it-done-right-now dogs can cover long distances, work in all weather conditions, and perform their duties for hours on end. The qualities that make them superior working dogs are the very qualities that can make them unsuitable as urban pets. Moving a Border Collie from a pasture to the city, or taking a Labrador Retriever from a marsh to a backyard, does not squash the dog’s innate desire to work. Therefore, before you blame the dog, consider that the problem may be as simple as lack of sufficient exercise.

Boredom: All dogs, regardless of their size or breed, need daily physical and mental stimulation. Absent adequate physical and mental stimulation, most dogs become bored, and then it is only a matter of time before they get into trouble—leaving a path of destruction in their wake. Chewing walls, uprooting your dahlias, and barking brainlessly are a few of the ways that bored dogs entertain themselves and burn excess energy.

Oftentimes, boredom can lead to obsessive compulsive or self-destructive behaviors, such as tail-chasing and excessive licking or chewing. You can prevent many of these unwanted behaviors by offering your dog more opportunities for physical and mental exercise. A tired dog is a good dog because he is more inclined to take a nice long nap instead of getting himself into trouble.

Don't forget to exercise your dog’s brain, too, because mental stimulation is as important as physical exercise. Think of how much brainpower you use while accomplishing a new task, whether it’s learning the latest smartphone app, balancing your checkbook, or even working on a crossword puzzle. Dogs are no different, and learning new tricks can really tax their brains. Trick training is excellent for stimulating a dog’s brain because it teaches him to think, to learn, and to use his senses of smell and his hearing.

Time spent interacting with your dog and teaching him fun tricks also helps build a better human–canine relationship. Puzzle games are available for dogs and owners to play, as are various types of food-dispensing toys that will help keep a dog’s mind busy.

Lack of Understanding or Training

Dogs are clever, but they cannot read our minds. They do not come preprogrammed, knowing how to understand our language or how to sit, come, or chew on their toys (as opposed to your expensive leather shoes). All of these behaviors must be trained, but too often owners expect their puppy or adult dog to do whatever is asked of him, regardless of whether or not he has been trained. Absent appropriate training and a consistent communication system, most dogs will inevitably get themselves into trouble.

Teaching your dog a basic vocabulary, including Sit, Come, Down, Stay, Walk Nicely on Leash, Leave It, Drop It, Go Potty, and so forth creates a foundation of communication. When your dog understands what you want, problems are less likely to arise. And your dog is more enjoyable to be around when he understands the rules and can follow them. Too often, problems occur between dog and owner as a result of a communication gap, which is caused when communication is unclear and a dog simply has no clue what his owner wants him to do. Most day-to-day problems can be managed or resolved with a combination of common sense and a consistent vocabulary and communication system.

Also, many owners expect their dogs to change or transform while the owners stay the same. If you are thinking that your dog needs to change but you don’t, you might be headed down a long road. It doesn't work that way. Dogs need guidance and direction, and owners must be willing to change and adapt, to do away with “old-school” thinking, and even to risk being vulnerable by seeking professional help from a trainer or behaviorist.

Is something new in your puppy’s environment to cause him distress? Puppies can be sensitive to new people, other animals, noises, odors, and so forth.

Stress: Compared to your busy life of juggling work and family, paying bills, cooking meals, sorting laundry, and a million other tasks, your dog’s life seems pretty cushy, right? For the most part, he’s living on Easy Street. However, many behavioral problems in dogs can be attributed to stress. Like humans, dogs can experience stress, and for similar reasons.

How a dog responds to negative stress is often dictated by a combination of genes and environment. Many poorly bred dogs can lack sound temperaments. Lack of socialization, unfamiliar surroundings, and the presence of other animals can trigger stress in some dogs. Dog parks bustling with chaotic canines of all sizes and temperaments are worrisome for many dogs. A sound-sensitive dog’s stress level is likely to skyrocket when he is confined to a noisy kennel or a room filled with loud, boisterous kids. Thunderstorms and fireworks traumatize many dogs as well.

Unfamiliar people or the constant stimulation of being in a crowd of people can stress even the sweetest, most easygoing dog, provoking him to bolt, growl, or snap. Plenty of show dogs shut down due to stressful, noisy, hectic show environments. Working dogs can become stressed when they think they have made a mistake or are displeasing their owners. Confining a high-energy sporting or herding breed to a small yard or apartment without adequate physical and mental stimulation also can trigger stress, possibly leading to neurotic or destructive behaviors.

Something as simple as learning a new command or trick can cause some dogs stress, depending on their temperaments, as can punitive training, such as shock, choke, or pinch collars. Unreasonable expectations, including pushing a puppy or adult dog beyond his mental or physical capabilities, can trigger anxiety and impede the dog’s ability to learn. Many seemingly innocuous events, such as another dog approaching or passing too closely, a food-bowl squabble between canine siblings, or a change in the owner’s schedule, can stress an otherwise happy dog. Chaotic households, including hyperactive children who cannot sit still or adults who frequently fight or yell can be stressful to the family dog, too.

As you can see, life can be pretty stressful for some dogs. These are only a few of the stress-triggering situations that can tether a dog to unwanted behaviors, including aggression, submissive urination, digging, chewing, barking, and general unruliness. Understanding your dog’s temperament and personality and reading his body language will go a long way in reducing his stress.

Solving Common Behavioral Problems

Dogs make us laugh, and, according to many studies, they can lower our blood pressure when we pet them, too. They can also drive us to the brink of insanity. While in moments of frustration and anger, it is easy to resort to punishment as a solution to your dog’s “naughty behaviors.” However, punishment rarely works. It might get you results in the short term, but at what cost? Yelling at, hitting, kicking, or berating your dog is not training—it is a crime in progress.

