Exceptional Canine: Active Dog

Fix Common Dog Behavior Problems

By the Editors of Exceptional Canine for Exceptional Canine

Dogs aren’t born knowing our rules. They bark and jump and dig not because they’re being bad, but because it’s instinctual. Besides, it often gets a reaction from us. It’s up to us as owners to teach our pets how to express themselves in a manner we appreciate.

Often, common behavioral problems occur as our dogs engage in a natural behavior that conflicts with our needs. But you can teach your dog how to fit in to your household and the world around it. Here’s an overview of how to deal with several basic problems:

Stop Excessive Barking

Your dog barks to communicate in one of the only ways it knows how. Tend to your dog’s needs, and you can often circumvent the noise altogether. The key is to learn to read your dog’s body language. When your dog barks, try to deduce the cause. Is it because your dog is lonely, hungry, hot, bored? Then aim to correct the scenario with exercise, attention, play or a meal. If you’ve tried to get to the root of your dog’s barking habit but simply can’t seem to solve it, then it’s time to consider professional help from a trainer.

End Nipping

Dogs that nip aren’t aiming to hurt you. In many cases, they’re attempting to play. Try yipping loudly when your dog grazes you so it knows you’re hurt. Your dog will instinctively set its teeth less firmly next time. If the behavior occurs again, yip again. It might take some time, but your dog should learn control. (Note: If you’ve got a nipper, never let others approach your dog. Call out a verbal warning to children who go near your dog with an outstretched hand, or put a muzzle on your dog when you’re out.)

Stop Digging
Dogs entertain themselves by scrabbling in the dirt. They love to hide treasures, build dens and lie in the cool earth. And, frankly, it seems sort of unfair to ask them to stop this instinctual behavior altogether. Instead, block off a section of your yard and let your dog use it as a playground. Teach your dog to dig in this area by burying bones and toys, and offer praise for digging them up. If you’d like a cleaner alternative, construct a doggie sandbox.

Abate Jumping
Your dog’s habit of jumping on people can be terrible. Not only is it scary for some guests, but it also greatly increases your dry cleaning bill. When your dog jumps up, walk backward and say “Off!” Praise your pal when all four paws are back on the ground. Consistently using the right reinforcement should abate this behavior.

Stop Submissive Peeing
Dogs that want to show they’re submissive pee on the floor when you come into the house. Instead of scolding your pet — which will cause it to feel further belittled — immediately let it outside to pee when you step foot in the door, and ignore your dog for the first 10 minutes that you’re home. Sooner or later, your dog will realize that this behavior doesn’t register with you.

Ease Separation Anxiety
If your dog misses you, it might whine, cry, bark or become destructive when you leave the house. Often, this issue can be stopped by spending adequate time with your dog and exercising it so it doesn’t have the energy to get wound up when you’re not around. You’ll also want to teach your dog that you will return. Do this by practicing quiet departures, then coming home quickly. Offer a reward for good behavior.

Lucky for us, dogs are fast learners. If you provide the right instruction (sometimes with a bit of outside help), your dog will manage life in your household just fine.

Photo: @iStockphoto.com/TerryJ

The Dog Daily: Illness and Disease

When Good Dogs Turn Bad

By Elizabeth Wasserman for The Dog Daily

A dog’s bite may be worse than its bark — especially if the pooch isn’t feeling well. A new study has determined that dogs brought to a veterinary behavior clinic for biting children most often didn’t have a previous history of biting. The research, which was conducted by a team of experts from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, found that about half of the 111 dogs in the study had preexisting medical conditions that may have triggered the lash out.

These Medical ailments that triggered lashing out included hip dysplasia (and the associated arthritic pain), compromised vision, itchiness and ear pain, says one of the study’s authors, Ilana R. Reisner, DVM, PhD, DACVB, a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Reisner cautions that the association between bad behavior and illness in half of the dogs in the study doesn’t imply that medical problems were the cause of the bad behavior. Some dogs are aggressive, and that needs to be treated as a behavioral issue. But veterinary experts say it’s quite common for canines that have never shown any aggressive traits to snap, bite and show other signs of agitation when they are ill — and particularly when they have chronic conditions.

