The warm welcome that a dog gives you when you reach home after a long tiring day is enough to forget half of your worries. Isn’t it? That antidepressant of yours just wants you to be at home by his side so that he doesn’t have to worry about you leaving him alone in the house. So when you get back home and you are playing with him, he becomes the happiest dog in the world. You may like the way he jumps up to your chest to show that he missed you but your friends, relatives especially the kids may freak out about this behaviour of your dog.
Behavioural Problems AND THEIR SOLUTION
Jumping Up:
If the dog is large, you may put your knee between him and you or you can hold his paws firmly without hurting him until he struggles to let him go. When he is standing properly on the ground on his four legs bend down to his level and greet him back or pet him.
Barking:
Protecting your house is your dog’s natural instinct. Once he is in the house it is his territory to protect but sometimes in order to protect the house, he may bark uncontrollably. To solve this problem, ring the doorbell and let him bark for sometimes then distract him but never with food. You can tell him stop or make a loud noise. Now once he has stopped, give him treats. Do that for sometimes repeatedly. Ring the doorbell – let him bark – make a loud sound or tell him to stop – give him a treat when he has stopped. Now try doing it without the treat. Now delay in giving the treat but give it to him finally if he really stops barking. That way you can refrain him from barking without discouraging him to give you the necessary warning.
Chewing Habit:
This is a normal habit for puppies when their teeth are growing. In this period he can chew on anything he gets. First of all keep everything away that can make his little belly upset. Give him some toys to chew on. But if he chews on anything else than his toys tell him not to, if needed scold him. But once he grows up he should give up this habit. Engage him in some other activities like playing. Give him things to chew on and keep an eye on him if he chews anything other than his toys tell him ‘no’! But most importantly keep your house clean; keep the tempting things out of his reach.
Aggression:
This is the most serious issue about your dog if not taken care of when it first shows its signs. He can seriously injure people with that behavioural disorder. You should take care that he never gets away with a growling when his toy is taken from him. Scold him a bit and ignore him. If he still doesn’t learn his lesson, take professional help. Never take your chances with a dog that is showing aggression.
Aggressions towards visitors:
If your dog treats your visitors like burglars, locking him away may seem the easiest way but it’s inhuman too. Do you ever lock your children away when they don’t like one of your guests? In this way he will never learn to accept anyone. He shows aggression towards a visitor because he feels threatened when a stranger (to him) stares at him from above and comes towards him with a raised hand to pet him. So leash him and take him to the guest and tell the guest to ignore him completely at first, no eye contact either. Let the dog take his time to know him. If he shows any aggression pull the leash a bit without hurting him. The visitor should be at ease with the dog. He can offer him a little treat from a distance avoiding eye contact. Once the dog takes the treat and show some friendly reaction the guest can pet him a bit.
Aggression towards family members:
The dog makes one member of his family the ‘pack leader’. He may dislike the others. If that happens, his “pack leader” should no longer feed him or take him to walks. The others of the family should do that. If he shows aggression towards a particular member, the responsibility of feeding and walking the dog should be transferred to that one member. That way he will start liking everyone of the family.
Aggression towards other dogs:
While walking him you may pass some areas with other dogs; your otherwise peaceful dog may become over protective, jealous if the other dogs come near you. That’s how a fight can start. Make sure when you are walking him your body is between your dog and his enemy. Pull the leash and pass the area quickly. Praise your dog for not fighting. Talk to him constantly. Give him some treats.
Guarding food:
If the puppy shows aggression to any approaching hand towards his bowl, keep giving him food while he eats so that he can understand that you are giving him food and not taking it away. Feed him with your hands. This way he will understand. If an adult dog shows aggression about food, keep giving him treats.
Stealing food:
It’s a problem when your dog steals unattended food from kitchen or dining table. So here’s the remedy. Keep food in his reach and ask him not to touch that. Watch from a distance. If he steals the food catch him on action and scold him, ignore him for sometimes. If these don’t work keep some food in his reach and add mustard or chilli sauce in it. This way he will understand that stolen food don’t taste good and will stop stealing.
No matter how bad your dog is, you should never beat him. He should never be hurt physically. And never lock him away. No matter how big your dog has become he is still like a child. Locking him away scares him. It’s enough if you ignore him when he does something bad. But don’t ignore him for too long. don’t worry if he is a little bad, EVERY GOOD THING COMES WITH A PRICE!