All training should be positive. Positive reinforcement is the method of choice for dog training, but equally important, if not more so, is the relationship you have with your dog. Every minute detail about the human–canine bond comes down to the relationship you have with your dog. How you look at him, talk to him, and pet him, and even the words you use to describe him, all reflect your relationship. So, too, do the methods you use to train him. Each dog’s needs differ, and it is important to know what your dog needs so you can figure out how to provide it for him in a safe, humane, and positive manner.

Dogs who are usually 100-percent reliable can suddenly act aggressively due to a variety of factors, including pain, fear, and hormones.

Aggression

Aggression is a tricky and complicated topic because it refers to a wide variety of behaviors that happen under equally wide and varying circumstances. Entire books have been written on the subject, and so prevalent are some forms of canine aggression that trainers and behaviorists specialize in rehabbing dogs with particular aggression issues.

Aggression is classified in different ways based on the function or purpose of the aggression. Some of the most prevalent types include:

•defensive aggression

•dominance-related aggression

•fear aggression

•resource-guarding or possession aggression

•social aggression

•territorial aggression

Less common types of aggression include

•frustration-elicited aggression

•redirected aggression

•pain-elicited aggression

•sex-related aggression

•predatory aggression

Further complicating the matter is the not-so-simple act of identifying the type of aggression that your dog is displaying. To say a dog is aggressive can mean a whole host of things. If a dog growls and barks as you approach his property, is he being aggressive? If a Pomeranian sitting on his owner’s lap snaps at you as you pass by, is he being aggressive? When an injured dog lashes out, is he being aggressive?

Aggression, with the possible exception of pain aggression, typically doesn’t happen overnight. Some dogs are born with sour temperaments and skewed visions of the world. However, a dog is not hardwired to wake up one day and think, “I plan to bite my owner today,” or, “I think I'll bite the neighbor on my walk today.” Generally speaking, owners inadvertently allow their dogs to develop improper behaviors and subsequently follow a path of aggression.

For most aggression, there are many warning signals that culminate in an attack. Warning signs are sometimes very obvious and include:

•barking or growling, sometimes explosive, which is intended to make the other dog (or person) move away so that a fight does not ensue

•lips drawn back to expose teeth

•tense body language, generally oriented in a forward motion and fully adrenalized

•eyes strong, staring, and making direct eye contact with the other animal or person

•tail raised, usually held over the dog’s back

Some warning signals can be subtle but equally important to recognize. These are signals that many owners tend to overlook:

•low, sometimes barely audible, growl

•guttural bark that sounds threatening

•curled lip

•ears drawn back

•quick nip that leaves no mark

•dog attempts to retreat to safety but is unable to or feels trapped

The more adept you are at recognizing potential problems, the sooner you can put a stop to them.

Always a serious problem, aggression is a complex behavior, and rooting out the underlying cause and rectifying it can be tricky. Most dog owners, whether novice or experienced, are not adequately skilled to handle aggression-related issues. More often than not, they use aggression to treat aggression, which is futile. Aggression begets aggression.

If you suspect that your dog has an aggression issue, it is your responsibility as the dog’s owner to decide how to treat the issue or to seek an alternative solution. Living with an aggressive dog is inherently risky, with the risk escalating depending on the dog’s personality, temperament, and size. After ruling out any medical issues that might be the underlying cause, you should seek professional help from a trainer or behaviorist who is specifically trained in dealing with canine aggression and can provide a modification program designed specifically for your dog’s temperament and environment.

Years of scientific studies have yielded the astonishing discovery that most barking means, “Hey, look at me!”

Barking

It's natural for dogs to bark, and it is highly unlikely that your dog is barking for no reason. Granted, some days it may seem as if your dog is barking just to hear himself bark. So what’s the deal? Do dogs bark just to hear the sound of their own voices, or are they conveying specific messages?

Interestingly, little research has been done on the true meaning of barking. Sophia Lin, DVM, MS, whose research points back to published works from the 1960s and 1970s, believes that our domestic dogs are so different from their wild ancestors that most barking is just a loud, obnoxious way for dogs to say, “Hey! Look at me!” as opposed to a specific form of communication. The more specific information, experts believe, comes from reading body language.

It's no surprise that more than a few owners and some accomplished researchers and behaviorists disagree. Much information about a dog’s barking remains a mystery; however, as a dog owner, you know that dogs bark when they get excited, when they are playing with their canine buddies, and when the doorbell rings. They bark to alert their owners to intruders or protect their territory. They bark when they are fearful or anxious or when they are left alone. Some dogs bark out of boredom, loneliness, or frustration. They bark at kids, passing cars, the mail carrier, the wind, the trees, the clouds rolling by, and a million other stimuli. They bark when it’s feeding time. Some dogs bark when you play with them. Some bark when you won’t play with them. Some barkers might be spoiled or neurotic, or they lack adequate socialization or obedience training. Chronic barkers can drive people crazy and give the rest of the canine species an earsplitting bad name.

You can learn a lot from listening to the pitch of your dog’s barking. Some barks are high pitched while others are low pitched, and some are more guttural. This may help you decode why your dog is barking. Most owners of chronic barkers, however, just want some peace and quiet.

Barking can be a complicated and multifaceted problem. For the most part, many dogs, regardless of their size, bark excessively because well-intended owners inadvertently allow their dogs to develop the habit of barking. It’s one of those behaviors that might be cute for a four-month-old puppy but not so cute when he’s three years old and barking at anything and everything. Some owners mistakenly think that dogs outgrow annoying behaviors, so they do nothing.

The best prevention against future barking is smart puppy management. It is much easier to prevent barking habits from developing in a puppy than it is to rehab a chronic offender. Properly socializing your puppy will help teach him not to bark incessantly. Also, never encourage your puppy or adolescent dog to bark. For example, when the doorbell rings, avoid saying things like, “Who’s there?” or “Let’s go see!” This can hype him up and encourage him to bark. Again, it may be funny when he’s a cute puppy, but it is not so funny or easy to stop once the behavior becomes ingrained.

