Dog Problems

This page outlines some common problems that many dog owners face and possible approaches that can be taken in order to solve them.

Note: Never be impatient when solving these problems as usually rushing will not ameliorate it. Even though many of these problems might make us angry never allow that anger to rule your actions. Physical punishment won’t make these problems go away either but rather teach your pooch that it would be best to do what it was doing while you aren’t around, making the situation harder to catch and correct. As outlined on the Basic dog training page never reprimand your pooch a long time after he/she has done the deed because then the reprimand is not connected to the action but rather the one giving it; this means that it is too late to correct a behavior if you’ve just arrived home and found out about what happened, at that moment your pooch isn’t thinking about what it did but rather focused on the fact that you are back home. An important thing to keep in mind is that these solution require consistency to correct, therefore all other people in the house must follow the same training program you have adopted.

Chewing

Chewing is a normal urge many dogs, both adult and puppies, possess. This is why it is important to provide our dogs with plenty of toys, doing so will prevent them from chewing on inappropriate things such as expensive shoes. Try the following methods to redirect the chewing:

Trading: Whenever you catch the pooch chewing on something inappropriate let him/her know that they are doing something wrong by firmly saying “No” and taking the object away. Then offer a toy which he/she may chew on. If your puppy accepts the toy and chews on that instead praise the behavior and put away the other item she/he was chewing on. An alternative to simply taking the toy away is also giving the “Drop” command and giving the pup a tasty treat if they release.

Different Toys: With some dogs, particularly puppies, we have to maintain their interest else they get bored and find something else that they find more interesting. Try avoid leaving all toys out at the same time as this can bore the dog and push them to find other things to chew on. Have a crate where you put all the toys and only put about the quarter of them out at one time. After a while switch them for new ones and so on and so forth. On occasions that you are away, have a special set of toys that you only put out when your pooch is alone this makes them all the more interesting and holds their attention longer.

Spray Deterrent: Unfortunately chewing is a self reinforcing behavior because the act of chewing on an item is rewarding in itself for a dog. To create a negative association we can add a bitter spray to the object commonly called Bitter Apple. Spraying this on the surface on the object will make that item distasteful and will discourage further chewing. There have been some cases where particular dogs actually liked the taste of a certain deterrent spray, should this be your case try looking for a different spray as not all are made the same.

Sound Deterrent: This method is best left for the more persistent chewers and avoided for shy dogs.  This involves using something that makes a loud noise when shook or thrown in order to startle the pooch and create a negative association with the chewing. The object used to make the noise can be a tin can with a couple coins inside or a bunch of keys. When you see your dog chewing on something don’t instantly call his/her name but rather throw the noise maker near the pooch. It would be advisable to use an underhand throw at first but if the pooch doesn’t react to the noise the first time a more direct and forceful throw (to make more noise) can be used. Be as inconspicuous as possible so that the loud noise isn’t associated with you. Avoid actually hitting the dog with the noise maker, simply aim for making it land near the chewer. With his/her attention off the item they were chewing, call them to you and give them an appropriate chew toy instead. After some time of using sound deterrents the pooch may start avoiding the object, that to them, makes a loud noise when chewed on.

Pick Things Up: Don’t set your pooch up for failure. Avoid leaving things out that you would rather not have chewed on. It isn’t completely fair to leave temptations all around your pooch and expect the pup not to pay any attention to them. Especially with puppies its best not to leave shoes, cloths, books, writing utensils, or purses on the floor or in areas easily accessible to your dog. Of course, sometimes dogs will be sneaky and seek out what they want to chew on, and in these cases the dog should be taught that it is doing wrong, but otherwise, if objects are left on the floor and the pup chews on them, then it is fair to say that the fault falls on both pooch and owner.

Teething: Make sure that the root of your problem isn’t teething. Around 8 months (although it varies from dog to dog) some pooches start teething. These pups may start chewing and biting things in order to alleviate the pain. To solve this usually giving the pup some ice cubes will be enough to numb the pain. Taking a toy rope, wetting it, and then freezing it may help numb the pain also if the puppy likes chewing on them. Suspect teething as a problem if the chewing has started all of a sudden for no apparent reason.

