| Behavior |
Possible Causes |
Possible Solutions |
| Jumping on People |
Rewarded for doing it – petting, shoving, getting picked up, fed treats while jumping |
Do not pet or pick up while jumping; do not feed unless all four paws are on the floor; keep on leash when guests come over; teach sit/down stay using positives |
| Urge to greet/lick muzzle of leader |
Teach “sit” as a greeting |
| Mounting or dominance |
Spay & neuter early; provide strong leadership/guidance |
| Social isolation |
Use time buffers; more exercise |
| Excessive Barking |
Breed characteristic |
Teach “SPEAK” & “QUIET” command; have barkathons at times when barking will not disturb others |
| Social isolation – boredom |
More exercise; reward quiet behavior; train trick behaviors; keep indoors. Give several stuffed KONGs to occupy time |
| Outside stimulation |
Teach “QUIET”; keep indoors; desensitize to sounds; keep radio on |
| Being teased or harassed |
Keep inside; keep behind sight proof dog fence |
| Digging |
Too hot or too cold |
Provide warm doghouse or cool shady area or wading pool. Bring indoors for better climate control |
| Nesting behavior in females |
Provide a “nest” or doghouse with old blankets; keep inside |
| Attempt to escape, Boredom, Desire to mate |
Keep dog inside; keep in escape proof dog run; have neighbors ignore dog if he gets out; increase exercise; spay or neuter, give several stuffed KONGs to occupy time |
| Breed characteristic |
Provide digging pit; teach “DIG” & “OFF” command, go to beach and let dog dig to heart’s content |
| Inadvertently rewarded |
Remove garbage or tasty plants; provide toys, put chicken wire just below the dirt surface:put large rocks or boulders into areas where digging is not wanted |
| Separation anxiety or stress |
Time buffers: more exercise: have someone let dog out at lunch: provide special toys such as stuffed KONGs or Buster Cubes |
| Fearfulness / Shyness |
Breed trait |
Research breed before obtaining; never buy pet shop dogs; research breeder before buying; very active socialization |
| Inadvertently rewarded |
Do not pet or soothe in fearful situations; use JOLLY routine instead or ignore |
| Lack of socialization, Poor training |
Don’t hit or yell at; provide consistency & proper timing; active socialization; enroll in positive training class |
| Early traumatic experience |
Slow socialization to traumatic situation; JOLLY routine; reward only confidence – ignore fear responses |
| Does not come when called |
Something negative was done to discourage dog from coming |
Don’t call dog & then bathe, clip nails, or flea spray; reward with praise, treats, & toys for coming; re-teach command using different word |
| Physical limitations |
Have dog checked for hearing & eyesight loss; tie hair out of eyes; put on high quality diet and holistic supplements |
| Outside stimulation |
Keep on leash & teach command initially in less distracting situations, gradually working up to very distracting ones. Use higher value rewards in more distracting situations |
| Off leash privileges given too soon |
Keep leash or long line on whenever in an unenclosed area; re-teach command in controlled environment; Use higher value rewards, so dog would rather come/play with you than other dogs/people |
| Called only once during walk & then taken home |
Call dog many times during walk to check in & then go play |
| Thievery |
Inadvertently rewarded – ate food; got a good game of chase out of you; other family members think it’s funny & encourage it |
Put food out of reach; set up booby traps; ignore dog when he has stolen item; put a long line on dog to stop chase; reestablish household rules with family members; do not hit or yell at (this is a surefire way to teach an animal to be possessive aggressive!) |
| Inappropriate toys given – shoes, towels, stuffed toys |
Give toys that do not resemble household items; KONGs, Tuffys, Nylabones, Boomer balls; teach “OFF” & “GET YOUR BONE”; supervise or confine |
| Playing inappropriate games |
Stop playing games that encourage dog to grab things from you; teach fetch; teach “DROP” & “TAKE IT” commands; supervise all interaction between dog & kids |
| Excitability |
Inadvertently rewarded – hyped up with games; petted or fed while “wild” |
Avoid playing excitable games; do not feed or pet unless sitting or lying down |
| Breed trait |
Research breed before obtaining; never buy pet shop dogs; research breeder before buying; adopt or buy only temperament tested animals |
| Social isolation |
Keep dog inside so he learns manners; have neighbors visit dog; teach down/stay using positives |
| Lack of exercise |
Provide structured, controlled exercise; teach fetch; get involved in a dog sport such as flyball, agility, tracking or obedience |
| Poor training or lack of training |
Teach “DOWN” with progressively longer periods that dog has to perform; time rewards correctly; get involved in obedience or agility to further training; desensitize to exciting stimuli |
| Chewing |
Inappropriate chew toys given – shoes, towels, stuffed animals |
Give toys that do not resemble household items: KONGs, Tuffys, Buster Cubes, Nylabones |
| Separation anxiety – boredom |
Use stress reduction ideas from separation anxiety; increase exercise |
| Pleasant taste/smell |
Clean spilled food/drink; use bad tasting booby traps (bitter apple/orange or Tabasco sauce) |
| Breed characteristic, Teething |
Supervise; confine; give ice cubes; give proper chew toys (KONGs or natural bones) |
| Escaping |
Boredom, no bond to family |
Increase exercise; keep inside when family is gone; make more a part of family; take a training class |
| Separation anxiety |
Keep inside house (either in single room or crate); provide special toys (Kongs or chew bones) when family is gone |
| Pleasant experience in past – rewarded with food and/or play with neighbors or their dogs |
Keep in escape proof dog run (chain link); run electric fence wire at bottom & top of yard fence; have neighbors discourage dog when he gets out |
| Outside stimulation – kids teasing dog through fence; other dogs running lose |
Keep inside; talk to neighbors if they are bothering dog; have neighbors keep their dogs in their own yards; build sight proof chain link dog run in middle of yard (away from yard fence) |
| Desire to mate |
Spay or neuter dog; keep inside your house in a crate |
| Pulls on leash |
Breed trait |
Teach a pull command and then a walk nice command; get involved in sledding or cart pulling; exercise with game of fetch before taking on walk in neighborhood |
| Inadvertently rewarded for |
Stop walking when pulls forward; reward staying close to you with food/toys; use a head collar (comes in brands such as Gentle Leader, Snoot Loop or Halti); exercise with game of fetch before taking on walk in neighborhood; enroll in a positive training program |
| Outside stimulation |
Practice in low keyed environments first; use a head collar; don’t let play or visit other dogs on leash (rewards pulling) |
| Aggression
Aggression can be a very complicated, dangerous behavior problem. |
Traumatic experience |
Desensitize to situation using only positives; remove from situation if too stimulated; stop outside teasing; contact a professional, humane trainer |
| Poor socialization |
Systematic socialization under the guidance of a professional, humane trainer; don’t reward fear behavior by petting/picking up; keep dog removed from situation until get professional help |
| Poor quality individual |
Research breeder before buying; adopt/buy only temperament tested dogs/puppies from rescue/shelters; keep dog out of situations that illicit aggression; get professional help; reward good behavior; stop hitting or yelling |
| Physical problems |
Consult a veterinarian for a full physical work up; put on high quality diet with holistic supplements |
| Poor training or lack of training |
Harsh physical training often results in fear aggression; stop hitting or yelling; throw out choke chains & pinch collars – use a head collar for more control; contact a humane trainer for private consultation |