Equally important, never allow your puppy to be in situations where he can develop bad habits. For example, leaving him in the backyard all day unsupervised, where he gets used to barking at constant stimuli, such as the sound of other dogs barking, a cat on the fence, birds flying overhead, and pedestrians passing. Barking at environmental stimuli is often self-rewarding for dogs. A dog barks at the mail carrier and, when the mail carrier leaves, the dog thinks, “Look how smart I am! My barking made that person leave!”

Dogs housed indoors can also develop barking habits. If, for instance, your dog sits on the furniture and stares out the window, the outdoor environment can present many opportunities for barking.

A lot of barking can be traced to a lack of physical or mental exercise. Absent appropriate exercise, most dogs release their excess energy through barking, chewing, or digging. In these situations, the solution might be as simple as some vigorous daily exercise, be it walking, jogging, hiking, swimming, obedience training, interactive play, or trick training, with the added benefit of strengthening the human–canine relationship.

If your dog is barking to get attention, it’s best to ignore him until he quiets down and then calmly praise with “Good quiet” or “Good boy.” It’s challenging, but try to avoid shouting “No!” or “Shut up!” at your dog. While it may seem like a good idea at the time, in your dog’s mind, negative attention is better than no attention at all. By “barking” back at your dog, you are inadvertently giving him what he wants, which is attention.

Rather than wait until the problem gets out of control, teach your dog not to bark by calmly praising and rewarding him when he is quiet with “Good quiet” or “Good no bark.” Think of all of the situations in which you can praise and reinforce him for being quiet, such as when he’s patiently waiting for dinner, when you are putting on his leash, when you’re riding in the car, when he is with the veterinarian or groomer, or when he stops barking at the door.

Taking a positive-reinforcement approach is always best. While various types of no-bark collars, such as electric or citronella, are readily available, they do not address the root problem, which is why your dog is barking. An aggressive approach that punishes your dog will undoubtedly confuse or traumatize him. Positive reinforcement in the form of treats, verbal praise, or his favorite toy remains more productive than punishment.

Finally, dogs learn not to bark or learn an appropriate alternative to barking when their owners are there to teach them. If your dog is left to his own devices most of the day, you can’t expect him to learn on his own.

Bad Rap for Little Dogs

Interestingly, small dogs, such as Chihuahuas, Toy Poodles, Westies, and Norfolk Terriers, often get a bad rap for being yappy, yet there are no existing studies that indicate small dogs are more vocal than their large-breed counterparts. That said, it doesn’t require scientific research to state the fact that some dogs are simply noisier than others.

At the risk of generalizing, it can be said that Shetland Sheepdogs are notorious for barking. Plenty of northern breeds—including Siberian Huskies and Alaskan Malamutes—love to howl, and scenthound breeds such as Beagles, Basset Hounds, and all of the coonhounds, were bred to give voice while working, which is to say that they are pretty vocal. The Finnish Spitz’s bark is so prized that it is demonstrated in show rings in Scandinavia.

Some dogs have a propensity to bark, and some are harder to keep quiet than others. “Woof! There’s a raccoon up that tree! Woof! A leaf just fell from the tree! Woof! I’m a pretty pup! Woof! I’m here!” The good news is that dogs with serious barking problems can learn to be quiet. It takes time, commitment, and positive reinforcement, but it can be done.

Is Debarking a Viable Option?

For responsible owners facing eviction or fines, and those just plain frustrated with attempts at discipline, behavior modification, and environmental manipulation, peace and quiet may come in the form of a vocal chordectomy. Debarking, or bark softening, is a surgical procedure in which a dog’s vocal-cord tissue is reduced in order to decrease the noise produced by barking. A dog still barks, but the noise will not be as loud—ranging from a barely audible whisper to a raspy, horse sound.

Much misinformation surrounds this highly controversial procedure that has sparked heated debates among owners, breeders, trainers, veterinarians, and animal-rights activists. Debarking does not address the reason or the behavior that triggers the dog’s barking. So owners may be ignoring the root of the problem, and, as a result, many dogs will continue to be frustrated or neurotic. Their barking just won’t be as loud.

Despite the controversy, many experts and organizations, including the American Kennel Club (AKC) and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) believe that debarking is a viable option in some cases because the alternative for many chronic barkers is euthanasia.

Debarking is a permanent procedure done under anesthesia, and it has all of the risks associated with anesthesia. The can vary dramatically. Look for a veterinarian who is experienced at performing this procedure.

Desperate but not starving, beggars at the table can only be cured cold turkey (not offering cold turkey, chicken, or anything else!).

Begging

While begging is a natural behavior for dogs, it is also regularly reinforced either intentionally or inadvertently by well-meaning owners. It doesn’t take long for this natural behavior to become an annoying ingrained behavior. It’s adorable when a ten-week-old puppy sits up and whimpers for a potato chip, but it’s not so cute when your 70-pound Golden Retriever drools, pesters you, and nudges you at the dining-room table.

Dogs do what is rewarding for them. If a dog begs and gets a tidbit of food, he will continue the behavior. Dogs are quick studies when it comes to begging, and it’s a short leap from sad eyes to seasoned beggar. If you constantly feed your dog at the table, you shouldn’t be mortified when he begs the in-laws for a hunk of steak and baked potato. On the other hand, if your dog begs, and you ignore him, it’s highly likely that he will discontinue the behavior.