Nipping/Biting

Nipping and biting in this section refers to playful biting that is common with pups that like to play rough, this shouldn’t be confused with aggressive biting which is resolved in a much different manner. Nipping is a common problem in many of the herding breeds such as collies and border collies; it also isn’t unheard of with puppies that leave their litters too early. With herding breeds, biting is usually attributed to a lack of mental stimulation and a need to do what they were bred to do: herding. Very young puppies have problems with biting because they didn’t learn bite inhibition when they were with their littermates. However the problem is usually made worse because owners will allow the pups to bite them or their cloths because it is ‘cute’, but as the pup gets older the biting gets harder to control and becomes more painful; this is about the time many owners start getting annoyed. In this case we can’t blame the behavior entirely on the pup, the owners after all taught him/her that biting was ok. To avoid this problem completely is would be best to never allow a dog to bite anyone no matter how old or young the pooch is. Here are some possible ways you can try to solve this behavior:

Mental/Physical Stimulation: With dogs that are nipping because it is in their genes to herd things, mental stimulation can go a long ways. If possible provide them with something to herd instead of you and your family. There are also herding trials and events that take place in which your pooch can compete and put that herding instinct to use.  Physical stimulation is very important as too much pent up energy can cause some undesirable behaviors, biting included. Good daily runs will help tire your pooch out enough to make it less likely that he get him/herself into trouble. Run also provide some mental stimulation because of the variety of sounds and smells, so do allow your pooch to stop and investigate every now and then.

Yelp and Ignore: Most puppies learn bite inhibition with their littermates, when one pup bites another too hard, the pup that was bit yelps and completely ignores the offending puppy. You might want to try the same thing and see if that works. When you are bit too hard, give a quick and loud yelp, move away from the pup and completely ignore him/her. Do this over and over again and ignore the pup for a period of 3-5 minutes, during this time make no eye or physical contact and don’t speak to him/her.

Correct and Give Toy: When the puppy bites you quickly correct him/her saying “No”, wait for a couple seconds to see if he/she discontinues the biting. If the puppy continues biting verbally correct again, but if the pooch stops biting give him/her a toy on which they may chew on.

Spray Deterrent: Not unlike chewing behavior described above, one can use bitter tasting sprays to make biting less pleasant for the puppy. Apply a bit of it on your hand or wherever the puppy usually bites and note the reaction after having tasted the spray on your hand. If the pup obviously doesn’t like it, keep using it to help create a negative association with biting. If there seems to be no change in the behavior use the other methods mentioned to stop this behavior.

Stop pushing and yelling: Even though excessive biting can be quite annoying and at times painful, one should always remember that yelling and pushing can sometimes make a problem worse. On occasions  puppies can view shoving and yelling as a form of rough play and may continue biting because they think you are enjoying the rough play yourself. It is always important to be calmed and composed.  Be firm and clear with commands given in conjunction with one of the corrective measures discussed above.

Digging

Dog owners that are also gardeners are sometimes dismayed to find their beautiful plants uprooted and holes all over the place. Digging is a natural behavior seen in many canines of the wild, however at times the reason we see it in our domestic companions is for different reasons. Probably the number one reason for digging is a lack of exercise and boredom. There are different reasons of course such as digging because of barrier frustration. This means that a dog is trying to dig to get somewhere else, a classic example would be a male dog digging near the fence to get to a female in heat; in this situation the digging is not caused because of lack of exercise but rather just wanting to get around a certain barrier. On hot summer days a dog may dig simply to be able to lay in a cooler spot, digging usually unearths moist and cooler soil perfect to cool off on hot days. Lastly, digging can also be attributed to wanting to find something. Some dogs will dig up their bones and later dig them up to enjoy them, others will dig when they get the scent of a rabbit or squirrel. Whatever the reason, if the digging has gotten out of control try the following techniques to try and solve the problem.

More Exercise: The most obvious solution to digging is to provide your pooch with more exercise. Having an outlet from which to use pent up energy most dogs won’t have a need to dig anymore. Try taking your dog out for a quick run and see if the problem slowly dissipates. A combination of both mental and physical stimulation can sometimes works much more efficiently; games the involve both moving around and thinking will are great such as hide n seek or fetch.

