Hey Doggie, Behave!
^{by Tracy Smith}

Even the best dog can develop bad habits. Some unwanted behaviors are created in part by a breed's natural instincts, for instance a terrier may start digging up his yard. This sort of unwanted behavior can be elimanated eventually, but it will require time, patience and unwavering devotion on the caretakers part. Generally, the bad habit is developed because the dog's pack leader (that would be you) has accidently reinforced the behavior. So an informed dog owner can avoid the development of bad or unwanted behaviors with a little fore thought. We're going to discuss some of the more common bad habits that dogs can get into, covering how to avoid them in the first place as well as ways to change the habits if it's too late for avoidance.

Chewing and Destructive Behavior

Probably the most common bad habit is the chewing of items that are supposed to be off limits. Chewing is a natural behavior so it's important to let the dog know what is acceptable for chewing as well as what is not acceptable. When correcting a dog for chewing up a personal article, it's very important to offer him an acceptable alternative. If you don't let him know what is okay to chew, he may become confused and think that chewing anything gets a scolding. If that is the case the dog is liable to become frustrated and head strong about unacceptable chewing. It's best to start out your relationship without any confusion. Do Not give your puppy old shoes or any cast off items that have human scent! Do Not give your doggie items that you have replaced for yourself. This will cause confusion and if the dog starts chewing up your clothing and shoes you can just pat yourself on the back for it. If the habit is already developed, tell him "NO!" and give him something acceptable like a toy or raw hide bone. Again, it's important to let your dog know what is okay for chewing. Consistancy is the key. If you can't watch your dog at all times, try to remove the offense causing items when you are not at home so the dog will not be tempted when he cannot be corrected. If you can manage to watch over your dog whenever he is around the tempting items, this little correction - alternative technique can work very quickly. Another thing that can be helpful is to spray the no-nos with bitter apple spray.

Some dogs only become destructive when they are alone. There are various reasons for this sort of behavior. Sometimes it's just boredom. If that is the case, a new, exciting toy that is only offered when you leave the house may take care of things. Often times it is separation anxiety. The dog is tearing up things out of nervousness caused by a fear of abandonment. One way to help alleviate separation anxiety is to take very short trips outside of the house and return in a few minutes. Repeating this action, while lengthening the amount of time your are gone can teach your dog that you will always return. Sometimes the individual dog just has a nervous dispostion and his anxiety cannot be eased. If this is the case, it is advisable to get a large crate for your dog to stay in while you are away. It's important to make the crate a happy, secure place so that the dog doesn't feel like he's being punished. Place a blanket in there along with toys to chew and food and water. It's a good idea to get him used to going into the crate for a little quiet time before you place him in there when you leave the house.

Jumping on People

Jumping up on people is another common behavioral problem. This is caused by the dogs inclination to want your attention. He's interested in you and so wants to be near your face (to kiss) and your hands (to be pet). The best remedy for this is to Not give him what he wants. Every time he jumps up at you, turn your body sideways so that he misses the mark. Ignore him until he sits or reclines near you and then give him what he wants. Lots of loving attention. If you can be consistant with this, he'll figure out how to get your attention and drop behaviors that don't.

Chasing Moving Vehicles

Chasing vehicles is also a common problem. However, it really shouldn't be. If your dog is in an environment where he can chase vehicles in the street, he's in a dangerous situation. If you want to help make sure that your dog lives a long, healthy life, please fence your yard! Now I understand that sometimes these things may not be in a persons control, so here are a couple of things you can do that may help. First, please understand that giving chase is totally natural to dogs, some breeds more so than others. The instinct can not be competely eliminated, but there are some things you can do to control his drive to chase. Understanding the what for can help you come up with some of your own tricks. So what's chasing for? It's part of protecting territory. Something speeds up towards your yard....your dog wants it out of his territory, so he gives chase. Generally the car or bicycle will just go on by so it seems to your dog that his tactic worked. In other words he is rewarded for his actions because he acheived his goal. One thing that might help break the chase - reward cycle is to have a friend ride up to your curb (preferrably on a bike - cars are dog killers) and stop as soon as the dog gives chase. Your friend ignores the dog until he stops barking or charging and only then does the bike leave. So a different behavior acheives the dog's goal. Honestly, that one only works with very calm dogs. So the next thing I suggest you try is basically the same except that your friend bring a squirt gun along. As your dog begins to chase, have your friend stop suddenly and give him a squirt(not at the face) while saying no. One more time I would like to say that this instinct cannot be totally eliminated. It's best to remove your dog from a situation where he might risk his life protecting his territory.