Generally speaking, it’s not a good idea to allow your puppy to beg. However, it all comes down to how you expect your puppy to act when he is an adult dog. If you don’t want him begging three years down the road, you should discourage the behavior from day one. For example, use a baby gate to corral him away from the family’s dining area, and offer him a tasty chew toy of his own. This allows you to enjoy your meal without your puppy’s nagging you and your family. Puppies who never learn to beg grow into adult dogs who do not beg.

Preventing begging is easy. The hard part is getting cooperation from family members and visitors to your home. They must understand that this is a zero-tolerance policy. No one—this includes kids, in-laws, and neighbors—feeds the dog from the table or at any other time while he or she is eating.

If your puppy or adolescent dog is already begging, chances are good that someone is sneaking him tidbits of food. If you can’t resist sharing your food, and some owners cannot, put scraps in the refrigerator and feed them at a later time as training treats. Use the treats to teach your puppy to sit up and beg properly—as a trick!

Puppies will chew anything they can get their paws (and teeth!) on. Direct your puppy’s chewing to items that you provide for this purpose. Sticks in the yard, rocks in the grass, and mahogany legs in the dining room are off-limits!

Chewing

Just as death and taxes and cats clawing your furniture are inevitable, so too is chewing. Puppies and adult dogs chew. There’s no getting around it. Interestingly, chewing is almost always lumped in with behavioral problems that need to be prevented rather than a natural canine behavior that should be managed by providing appropriate chew toys.

If your puppy or adolescent dog has turned into a one-dog demolition team—chewing drywall, carpet, linoleum, table legs, shoes, purses, and everything else he can get his teeth on—you definitely have a problem. But don’t despair; you’re not alone. The good news is that it’s a relatively simple behavior to curtail—even for an aggressive chewer who might be wreaking havoc in your household right now!

Few owners escape canine ownership without losing a pair of slippers, a remote control or two, a cell phone, or a pair of eyeglasses (always the most expensive ones!) Understanding why dogs chew will go a long way in managing the behavior.

Teething, which is the process of shedding baby teeth and growing permanent teeth, can cause an uncontrollable urge to chew as a means of relieving some of the discomfort and as a way to facilitate the removal of baby teeth. Dogs also chew when they are bored, frustrated, or anxious or when they are suffering from separation anxiety.

The key to minimizing destruction is managing your puppy’s environment so he can’t get himself into trouble. Ideally, this is best accomplished with baby gates so you can keep him in designated parts of the house, such as the kitchen or family room. Any puppy left unsupervised is trouble waiting to happen, and you should not be surprised when you come home to find a boatload of destruction.

Remember the puppy-proofing tips we discussed earlier? Before bringing your puppy home, be sure you have done your due diligence and picked up everything and anything your puppy is likely to chew. Have an exercise pen or crate ready. Do not wait until you think you need one. If you have a puppy, you need one.

When you cannot closely supervise your puppy, such as when you need to jump in the shower, mow the lawn, make dinner, and the like, keep him confined in the ex-pen, the crate, or a puppy-proofed area with a safe chew toy, such as a food-stuffed toy, bully stick, or marrow bone.

From day one, you must know where your puppy is and what he is doing at all times. This may seem a bit excessive, but it can’t be emphasized enough. Would you take your eyes off a newborn baby? Of course not. It takes less than five minutes for a tenacious chewer to tear a hole in drywall, shred an electrical cord, gnaw on a table leg, or turn a designer pillow into confetti.

Supervising your puppy not only allows you to monitor his whereabouts but also allows you to direct his chewing to appropriate items. If you catch your puppy chewing on something he should not be chewing on, such as your iPad or new leather boots, tell him “Trade you!” as you exchange the forbidden item for an acceptable chew toy. No need to punish, yell, scold, or berate him.

Make unacceptable items, such as table or chair legs or walls (corners are particularly attractive to puppies) unpleasant to your puppy by spraying them with a no-chew spray (available in pet-supply stores) that leaves a bitter taste.

As with most unwanted behaviors, the root cause of chewing is often a lack of physical or mental exercise. Therefore, be sure that your puppy receives plenty of both on a daily basis so that he doesn’t use his excess energy to gnaw on your furniture and belongings.

Being proactive and providing your puppy with plenty of appropriate chews and mental-stimulation items will help minimize the mayhem. As your puppy grows and matures, his desire to chew will diminish. However, continuing to provide him with appropriate chew toys will help exercise his jaws, keep his teeth clean, and entertain him for a few hours.

Coprophagia

Here is a statistic that you are not likely to hear at a dinner party: 24 percent of dogs have been caught eating poop, and 16 percent are serious poop eaters, meaning that they have been seen doing it at least five times. If that doesn't impress partygoers, throw out this statistic: 15 percent of dogs eat their own poop, while a whopping 85 percent eat the feces of other dogs. Somehow, those stats do not make the behavior any less distasteful! And if that isn’t enough, more than 90 percent of dogs ate only stools that were one to two days old, and 75 percent ate stools only within the first twenty-four hours.

Why do dogs engage in coprophagia (the fancy term for this behavior)? No one really knows for certain, but it stands to reason that because dogs evolved thousands of years ago as scavengers, their discriminating palates are not too, well, discriminating.

Interestingly, spayed females (19 percent) are the most likely to eat poop. While the study did not mention intact females, it seems logical that females are the worst offenders, as mama dogs stimulate their puppies to defecate by licking them and then clean up after them by eating the excrement. So it appears that poop eating may be in your dog’s DNA.

What can you do about it? Not a lot. Research indicates that the behavior has nothing to do with a dog’s diet. Yelling, chasing the dog away, electronic collars, or any other type of punishment does not work, either. None of the commercial anticoprophagia products (such as an additive that you sprinkle on your dog’s food to make his poop unappealing to dogs) has been proven to work. Better to invest your money in a pooper-scooper (or two!) because promptly cleaning up after your dog seems to be the best solution. And count your blessings that it’s only poop and not rocks, wood chips, socks, or other inedible items that can cause life-threatening intestinal blockages.