Sandbox: A commonly suggested method is to get a sandbox so that a pooch can freely dig in there without a problem. However this isn’t a magical cure; we still need to train the digging pooch  that he/she is only allowed to dig in that sandbox. Whenever you catch your dog digging in an area that’s not the sandbox, quickly and firmly say “No”, take your pooch to the sandbox, and tell him/her to dig there you may want to pretend to dig a little so that your dog gets an idea of what the sandbox is for. Praise your pooch whenever you seem him/her digging in the sandbox; you can even encourage digging by placing a treat (preferably wrapped) or a toy in a hole and allowing your dog to dig it up. There are many that believe that this method might actually confuse a dog and that they may continue digging in other places in the yard since they might not make a distinction between the sandbox and the rest of the yard; however, I’ve seen some dog owners that have used this method and have their dogs only dig in the designated area. It all depends on the training and individual dog.

Physical Barrier: Making it physically impossible to dig in an area will serve as a quick fix so that you don’t have certain areas dug up (like a garden). Placing chicken wire a couple inches below the surface will help prevent further digging. Of course this method will take some work to set up but provided that it is placed effectively the digging should be stopped until you can catch and correct the problem.

Rocks & Pebbles: This can also be considered another physical barrier although it doesn’t make digging impossible but rather uncomfortable. Litter medium to large sized pebbles in areas where your pooch usually digs. Make sure that there are plenty of rocks and that you mix up the dirt so that some rocks are also below the surface. Digging with pebbles makes the action rather uncomfortable and more difficult and is usually enough to deter some diggers. However if the pebbles are only on the scattered on top the soil, the pooch only needs to dig for a little bit before reaching the softer soil, this is why it is important to mix the dirt with the rocks too. It would be advisable to get rounded pebbles as these are not only harder to dig up but will also help prevent any paw pad injuries from sharp rocks.

Feces: Because dogs are clean creatures by nature and will tend to avoid their own droppings it is said that putting their feces in the hole and coving it will deter further digging in that spot. There have been a couple people I know on forums that have tried this and said it actually worked, so it is worth a try and it’ll be fertilizer to boot!

Smell Deterrent: Seeing how dogs have an excellent sense of smell, smell deterrents can be effective in some cases. Spraying citronella spray or sprinkling pepper on the soil where the dog usually digs will make it unpleasant to the pooch and may stop or mitigate the problem. If the first time it doesn’t seem to work try using more citronella or pepper and see if that works.

Find Causes: While all the methods described above will stop or at least lessen the digging problem regardless of the cause it would be wise to find out why your dog is digging in the first place. If exercise is the problem, go for more walks or contract a dog walker. Should barrier frustration be the cause, try finding out what your dog is trying to get at and eliminate it if possible. If you see that your dog is laying down on the hole he/she dug take it as a sign that your dog is hot and most likely needs a way to cool off such as more shade or a kid pool. If your dog is digging something up or is digging after a rabbit usually smell deterrents will work just fine.

Jumping

Problem with a dog that likes to jump on visitors when they arrive? Jumping on visitors or even on yourself is a form of greeting for your dog; they would usually lick the muzzle (or face) of the one that is arriving as a welcoming gesture but seeing how our faces are higher up dogs will have to jump up. This problem is usually made worse during the puppy stage, many think that it’s ‘cute’ for a pup to jump up on them but as they grow up the jumping is no longer cute. When told to stop the pooch is confused because for the first couple weeks he/she was taught that it was ok to jump on people but now he/she is being told that is bad. Even though a dog jumping on people is a welcoming gesture it is a problem that should be solved quickly before they knock someone over and cause serious injury. These injuries may end up and have ended in the past with lawsuits. Try some of the following to teach a pooch that it is doing something wrong:

Prevention: First and foremost it would wise to clip the problem even before it started. If someone has recently acquired a puppy they should never allow or encourage them to jump on people no matter how charming it may seem. As a general rule of thumb one shouldn’t allow jumping as a puppy unless they plan to keep the jumping behavior for the rest of the dog’s life; some owners may not mind this if their choice of dog is a Yorkie or a Chihuahua.

Most effective; Ignoring: Because jumping is also a form of soliciting attention the most effective method involves denying the dog what he/she is looking for. When the jumping starts completely ignore the pooch this means no eye contact, no physical contact, and no speaking to the dog. Turn away slightly and if the dog circles around towards the way you are facing turn away again. Keep doing this until all 4 paws are down on the ground. Once the dog has ceased jumping acknowledge the dog quietly, if done with too much enthusiasm the dog may become excited again and start jumping. Should your pooch start jumping go back to ignoring him/her. After some time the dog will get the idea that sitting or waiting quietly gets him/her that which they are looking for: attention.

