The Dog Behavior Problem Solver. Teoti Anderson

If you give a dog the choice between food and praise, or a squirrel and praise, which do you think is more likely to grab his attention? Praise is a good reinforcer, but it rarely can compete with other items that a dog naturally finds of higher value. This is humbling, but normal. While your praise may mean a lot to another person, it may not rank as highly with your dog.

      Environmental Influences

      Dogs can easily be distracted, especially puppies. It’s completely normal for dogs to be distracted by things going on around them. Such distractions, however, can cause problem behaviors. If your dog is so obsessed with squirrels, cats, or cars that he lunges on his leash and won’t listen to you, it could be a problem.

      When you go out into the neighborhood, you can sense many things around you. Your dog can sense a lot more. Dogs can smell things you can’t. Did you know, for instance, that dogs can smell 100,000 times better than humans and smell something up to 40 feet underground? They can hear things you can’t as well. Dogs with erect ears hear better than a dog with floppy ears, but, in general, dogs can hear about four times greater than humans. This means that your dog is being bombarded with many more environmental distractions than you are.

      In order for dogs to perform reliably, behaviors need to be trained to fluency. This means they need to be trained with a variety of distractions, under different circumstances, in order for dogs to perform them consistently. If that training hasn’t been done, then what’s going on around him will have a greater impact on a dog’s performance.

      The environment especially impacts on a frightened dog. A shy or fearful dog constantly monitors his surroundings for danger. It is much more difficult for a dog like this to concentrate on learning since his energy is dedicated to keeping safe. For example, you take a fearful dog to a park festival. Your dog jumps up on you, trying to get some comfort. You tell him to sit. He continues to jump up on you because he is afraid. He’s too scared to sit. The problem behavior is not disobedience or jumping up. It’s simply fear.

      The environment is always competing for your attention. With positive training, you can trump the environment’s temptations. You can even learn to use the environment to your advantage. For example, if your dog loves to sniff, you can use giving him the opportunity to sniff as a reward. Instead of the environment causing problems or making problem behaviors more challenging, you can put it to work for you!

      It’s a natural instinct for dogs to investigate all sorts of scents, especially since their sense of smell is so well-developed.

      Anxiety, Shyness, and Fear

      Anxiety, shyness, and fear can cause many problem behaviors. Shyness can prevent a dog from bonding. If a dog isn’t bonded to you, he doesn’t have a vested interest in doing things you ask of him. If he’s so shy you can’t pet or even touch him, you will have problems grooming him, cleaning his ears, doing his nails, or tending to him if he is sick or injured. If he gets loose, he’s not likely to come to you if he has no relationship with you. This is why modern trainers will often have you work on basic foundational behaviors before you even try to tackle advanced problems of fear. Your dog has to have a solid, positive relationship with you—a relationship of trust—before you can help him overcome his anxiety.

      A dog who is anxious and fearful may growl, snap, or bite. Most aggression is based in fear. For example, a dog who is frightened of children may growl or snap if a child goes to pet him. A dog who is afraid of other dogs can act aggressively if another dog enters his personal space.

      Some dogs only experience anxiety in certain settings. For example, a dog who is happy and outgoing at home may be fearful outside the home or around the neighborhood. Or a dog who has never been to the groomer may panic and bite in self-defense when put on the grooming table for the first time. Some anxiety is situational. For example, a dog turns destructive only when left alone. Or a dog will pee in the house only during a thunderstorm. The destructiveness and house soiling are both problems rooted in anxiety.

      Illness or injury can also cause anxiety. A dog who has broken out in an itchy rash isn’t comfortable, and he may pace restlessly or bite at his skin. A dog developing arthritis in his forelegs can start licking obsessively at his skin, causing open sores. Similar behavior can occur because of fleas or ticks. For some dogs, a single fleabite sends them into a frenzy of biting and scratching themselves.

      Illness or injury can also cause a dog to become aggressive. A dog who is otherwise social and friendly may cower or growl at the veterinarian’s office during examination. He doesn’t feel well, so he’s less tolerant of handling. He’s trying to protect himself.

      If your dog has behavior problems rooted in anxiety or fear, you will need to address them on several fronts. These dogs can learn. You just need to understand their challenges so you can have patience while helping them overcome their problem behaviors.

      Small Dog Issues: It’s a Big World

      Small dogs often don’t act like they realize they are tiny. It’s true that you should treat small dogs very similar to big dogs—they are capable of many things! There are some considerations you need to keep in mind if you have a small dog, however. Sometimes, a small dog’s size alone can contribute to behavior problems.

      To a 4- or 7-pound dog, the world is a big place. Imagine what it would feel like if everything loomed over you. A toddler looks like an uncoordinated, drunken giant. When a cookie sheet crashes to the floor, it might as well be a slab of concrete. When someone scoops you up, you rise several stories in the air at great speed. This can be terrifying. This is why small dogs can develop some aggressive behaviors. Growling, snapping, or biting is self-defense against a world that threatens to crush them underfoot.

      Other times, little dogs are so pampered and spoiled that it leads to different behavior problems. Their owners do not set clear boundaries. So, on the rare occasion owners try to establish some rules, they find out the hard way that what they’ve created are tiny dictators. This certainly occurs with larger dogs as well, but it just seems easier for people to tolerate obnoxious behavior in a tiny dog rather than his larger cousin.

      Not every small dog will turn timid or into a tyrant simply because he barely tips the scale. But for some dogs, when it comes to problem behaviors, size does matter!

      Breed-Specific Traits

      Dog breeds were created for specific purposes. Certain dogs were developed to retrieve, herd, hunt vermin, help people hunt other animals, guard, be companions, and more. These traits were cultivated on purpose, but they can sometimes cause problems in the average family household.

      A Golden Retriever who puts everything in his mouth can be annoying. A Collie who chases the children can be frightening. A Fox Terrier who attempts to “kill” your children’s precious toys can be frustrating. A German Shepherd who won’t let your friends come into the house can be dangerous.

      Do you have a mixed-breed dog? If you know his parentage, you can better understand why he behaves in the way he does. If you have no idea what breeds make up your dog, you can sometimes determine the types they are from his behavior. Does your dog love to chase children, often nipping at their heels? There may be some herding in his genetic makeup. Does he stare at birds and lift one foot in point? There could be a sporting breed in the mix.

      Hopefully, you researched your dog’s breed or breeds thoroughly before bringing him home, so you knew what to expect. If not, you might have been in for quite a surprise.

      Your dog can’t help his DNA. While there are some dogs who are not interested in or adept at living up to their genetic inheritance, most dogs are fairly good at following the breed plan. If you’re not going to pursue the task for which your dog was bred, your dog’s DNA still wants to try. This doesn’t mean you have to put up with problem behaviors, but it’s important to understand that your dog is not trying to be a pain. Instead of getting angry at your dog for being who he is, you can teach him other behaviors you prefer.