Counter Surfing

Counter surfing might seem like a funny habit, but it should be discouraged as soon as your puppy can reach the counter. When your older and bolder (and taller) puppy checks out the table and countertops, he isn’t being naughty in his mind. After all, your puppy is observant, and he knows that you keep the good “people food” and that jar of dog treats on the kitchen counters.

There are several ways to curb counter-surfing behavior. One is to keep your counters free of food and treats; that way, if your dog does take a peek around, there won’t be anything to swipe. This is not always realistic or practical, though. After all, who does not occasionally have a package of hot dogs thawing on the counter? And who has not had to run to the bathroom or stop to answer the door while cooking breakfast or dinner? That small window of opportunity is all it takes for an enterprising young dog to snatch a donut or turkey leg or pot roast.

An alternative is to have baby gates strategically placed to corral your puppy and keep him out of the kitchen and away from countertops. Another option is to have him drag his leash around the house. When you see his front feet headed in the direction of the countertop, grab his leash and guide his feet back to the floor while telling him “No!” or “Off!” Do so swiftly and immediately so that it’s clear to your puppy that putting his feet on the counter (or table) is unacceptable. Then be sure to reward him with plenty of praise and treats for sitting on the floor. At some point, the light bulb will turn on, and he will realize that counter surfing doesn’t work to get food, but sitting nicely does.

An interesting alternative, which is championed by England’s top obedience trainer, Sylvia Bishop, is to get mad at the counter—not the dog. She suggests hitting your hand on the countertop while you reprimand it: “Bad counter! Shame on you! You’re a bad counter!” Granted, it sounds nutty, and anyone within earshot will think you have gone utterly mad, but the theory is that the dog is so shocked at the ruckus caused by the “bad counter” that he steers clear of it. Surprisingly, when done properly, it works.

Finally, another suggestion is to purchase a “scat mat,” which is a touch-sensitive mat that emits low-power electronic pulses similar to static electricity. Place the battery-operated mat on the counter (it works on furniture, too), and when the dog’s feet touch it, he gets a mild zap, which is usually enough to keep the dog from returning to the scene of the potential crime.

If you can’t stop your digger from excavating your garden, you might consider providing a special area of the yard for the dog to practice digging.

Digging

You may loathe your dog’s digging—especially when he uproots your newly planted African violets or vegetable starters, but dogs love to dig. It’s another natural canine behavior that owners usually tag as naughty or unwanted. Some dogs love to dig more than others. Terriers, for example, were originally bred to “go to ground,” which means that their job is to root out vermin from underground dens. Trying to suppress a terrier’s natural instinct to dig is a losing battle. A losing battle for you—not the dog.

Of course, if your dog digs, and you don’t have a problem with potholes and craters in your yard or garden, you have nothing to worry about. Let him dig away, provided it is safe for him to do so. If, on the other hand, you find his digging unacceptable, understanding why your dog is digging will help you to curtail his full-time job as chief excavator.

Dogs dig for a couple of reasons. For some dogs, such as terriers, digging is in their DNA. Dogs dig to bury their favorite toys or bones. Others dig to find cool spots to escape the heat. Some dogs are attracted to the smell of manure and love to dig and roll in fresh soil and newly fertilized gardens. Most dogs, especially high-drive or high-energy dogs, dig out of frustration or boredom to entertain themselves. These dogs were bred for a specific purpose, such as herding or retrieving, and have an abundance of energy. They’ll never be happy sitting around the yard, staring at a fence, without adequate physical and mental activity.

The best solution for digging is prevention. If your dog is bored, you will need to find an appropriate job for him to burn off excess energy and exercise his mind and body. It need not be the job for which he was originally bred, but it can be anything that you and he enjoy, such as swimming, herding, jogging, hiking, obedience training, or fetching a Frisbee or ball. In addition to physical exercise, try to come up with fun interactive games that stimulate his mind, such as trick training. Food-dispensing puzzles can exercise his brain as he tries to outsmart them. Chew toys can be stuffed with peanut butter or squeeze cheese, and they may provide your puppy with an hour or so of entertainment.

If your puppy is digging to escape the heat, the potholes in your yard may be the least of your problems. Most dogs, especially heavily coated breeds, black dogs, and brachycephalic (flat-faced, short-muzzled) breeds, do not tolerate hot weather. You need to get your dog out of the heat and provide him with a cool spot, such as an air-conditioned room or a place on the patio, out of the sun. For a long-term solution, you need to provide him with an outdoor refuge where he can escape the heat, such as a cool, grassy area with plenty of shade.

If digging is in his blood, set your dog up with his own piece of heaven. Find an out-of-the-way area of your yard, dig a pit, fill it with sand or clean soil, and teach your puppy to dig in his pit. Encourage him by hiding toys or bones in the pit and encouraging him to find them. Provide plenty of praise (“You found it!” or “Good boy!”) when he finds his toy and then play with him, bury the toy, and encourage him to find it again.

Also, do not allow your dog free access to the garden or yard areas where he can dig and wreak havoc. If you notice him digging somewhere other than his pit, run to his pit and encourage him to dig in it. Praise and reward.

As an alternative, fence off a section of the yard just for your dog and let him dig to his heart's content. This is much easier than trying to stop the digging.

Door Darting

While we know that puppies do not come preprogrammed, door darting may be the exception! Puppies, and more than a few adult dogs, love darting through open doors. Obviously, whatever is outside is more exciting and rewarding than what is indoors.

Puppies must be taught early on not to barge through doors or gateways; this is a dangerous behavior. Too many dogs have been lost, seriously injured, or even killed because they darted out open doors onto busy streets. Imagine stopping at a grocery store or rest area and having your puppy bolt out the car door—never to be seen again. Of course, you should always be traveling with your dog in a crate. An ounce of prevention can easily prevent a tragedy from happening.