Stepping on the Leash: One could call this a modeling training technique but it is useful to make it physically impossible for the pooch to jump up on visitors and makes it possible for you and visitors to praise a dog that is behaving by sitting down. When visitors arrive simply have your dog sit down next to you and keep a lead on him/her. Step on the end of the leash to prevent jumping. Next have your visitors come in and praise your pooch who will be sitting down. Say “No” whenever your dog makes an effort to jump up, alternatively if he/she is sitting down without making any fuss praise and give treats. After some time if there is no struggling you can progress and stop stepping on the leash but keep praising if there are no more attempts to jump. Eventually all you will have to do is have your pooch sit next to you to keep him/her from jumping on someone that is visiting.

Give a treat low to the ground: Seeing how a big contributing factor to the jumping is that the dog is trying to reach your face, one way to approach the problem is by entering and offering a treat down low. Being that the treat will be down low, the temptation to jump up will be temporarily stopped giving you time to praise your pooch who will have all four paws on the floor. If there are attempts to jump say “No” and turn away using the ignoring method described before.

Reduce Excitement: Sometimes the reason that the dog is so excited by his/her owners arrival is that they make it all too exciting. With a pooch that jumps on you try and avoid fussing over the dog when you first arrive.  As you come in the door you don’t have to necessarily ignore your pooch, give him/her quiet acknowledgement and go on with whatever you usually do. If any jumping occurs turn away and ignore the pooch until the excitement dies down. After doing this over and over your dog’s excitement levels will drop during your arrival and with them the incidence and motivation for jumping.  

Myth: Unfortunately there are some that advise owners to knee a dog in the chest if they are jumping on someone. This method does nothing to cut the problem at the root it only temporarily suppresses it. This can also ultimately affect your bond with your dog as you are connecting a punishment with your arrival. Avoid all methods similar to this seeing how you can get better and more positive results using methods such as the ones outlined before.

Chasing

There are many dog, usually influenced by their heritage, that love to chasing other small animals because of high prey drive. Sometimes the chasing isn’t limited to small animals though, it could be cars, bikes, or people. However because chasing is usually uncontrollable once started it can be extremely dangerous and in some cases illegal because it could violate local leash laws. Because chasing is a natural survival instinct that many canines have it can also be extremely hard to curb depending on the breed. For dogs that love to chase cars and bikes and particularly ones that nip at the wheels correcting this problem should be a priority as it isn’t unheard of for dogs to get run over because they were too close to a moving vehicle. Try the following to start fixing this behavior:

Teach ‘Leave It’: Teaching the command ‘Leave it’ is a great start to help in stopping some dogs from chasing other things. Because the way to teach ‘Leave It’ involves the pooch not touching food until told to do so it is effective for dogs that chase small animals which most likely would also be considered prey. This command has to be taught until it is solidly ingrained in the dog, even once it seems that your dog knows what Leave it means, keep on using it every day so that it becomes second nature.

Teach Recall: Even though recall or ‘Come’ should be something every dog knows, for dogs that love to chase it is essential. For dogs who’s prey drive isn’t all too high the simple command itself would most likely be enough to draw them from a chase. For dogs with extremely high prey drive, their attention is most likely to focused on what they are chasing that the recall command falls to deaf ears, however after the chase is done (most likely the prey got away) using recall is important to prevent the dog from continuing another chase or wandering off. As with the Leave It command the recall exercises have to be done at least a couple times per day.

Desensitization: Even though desensitization techniques are usually used for fearful dogs it would be a great help to use it in cases where certain stimuli cause chasing. We start by exposing the chasing causing stimulus at a great distance, at least at a distance in which it doesn’t cause the dog to want to chase it. Then play with the pooch or do anything else that distracts his/her mind off that object. Little by little you get nearer to the object and continue your activity. Eventually the object can be really near without causing your pooch to want to chase it. This can be used with bikes, cars, cats, rabbits, it doesn’t matter, provided that you can be at a distance and slowly get near there should be no problem; during these exercises always keep a leash just in case for some reason the temptation to chase becomes too much.

