5 Common Dog Behaviour Problems and Solutions

Dogs are the most friendly and faithful creations. The people who care for them should be aware of dog behaviour problems and solutions. The most common behavior problems are barking, chewing, digging, anxiety, elimination of wastes, and digging.

Common Dogs Behaviour Problems

Barking

The barking of dogs is typical. They communicate through barking. But they can have some problems if they bark differently from their routine. Sometimes, they bark when shifted to a new home, warning, alert, excitement, and anxiety. 

• Warning or alert

Alert or warning bark is when a dog notices a change in environment. For example, he sees a stranger or another dog or a warning of some threat. They can be alert because of some specific smell or sound. 

• Playfulness and excitement

It is a common trait of dogs to bark when they are happy or playful because of any game, food, activity, or sight of someone they like. When a dog is excited, its body language will be loose. It will bark with a high-pitched sound. 

• Attention-seeking

Sometimes, dogs bark to seek attention or have something like a treat, go outside, or a toy. If any dog wants to have attention without any reason or jealousy, don’t make eye contact, you should completely ignore it to train for self-esteem. Change his attention-seeking behaviour by engaging him in games. 

• Anxiety

A dog can bark if he sees something that triggers his anxiety. It may include many things like seeing a stranger, a motorcycle, another dog, or any other danger. They also bark more due to separation anxiety.

• Boredom

Some dogs bark excessively due to boredom, having more energy and less activity. If you engage your dog in physical and mental activities, it will not bark much. 

• Responding to other dogs

Dogs communicate with each other by barking. So, they respond to each other by barking.  

Chewing

Chewing is a usual behaviour in dogs, especially in puppies when teething. But some dogs have a habit of chewing things. Chewing occurs when dogs are left alone with insufficient stimulation or attention. Some reasons describe as follows.

• Puppy teething

Puppy teething is a painful process, usually starting at the age of 6 months. Chewing can lessen this pain. So, they chew anything they get. It would be best if you bought them some soft toys that it doesn’t destroy your home stuff.

• Boredom or excess energy

If a dog is not involved in some physical or mental activity, he will have excess energy. He has to utilize this excessive energy in one way or other. Every dog has a different behaviour, some use excessive energy in barking, and some use it in chewing things.

• Anxiety

A dog chews things for anxiety or depression to decrease their depression. High-quality supplements can help it out of depression and anxiety. 

• Curiosity (especially puppies)

Puppies chew everything out of curiosity, Just like human babies try to get everything in their mouths. They are curious to check everything and have new tastes.

Digging

There are several reasons for digging behaviour in dogs that explain below.

• Boredom or excess energy

As explained above, when a dog has more energy and less activity, he will find some activity (negative or positive) to utilize that excess energy. Digging due to boredom or increased power is common in some dogs.

• Anxiety or fear

Some dogs dig because of fear caused by anxiety to hide. It is a protective measure. But they should consult a physician.

• Hunting instinct

Sometimes dogs dig to get food. It can smell and hear from someplace and starts digging.

• Comfort-seeking (such as nesting or cooling off)

Dogs usually dig in summer to sit in colder places.

• A desire to hide possessions (such as toys or bones)

If the dog fears losing toys, It will dig soil and hide them.

• To escape or gain access to any place.

Some dogs dig their favourite places to gain access whenever they want.

Separation Anxiety

• When the owner prepares to leave, the dog becomes anxious.

Separation anxiety is a real thing in dogs. They miss their owner and want to be around him all time. 

There are several reasons why it may happen:

• Constantly following the owner around is the dog’s desire.
• The dog tries to touch the owner whenever possible.
• Misbehaviour occurs in the first 15 to 45 minutes after the owner leaves.

Dogs misbehave because of separation anxiety. It is to relieve their anxiety.

Inappropriate Elimination

Elimination can be inappropriate because of health issues. Other reasons can stimulate the sympathetic nervous system (fight and flight mechanism) e.g.anxiety or fear cause elimination problems.

• Submissive/excited urination

It can be because of an inappropriate diet, excess nutrients, or missing a specific element in the diet.

• Territorial marking or anxiety

It can stimulate the sympathetic nervous system and prevents elimination and digestive activity. You need to calm down your dog if it is anxious or feared.

• Lack of proper housebreaking

You should train your dog to eat, sleep and excrete at proper times to avoid these issues.

Chasing

It is a natural behaviour of dogs. They can chase something that triggers them, predation (to get food), or due to smell and hear stimuli. Some people train them to chase balls and sticks. Some dogs chase their owner to seek attention. If so, ignore them and stop walking for a while.

Jumping Up

Jumping up on people is a natural behaviour. Dogs get to say hello face-to-face when they jump. They want to get attention by doing so. They jump when they are over-excited. They should train for emotional control. If a dog jumps up on strangers, it should train to greet people. Impulse control exercises can be helpful in this regard.

Conclusion 

There is always a reason for the specific behaviour of the dog. The owner should identify it. Make sure to solve its issues and keep it in the best condition possible.

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