The goal is to have your puppy sit and wait—or at the very least wait—while you open the door and go through first. Only when you release him with his release cue may he follow you. When you stop at the door, your puppy should stop, too. Think of it as a doggy version of asking “Please, may I go outside?”

For better control while teaching this exercise, it is helpful if your puppy is on leash. Some owners want their puppy to sit when they approach a door. Others don’t mind if the dog stands, as long as he isn’t diving at the door. You will need to decide your criteria and stick to it.

Approach a closed door with your puppy on leash.

Verbally praise (or click) and reward any tendencies not to lunge or bolt at the door. Be generous with the treats so your puppy understands that you pay well for desired behaviors.

If you’re going to require him to sit for this exercise, hold the food slightly over his head but close to his nose so that he is encouraged to drop his rear into a Sit.

Release him, back away from the door with the puppy, and then practice the door approach several times.

As he becomes more proficient at waiting (and sitting, if that’s a requirement), practice reaching for the doorknob and praising (or clicking) and rewarding for his not lunging or bolting at the door.

Progress to opening the door, then stepping through the door while the puppy remains sitting or standing in place, and then calling the puppy through the door.

To cement the behavior, put your release word to it, such as “Fido, OK,” so he understands that he must be released to go through the door, which will prevent him from bolting out the door as soon as you are through it.

Teach your puppy that being released to come through the door does not mean that he gets to tear off down the driveway or across the yard. Practicing these exercises on leash will teach him that he must pass through the door and stay close to you. Plenty of tasty rewards will help reinforce staying with you.

The same process can easily be adapted to car doors; however, teaching your puppy to ride in a crate is the best preventive measure. You will need to teach your puppy not to bolt out his crate door, or you can have problems with him escaping your grasp or running off into traffic.

Do down feathers taste like goose? It’s hard to know what makes a dog want to chow down on inappropriate stuff.

Eating Inappropriate Things (Pica)

Pica is the medical term for eating stuff that is simply not meant to be eaten. According to Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, “Pica is the medieval Latin name for the bird called the magpie, who, it is claimed, has a penchant for eating almost anything.’ So, basically, when your dog eats things he is not supposed to eat, such as cardboard, dirt, mulch, rocks, wood chips, carpeting, sticks, and socks, he’s behaving like a magpie.

Kidding aside, experts do not know why dogs (or people) eat inappropriate things. Some theorize that dogs who engage in pica may lack proper nutrients, suffer from a biological imbalance, or have a behavioral disorder. But, again, no scientific data exists to explain this oddity in dogs.

Because dogs don’t talk, and they can’t tell us why they like eating strange items, your veterinarian can help you rule out possible causes. Is he getting a balanced diet? Is he eating enough? Does he get plenty of options for appropriate chewing? Does he display any abnormal behaviors other than eating weird things? Is his health threatened by his penchant for eating strange nonedibles?

Treatment consists of stopping the behavior or, at the very least, monitoring it. Some items, such as rocks and wood chips, can cause serious intestinal blockages, which may require emergency surgery to unbind the intestines. Some dogs have been known to eat paper (cardboard, wrapping paper, telephone books) with seemingly no problem passing it in their stools. When in doubt, always seek veterinary attention, as many situations can be life-threatening.

Interestingly, calcarea carbonica, a homeopathic remedy that originates from crushed and powdered oyster shells, may benefit your pica-driven pooch. It may be worth a try; discuss this with your veterinarian.

No matter how irrational you deem your puppy’s phobias, they’re very real to him. Whether it’s the crackling of a fireplace, a police siren in the distance, or simply being alone, your response should be calm and reassuring (without rewarding the fear).

Fear and Phobias

Dogs who suffer from fear- or anxiety-related behaviors can pose real challenges for owners and trainers. Generally speaking, fear-related behaviors often stem from normal reactions that a dog would experience in the wild. His fight or flight reaction, for example, would be adaptive and advantageous in the wild because it would help him to survive. Dogs have been domesticated for thousands of years, and it stands to reason that fear-related behaviors would diminish through habituation. So why do some dogs still exhibit fear-related behaviors?

Some dogs have a genetic predisposition to fear, which can result from poor breeding and compounded with a lack of socialization. Fear can also be a learned behavior. A good example is the well-intended owner who misunderstands the purpose of socialization. For example, dragging an eight- or ten-week-old puppy by his leash while excited children surround him and reach out to pet him is not socialization. While it may not bother some dogs, the puppy who is trembling and shaking is undoubtedly overwhelmed and is learning to be afraid.

A puppy who is bullied or attacked by a bossy or aggressive dog can develop a fear of other dogs. Some dogs can be fearful of all dogs or just one particular dog or even one breed or one color of dog. A puppy who is smacked with a rolled-up newspaper can learn to be afraid of newspapers—and his owner! A dog who has a painful experience during a veterinary visit might start panting, drooling, and shaking the next time the car pulls into the clinic’s driveway.

Most, but certainly not all, dog-aggressive dogs have fear-based aggression. While it is easy to write them off as bad or untrainable, it’s important to know how these dogs became fearful in order to help them.

How frightened a dog remains throughout his life depends a lot on genetics, what countermeasures are taken during his development, and how traumatic and psychologically damaging the fearful event was for the puppy. A lot also depends on the owner’s emotional state at the time. If an owner goes into hysterical overload when his precious pooch is slightly nipped by another dog, the puppy will sense the owner’s panic and may possibly overreact himself.