Always keep on Leash: In the end there might be some dogs that will always retain some degree of that chase drive because of the way their breed works. Because this is a survival mechanism it is hard to completely eliminate in which case it would be wise to always have that dog on a lead. Local leash laws may deem it necessary anyway so unless one is at an area where dogs may be unleashed, it is our responsibility to keep our dogs on a leash at all times while going out.

Coprophagia (Eating Feces)

Coprophagia is the frustrating and disgusting problem of a dog that enjoys eating his/her own feces or that of other dogs/animals. While not lethal this problem is quite disgusting and does pose some risk. Feces collect a myriad of bacterial or viral cultures that can make a dog sick, not to mention that the risk of contracting a parasite from ingesting other animal’s feces is also possible. The cause of coprophagia is not always clear, the number one problem is usually boredom. Other suggest that female dogs will do this because they have the instinct of keeping the area clean. There is, however, a small chance that coprophagia is a sign of a gastrointestinal malady. Depending on what is causing the problem with determine what is effective in eliminating it, the following outlines some possible solution.

Health; visit a vet: If for some reason you suspect that your pooch may have something physically wrong with him/her, and accompanying coprophagia are other symptoms of an illness a trip to the vet is most likely needed. According to some vets, it is possible that behaviors involving feces eating could mean an intestinal problem dealing with absorption. Only a physical check up will determine if there is something wrong with your pooch and only in that way will you be able to know how to solve it.

Mental and Physical Stimulation: Because sometimes this problem is attributed to a lack of something to do, it is important have something for them to do. A quick run around the block will help keep a pooch a bit tired so that he/she doesn’t get into any mischief. Leaving out some toys for the dog to chew on is a great way to distract them from eating feces for fun. A kong is a great choice of a toy because it usually keeps some pooches really busy for an extended period of time. If you have to leave your dog alone for a period of time and are afraid that they might eat feces while you are gone try to leave them tired and sleeping for the time you are gone. This is accomplished by giving them some good exercise before you leave and making sure that they eat a hearty meal about an hour after the exercise; the combined feeling of tiredness and satiety will induce sleep for quite some time.

Deterrents: There are some things that are commonly recommended to feed a pooch to help deter them from eating feces. Theoretically this things are supposed to give dropping an increasing bad taste to help discourage further temptation to eat them. Among some of these deterrents the most frequently advocated are pineapple, meat tenderizer, and special medication such as Deter.

Correction: Sometimes a pooch may not even know that he/she is doing something that upsets you. Whenever you catch your dog eating feces always make sure to say “No” and take away what is left. Creating negative association with the help of sound deterrents may help too.

Know the schedule: Keep track of the time around which your pooch goes to the bathroom, this way you know when it is time to pick up after them so that they aren’t eating the feces.

Don’t set up for Failure: Probably the simplest way to fix the problem of coprophagia is to pick up after your dog regularly. It isn’t completely the dog’s fault that he/she eats poop if it is left there for quite some time. If not possible because you are away, keep trying to use the methods described above to help you out with this problem.

Marking

Marking on walks or on certain objects (such as bushes or fire hydrants) not only marks the territory of your particular dog, but is also acts as a way to heighten self esteem. While marking while going on walks isn’t incorrect, it can become a bit annoying. There is a distinct difference between ‘accidents’ and marking, the former is usually during the housebreaking process and the latter is noted after housebreaking or a deliberate action. This behavior isn’t uncommon when new dogs are brought home or there is a problem with a dog being too possessive of some objects.  Marking behavior can become worse when the owner doesn’t set ground rules and allows the pooch to do as he/she pleases. More outgoing and dominant dogs will on occasion display this behavior as well. Try the following to solve this problem:

Find out if it’s Marking: It could be that what you are dealing with is not marking at all and rather accidents or a physical malady. If urine spots aren’t cleaned adequately the scent persists and it tells the dog that it is alright to go to the bathroom there, which makes it deliberate but not completely a behavioral issue. Follow the steps given in the Practical Tips Page on how to find and clean urine spots effectively. Also, since marking is usually noted after housebreaking, a physical illness such as an infection (which causes incontinence) can be misinterpreted as marking. If you suspect an illness, its always best to get a vet’s opinion on the subject before taking action.