Since your pet can’t speak, here’s how you can read the signs that something is physically wrong with your dog before it, too, may snap.

Signs That Your Dog Is Ill
Most people can recognize when a canine is sick to its stomach because it may leave behind telltale visible evidence, but other ailments are much harder to detect. In addition to physical symptoms, you should look out for behavioral signs. There are two main categories of behavior that can signal red flags:

• Lethargy The most common indicator that a dog isn’t feeling well is not aggression — it’s depression, or lethargy, says Bonnie Beaver, DVM, past president of the American Veterinary Medicine Association and a professor at Texas A&M University. “The most common changes would be where the dog becomes less active, doesn’t want to eat or eats less, tends to sleep more and tends to interact with the family less,” Dr. Beaver says. “This is a common sign associated with fever, although it can be the result of other things, too, such as an upset stomach.”
• Aggression Another behavior that can be an indicator of a pet ailment is unusual aggression. In this sense, dogs have a lot in common with humans. “If I have a headache, I get grumpy. My fuse is shorter,” Dr. Beaver says. “We don’t know that dogs have headaches per se, but if they have a chronic pain, such as arthritis, or if they have an ear infection, they hurt. It eats at them. Their fuse is shorter, too.” Little things that would not have bothered your pooch in the past suddenly become transgressions that merit a growl or even a snap. This is particularly of concern if children are in the household. Many children tend to want to hug, pick up or be physical with the family pet. A growl or nip may be the dog saying, “Leave me alone,” says Dr. Beaver. But you should read these warning signs and take action before the interaction gets that far — or worse.

Steps To Prevent Bad Behavior
Many dogs would never bite, snap or growl at humans, Dr. Beaver says. Like numerous other behaviors, it depends on the individual pooch, its inherent temperament, and even the background of the pet. If the dog was rescued from an abusive situation, you may not know whether the pup will respond with aggression to pain. Here are some steps that you can take to try to prevent a situation from ever getting that far.

• Yearly veterinary exams These are a must to keep tabs on your pet’s possible physical ailments. Dogs that come down with many diseases, such as cancer, liver problems, eye disease, etc. don’t show obvious physical signs until the disease is quite advanced. Beaver recommends that you ask your veterinarian to do a complete physical exam, including blood tests, on your pet each year.
• Treat ailments sooner rather than later If you see outward signs of sickness in your pup –scratching more than usual, a red “hotspot” on their body, or limping or crying when it jumps into the car — it’s important to have those symptoms treated as soon as possible. Ailments such as joint pain, ear infections or dental pain “can increase irritability,” Dr. Reisner says.
• Never leave small children alone with pets Pet owners need to constantly supervise whenever youngsters and pets are together. “Little kids don’t mean to hurt, but they don’t think. They may do things that scare or hurt the dog,” Dr. Beaver says. Petting from a child may feel like slapping to the dog. And kids screaming and yelling may even frighten a pooch. “Even the most loving, trusting dog in certain situations can react,” Dr. Beaver says.
• Dogs should always have a quiet place to go Your home should have a place where the dog can go to escape noise, children, and other potential annoyances — but especially when it’s ill. This may be created by putting up a dog gate or by placing a dog bed in a quiet area of the basement. Make the quiet place warm, cozy and easily accessible for a sick pup. Dogs with arthritis may be uncomfortable lying down outside or on a cold floor. Similarly, walking up and down stairs to get to their escape place might be difficult.

Reisner says that her research on children who are bitten by dogs holds some important messages for dog owners — and parents, in particular. Illness can increase the risk of aggressive behavior in dogs, even those with no predisposition to aggression. “When they’re not feeling well, they need to be treated with some extra caution,” she says. “Leave a dog alone if it’s setting itself apart or moves away to the other side of the room. Don’t let a child interact with the dog. And, if the child is too young to listen to those guidelines, put up a gate.” Both dog and child may not appreciate the temporary solution, but they’ll be better off because of it.

Photo: Corbis Images

Elizabeth Wasserman, a Washington, D.C., area-based freelancer, has been writing about pets, among other topics, for more than 15 years. Her love of dogs, in particular, was handed down through the generations from her great-grandfather, Eric Knight, who wrote the book Lassie Come Home in the 1930s.