Curing Phobias

Plenty of options exist when it comes to helping dogs with fears and phobias. If your dog needs help, don't hesitate to contact a veterinarian, behaviorist, or trainer. A professional may recommend nutritional programs, homeopathic supplements, flower essences, pharmacological treatment (e.g., benzodiazepines or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as fluoxetine and sertraline), exercise, obedience training, or trick training.

How cute is a puppy jumping up to say hello? Not at all. Turn your back and ignore him. Dogs must greet you on all fours.

Jumping Up

Have you ever seen dogs when they greet and play with their canine buddies? They mouth and jump on each other. It’s what dogs do. It’s great fun and perfectly acceptable doggy manners. Unfortunately, dogs don’t understand that many humans take offense to this behavior. Of course, you may not have a problem with your dog jumping on you—many owners do not. If, however, your puppy is a canine pogo stick, he may be cute now, but his antics will be far from amusing when he reaches his 80-pound adult weight.

If you do not want your puppy to grow into an adult dog who jumps up on you, you need to discourage the behavior while he is young and impressionable and hasn’t yet developed any bad habits. It is unfair to allow him to jump up when he’s a cute, irresistible puppy but then scold him for the same behavior as an adult dog. It’s equally unfair to allow him to jump on you when you’re in your gardening duds but not when you are dressed for work.

Try these tips to prevent jumping up:

•Teach him to sit for a treat. Dogs are smart, but even the smartest dog hasn’t figured out how to sit and jump at the same time!

•To prevent your puppy from jumping on visitors, put his leash on before you open the door to greet them. This will allow you to control the behavior without grabbing at his fur or collar. When he sits nicely without pawing or mauling your guests, reward him with a treat and calm verbal praise: “Good sit” or “That’s my good boy.” Calm praise will help keep your puppy calm. High-pitched or excited praise will rev him up, which is not what you want.

It’s helpful if you can deliberately set up situations to teach your puppy not to jump up on people. Perhaps you can enlist a friend to help you by passing by you and your puppy when you’re out walking. This allows you to practice teaching your puppy to sit in a controlled environment.

Some people don’t mind dogs jumping on them. However, if your goal is no jumping up, you should tell your friends ahead of time that no jumping is allowed. Not even a little bit of jumping. Remember, dogs learn through repetition and consistency, and your puppy will quickly learn the rules when they are implemented.

Loud Noises

Some dogs are terrified of loud noises, such as an automobile backfiring, thunder, or firecrackers. (Too many dogs escape their yards and become lost on the Fourth of July when they panic and bolt over fences at the sound of fireworks.) The noisy, chaotic world of dog shows can be traumatizing for some dogs. While humans may recognize the noises as harmless, the anxiety that noise-phobic dogs experience worsens the situation a thousand times over. Many owners are frustrated by their moderately or very noise-sensitive dogs and opt to seek the help of experienced trainers or behaviorists to desensitize the dogs.

Don’t allow your puppy to become possessive of his bowl or toys. Teach your puppy that what’s yours is yours and what’s his is yours, too.

Resource Guarding

Resource guarding, or food guarding, is a form of aggression. Although experts really don’t know for certain what causes it, there is some consensus that both genetic and environmental predispositions to the behavior exist. One theory is that the survival of your dogs’ wild ancestors depended on their competing for food, sleeping spots, and mates. The dogs that successfully protected their food and territory were more likely to survive longer in the wild. Some dogs still possess a tendency to protect their food from others, whether they need to or not.

While food is a common object of guarding, dogs can guard a treasured toy, a tasty bone, or your favorite chair. Some dogs even guard their owners. Signals can include the dog’s casually turning his head, crouching over the item, growling, lunging, or biting.

To prevent a young puppy from developing a guarding habit, teach him early on in a humane and positive way that you can take away any possession at any time and that no protesting or backtalking is acceptable. Obviously, you should not abuse the practice. After all, you don’t want to make your puppy neurotic.

When your puppy is young and impressionable, sit on the floor and hand-feed him a piece of kibble or two at a time. Talk to him and praise him for taking the food nicely. Now place his food bowl on the floor and, while he’s eating from it, reach down, touch the bowl, and drop a tidbit of food in it. Praise him for being good. He should understand that you can touch his food, bowl, toys, and the like at any time. Again, don’t abuse the right, but let him know that your touching his stuff is perfectly acceptable.

While playing with him, take away his toy, praise him for giving it up, give him a kiss, and then give the toy back. You should also utilize the

Leave It and Drop It cues. These commands apply not only to his food but also to anything he might pick up that could be potentially harmful, such as a dead bird, a paper clip, a medicine bottle, and so forth.

If you accustom your puppy to having his food and possessions handled by you on a regular basis, he should remain relaxed and unthreatened by your presence around his food or toys.

Running Off or Not Coming When Called

Dogs are curious creatures. When left to their own devices, they can develop the annoying and dangerous habit of running away or refusing to come when called. Some breeds, such as Siberian Huskies, Whippets, and Shiba Inus— even really, really well-trained ones—can never be completely trusted off leash. Their inherent desire to run makes controlling or confining them at all times a necessity. Other breeds can be equally frustrating, but, honestly, any dog can develop the behavior of running off.

It should come as no surprise that prevention is the key to success. By managing your puppy’s environment, he never has the opportunity to learn the unacceptable behaviors of running off and not coming when called. But it’s a fine line between managing your puppy’s environment and stifling him. You need to set him up to for success by teaching a strong Come command and then, when he is older, giving him little bits of freedom so he can show you what he has learned.

Remember, your young puppy has an inherent follow response and will follow you just about anywhere. Remember that the practice of teaching a puppy to follow you (while dragging a leash) naturally morphs into walking nicely on leash and learning the Come command. Depending on where and from whom you acquired your puppy, and depending on his age and past experiences, teaching him to follow you everywhere may take some extra effort on your part. The key is that your puppy must be on leash.