Digging

If you've got a Terrier in your home, you've probably encountered a problem with your dog's digging instinct. We've got two Jack Russells and several people had asked me if digging was a problem. The answer was always no, until a couple of months ago when a new family moved in next door with their cute little Maltese.

Suddenly my dogs were coming inside covered with dirt. I thought Uh-Oh this is the problem all my friends have been waiting for. Frankly, it was very easy to handle, but it was Molly (our female Jack) who really took care of it. Molly is a rescue dog. I'm not sure what she went through before we found her, but once she accepted us as friends for life she created the habit of trying to make sure that nobody thinks she might be a bad dog under any circumstance. So, with the two dogs we have now I basically just need to know how to clearly communicate what is acceptable and what is not in order to remedy a bad habit.

I've been taking a Veterinarian Assistent course and several of the classes have been about Canine Behavior, so the first thing I did when the dogs started a tunnel to the neighbors yard was look it up and see what the experts suggested. Filling the hole was of course the first order of business. Filling it with dirt won't really work, as the dog will most likely remove it again. Filling the hole in such a way that digging no longer feels so great is the top recommendation. Rocks or even just placing chicken wire on top of a dirt filled hole and then placing some top soil over the chicken wire can acheive that.

I gathered up some large rocks and placed them next to the gate. Then the next time I let the dogs out I watched them from the kitchen window. As soon as they started on their digging project, I went outside and said "No. Bad Dogs!". Then, under Molly's watchful eyes I put the rocks in the hole, pointed at it and said "No digging!". Then I went inside.

Our little male Jack Russell, is only a year old. He's smart, understands what no means of course, but he is true to his breed in that he is a very independent thinker. He watched me with interest, but really didn't get the why of my demand. He was born to dig and he had just made a new friend. By the time I got back to the kitchen window, he was sniffing the rocks. Then he tried digging next to them.

That's when Molly stepped in and pushed him away from the hole. He got her message, but he's pretty stubborn. He tried and got pushed away again. Then he just plopped down in the grass and watched Molly, waiting for her lose interest. When she went about her business in another part of the yard, he tried it again. She ran across the yard and pushed him away. Then he marched back to the hole and defiantly pounced on the rocks and froze in place. Molly got more aggressive. She growled, lunged and nipped at him without actually biting him. He walked away and hasn't tried to dig since.

Consistency is the Key

Basically, Molly did my diry work. She is a very Good Girl. If she hadn't taken on the role as my second in command, I would have had to stay outside with them until Jake was certain that I would never change my mind. Consistency is all that was required. If Molly hadn't provided that, I would have done it myself by making sure that he was scolded and removed from the hole every time he dug and rewarded with praise and attention when he found something else to do. He is a strong willed dog, so I think it would have taken me a few days or a week without Molly's help simply because I am not as fast as she is.

Most bad behaviors can be avoided in the first place as well as remedied by not rewarding the dog with attention when he misbehaves. Usually he is trying to find a way to meet his need for your loving attention and it's your job to teach him how he can best have his needs met. A quick simple scolding ("No!, Bad Dog!) when he misbehaves followed by a lack of attention combined with lots of loving praise and attention when he behaves correctly will usually take care of any bad habits your dog may have developed. Remember, the key is consistency. If you are stubborn about a rule one day and then slack off on it on another day, you'll have limited success at best. Once your dog is convinced that you are ever vigilent in your demands he will accept and follow your rules more and more quickly. I guess that I am saying that when you first start out correcting a behavior it will take a little longer. Once you have established a few rules with consistency, new rules can be taught much more quickly. This is because your dog's past experiences with you have taught him you will not give in. A few weeks of constant watching pays off big time in the long run.