Our canine friends bring immense joy to our lives, but this can be diminished by unwanted behaviors, such as jumping up, barking, stealing food, or being overly reactive. While this may be frustrating, it’s important to first look at our own actions to ensure we’re not inadvertently responsible. Let’s look at 17 signs that you’re actually the cause of your dog’s bad habits!
Inconsistent Training
Like children, dogs thrive on routine and predictability. If your commands, expectations, or rewards are erratic and inconsistent, they’ll become confused and unavoidably disobedient. Set clear rules and boundaries, and stick to them. If your dog isn’t allowed on the couch, don’t make an exception when you want to cuddle! Giving mixed signals like this will only confuse them.
‘Rewarding’ Bad Behavior
Even negative attention can be reinforcing to some dogs, so avoid giving them extra attention when they do something you don’t like. Even things like yelling or scolding them can be seen as an attention ‘reward’ and may make your dog more likely to repeat the unwanted behavior. Preventive Vet recommends calmly removing your dog from the behavior in a disinterested manner.
Lack of Exercise
A bored dog is a mischievous dog. If your dog doesn’t have enough physical activity and mental stimulation, they may resort to destructive behaviors like chewing or digging to entertain themselves. Make sure your dog gets regular walks, playtime, and engaging activities that challenge their minds, like puzzle toys or obedience training sessions.
Unrealistic Expectations
You shouldn’t expect your dog to behave in a way that is contrary to what is normal for their age or breed. Puppies are naturally curious and energetic, and certain breeds are more prone to specific behaviors, like chewing on shoes during teething or being possessive about toys. Understanding your pet’s natural tendencies and setting realistic training goals is crucial.
Ignoring Separation Anxiety
Does your dog bark, whine, or become destructive when you leave the house? This could signal separation anxiety—a feeling of insecurity and nervousness when you aren’t present. Don’t leave your dog alone without addressing the issue; this will only worsen things. Instead, slowly train your dog to get used to your absence and provide treats, puzzles, and toys when it’s alone.
Failing to Recognize Fear
Is your dog’s bad behavior triggered by specific situations or objects? For example, male strangers, vet visits, or thunderstorms? If your dog is acting poorly because of fear, you may need a professional trainer or behaviorist to help you understand the root cause and design techniques to help slowly improve your dog’s comfort level without adding extra stress and terror.
Insufficient Mental Stimulation
Certain breeds of working dogs are highly intelligent and need sufficient interaction and daily tasks to prevent them from getting bored or restless. Lyka Pet Foods asserts that dogs such as Collies, German Shepherds, Huskies, and Pointers need to use their brains the most. If you have a smart dog that is destructive or vocal, it may require more puzzles or challenges.
Skipping Socialization
Proper socialization is crucial for many dogs, particularly puppies and rescue dogs with uncertain histories. Expose young dogs to a variety of people, animals, sights, and sounds in a positive way during their first year, as this is a crucial social development age. Providing different experiences and encounters will make them adaptable, well-rounded, and less fearful.
Unclear Communication
Your dog might understand the word “walkies,” but it doesn’t understand human language in the same way you do. Expecting your dog to understand complex verbal commands or using mixed or unclear signals or inconsistent cues can make training your dog difficult. Be consistent and remain aware of nonverbal cues (like hand gestures and tone of voice).
Unstructured Playtime
Don’t permit mouthing and jumping during playtime unless you consider them acceptable behavior at any time. Playing games like tug-of-war that reinforce negative behaviors teaches your dog that this is okay, so don’t be surprised when they won’t give up their toys or fetch a ball! Focus on play that promotes bonding and exercise, but avoid rough play or over-excitement.
Not Setting Boundaries
K9 Control Training says certain behaviors can be endearing when your dog is a puppy, but failing to address them can make for a disobedient adult dog. Unless jumping up, pawing you for attention, or jumping on furniture are things you plan to accept forevermore, establish clear boundaries from the start. Teach your dog appropriate ways to greet people and ask for things.
Impatience
Training any animal takes time, repetition, and perseverance, so never expect instant results or overnight changes. Don’t get discouraged if your dog doesn’t master a new trick or quickly becomes obedient. If you continue with reputable, consistent training techniques, you will start to see progress. Each dog is individual, so give your pet time to shine!
Early Toilet Training
Just like toddlers, puppies are incapable of being toilet trained until they are old enough to understand the difference between inside and outside and biologically capable of ‘holding on.’ Accidents happen, especially if you expect too much too soon. If you’re house training an adult dog that’s been kept outside, don’t neglect other factors such as confusion, fear, and anxiety.
Ignoring Medical Issues
Sometimes, a change in behavior or an inability to stop doing something can be a sign of an underlying medical condition. If your previously well-behaved dog starts exhibiting bad habits or you feel like there’s an underlying cause, consult your veterinarian. Certain conditions, like pain, bladder infections, or hormonal imbalances, can cause behavioral changes.
Not Using Positive Reinforcement
Any parent will tell you that rewarding good behavior works—and that goes for furry children, too! Positive reinforcement training is the most effective and humane way to train your dog, and it is also the most fun and feel-good method for you. Use treats, praise, petting, or playtime to reward positive behaviors according to your dog’s personality, but never use punishment.
Giving Up Too Easily
If you’re feeling frustrated with your dog’s behavior, it’s tempting to give up on training altogether, but that can ruin any progress you’ve made (however subtle). The Seattle Times warns against giving up on training classes and instead recommends finding a different trainer—one that may better suit your dog’s personality, training style, and lifestyle.
Making Comparisons
Every dog is an individual who will learn and mature at their own pace. Even littermates of the same age will exhibit some natural variation, depending on their individual personalities. Comparing your dog’s progress to another dog’s can be discouraging and unproductive. Instead, focus on your pet’s strengths and aim to work harder at things they find difficult.
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