Unfortunately, many owners of puppies and adolescent dogs, especially those from rescue or animal shelters, expect their new dogs to automatically follow them everywhere, but this is not always the case. Often, they lack adequate training and cannot be called back once they run off. Obviously, this causes a good deal of grief for dogs and owners.

It's perfectly OK to let your puppy or adolescent dog run around and explore his surroundings in a fenced area, but he should be dragging his leash or long line and be supervised at all times. If your puppy starts to wander off, simply step on the leash or line and reel him back in: “I’ve got you, silly boy!”

Enclosed environments provide excellent opportunities to practice all of the recommended puppy skills, such as chase Recalls, hide-and-seek, Follow Me, and Find Me. As you know, these skills help instill the behaviors that make you fun and interesting and prevent your puppy from running off. When you establish a solid relationship with your maturing puppy, he will look to your for leadership, fun, and excitement when he is an adult. A dog who is bonded to his master is less likely to wander away to find his own fun.

If your puppy or adolescent dog is on his way to developing the annoying behavior of running off or ignoring your Come command, a long line will prevent him from continuing to do so. You must then go back and begin reteaching a strong Come command.

Equally important, remember that you should never chase your puppy or allow your kids to chase him. Dogs think that this is a fun game, but it teaches a dog to run away from you, which is not only annoying but dangerous. A puppy or adult dog that runs away from his owner can easily become lost or disoriented or even injured should he dart into traffic.

Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety (a fear of being alone) is a common fear in many dogs. It is a real problem for many owners because dogs can become extremely anxious and destructive when left alone. Before you say, “Ah ha! That’s why my puppy shreds everything in sight!” it’s important to recognize that true separation anxiety doesn’t occur simply when a puppy is left alone and becomes a little bored.

Dogs with true separation anxiety come unhinged when their owners leave them alone—even for short periods of time. Many dogs chew furniture, drywall, carpeting, rugs, and linoleum. Some dogs urinate and defecate, and they frequently whine, pace, drool, howl, or bark and oftentimes work themselves into uncontrollable frenzies. For a severely affected dog, the mere anticipation of an owner leaving is enough to trigger a sense of anxiety, nervousness, hyperactivity, or pacing.

It’s a sad situation for both dogs and owners, and owners should never think that dogs with separation anxiety are being intentionally naughty or destructive. Like many dog-related issues, the causes are not clearly understood, and the degree of separation anxiety can vary from dog to dog.

An estimated ten million dogs (up to 17 percent of the pet population) suffer from separation anxiety, with fewer than one million receiving treatment. Other data estimate that one in six dogs may suffer from separation anxiety. Studies indicate that separation anxiety is closely linked to noise phobias, such as the fear of thunderstorms, gunshots, and fireworks. Roughly 70 percent of dogs diagnosed in a clinical setting with noise or storm phobia often have undiagnosed separation anxiety as well.

You can do a lot to prevent separation anxiety by conditioning your young puppy to being left alone for short periods of time—starting with one minute or less and gradually increasing to three to four minutes, and then ten to fifteen minutes, and so on. You can start doing this when he is very young puppy and chewing on a marrow bone in his exercise pen. You simply walk out of the room and come back again. No fuss. No drama. No histrionics.

Maybe you’re cooking in the kitchen, and you go to the pantry to get some flour, or to the bathroom to wash your hands, or to the laundry room to put clothes in the dryer. Gradually, in small increments, you increase the time that your puppy is left alone. If he’s chewing on a tasty marrow bone, he is less likely to care that you have disappeared for a minute or two. The key is to link good feelings with your departure.

If your puppy already has a serious case of separation anxiety, you will need to work much harder and be more patient. In these instances, contacting an experienced trainer or behaviorist is your best bet. Well-intended owners may exacerbate the problem if they overreact or underreact to the situation. Severe cases may require a combination of behavior modification and pharmacological therapy. Antianxiety medications, which are similar to what humans take, can make a big difference in a dog’s quality of life. These medications are not intended for long-term or permanent use, but rather to be used in conjunction with training to facilitate rehabilitation/counterconditioning by helping improve trainability.

Submissive Urination

Submissive urination is another frequently misunderstood behavior that stems from canine anxiety. Perhaps your puppy exhibits this behavior by urinating when he greets you. Most common in young or shy dogs, it is a reflexive sign that a dog accepts his owner’s authority. In the wild, this behavior is normal and functions to dissuade dominant pack members from aggression.

Owners often mistakenly read submissive urination as a house-training accident or a willful act of disobedience. They mistakenly believe that the dog can control himself and is simply urinating on purpose. If an owner immediately shifts into freak-out mode and scolds the dog, the problem becomes more pronounced because the dog must urinate even more in order to block his owner’s aggression. In the dog’s mind, he has acknowledged his owner’s authority by urinating. When scolded for doing so, he becomes even more submissive in an effort to appease his owner.

Seeking Professional Help

Despite your best efforts to raise a well-behaved dog, things can occasionally go wrong, and you may need to call in an expert. Some behavioral issues, such as aggression and separation anxiety, are difficult and challenging to decode and generally require expert guidance. Many behavioral issues are complex and have underlying causes, such as lack of socialization, sexual maturity (or lack thereof), lack of training, or having been corrected inappropriately.

If you find yourself frustrated and angry, which, from time to time, happens to even the best of owners and trainers, there is no shame in calling in an expert. As mentioned previously, training goes beyond teaching your puppy the basic commands and dealing with naughty behaviors. Every aspect of your dog’s behavior, be it good or bad, desirable or undesirable, is reflected in the relationship you have with him. If that relationship begins to deteriorate, you owe it to your dog to repair what has gone awry. As a responsible owner, seeking professional help can put the human–canine relationship back on a positive track.