Start from Square One: If a behavioral issue is involved, it is important to set ground rules. A good way to start is by starting over with the house breaking process and keep consistent. Setting ground rules is a good way to make sure that your pooch knows that you are the head of the family and that he/she must obey rules set by you. For more detailed information on potty training refer to the Potty Training Page.

NILIF: The Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF) program is a good way to establish that you are family leader. The guidelines set forth with the NILIF will help the pooch begin to learn his place within the family unit in your household and should provide the correct environment for a pooch that may be a little strong headed.

Mental Stimulation, Your Leadership, and Discipline: A common suggestion to this problem is that you do some basic obedience commands with your pooch. This again establishes your role as family leader and also keeps you in control of the pooch at all times. The mental stimulation provided with these exercises are a good way to discipline and entertain your dog all the while helping build a strong and healthy bond between both of you.

Neutering: Sometimes the most effective way to stop dogs from marking is to take away the drive to do so. Speaking particularly about male dogs, the effects of alteration may stop the marking tendencies. Although marking is sometimes noted in female dogs, the effects of alteration with them might not be the same, in the instance that a female dog is having trouble with marking it is best to refer to a vet and a behaviorist if possible.

Pulling

From personal experience I know that excessive pulling while going on walks can be annoying as well as embarrassing. The thing is that some dogs are just simply way too excited to be out and exploring new environments that they pull to get to where they want quicker. Pulling on the lead greatly decreases your control over your dog and can end up hurting you (from so much pulling}, the dog him/herself, or someone else that happens to be near by. A dog that pulls excessively can really make going out on walks a hassle and make one want to go out less but this ultimately makes the problem worse. Here are a few pointers that will help when a pooch is insistent on pulling like crazy:

Start with Heel: This is probably the most effective way to teach a dog not to pull but it is also one of the methods that take longer. We start out by working in our own yard without a leash. Call your dog’s name and have them sit next to you. Walk a little distance and entice him/her to follow you using a food lure put make sure that your pooch is keeping up with you, then have him/her sit and give the food reward. After some time phase out the food lure and simply call your dog’s name and say “Stop, Heel” when you ask him/her to sit.  Slowly make the distance that you have your dog walk next to you until you can circle around the yard perfectly without having your pooch deviate from your side. Next step is to click on the leash which can be hard because there are some pooches (like my own) that get terribly excited at the sight of a leash. Clip on the leash and continue with the Heeling exercises, slowly he/she will get the idea that you are not going on a walk and that you are simply practicing again. If your pooch tries to go off, say “No” and continue with the heeling. Once your pooch is able to heel while on a leash, venture out of your yard a little bit continuing giving the heel command and giving food rewards every now and then. Keep venturing out of your yard little by little and make food rewards even more infrequent. Slowly you will be able to build up your daily exercises to the size of your regular walk, but if your pooch becomes too excited to heel again, you may have gone a little too far too early. If this happens simply go back a bit and continue on with the regular practice. It is ok to allow your dog to occasionally sniff something or go potty but make sure that you always regain the control.

Interruption Method: Should the technique outlined above not work try this one. Usually pulling for a dog is easy because they always know where you are going: straight. The interruption method involves making your walking erratic and unpredictable to your dog. Being unpredictable helps in that your dog will have to keep a constant eye on you to make sure that you two are going the same way.  You start by walking in a certain direction, when the pulling is becoming too much you change your direction. Should the pulling continue keep changing your direction until your dog is near you and not pulling. The change of direction should be followed by a quick “Hey” or “Watch Me” so that your dog knows when he/she should be looking at you. After this training has made it clear to your dog that it is important to keep an eye on you, if your dog ever begins to pull, the quick “Hey” or “Watch Me” should be enough to get his/her attention.

Stop and Recall: Because your dog pulls with the intent on getting somewhere, an effective way to get the idea that pulling is unacceptable across is to deprive the dog from what it wants. When the pulling starts simply stop dead in your tracks and say “No”. As long as the tension on the lead is high don’t move a single inch. Once your dog has stopped pulling call to him/her and say “Come”, once the pooch is at your side you may continue. Usually it will only be a couple steps before the pulling persists and once again you should stop, wait, recall, and then continue. Doing this over and over again will teach the dog that it will take longer if he/she continues pulling. Combining with technique with the heel command can turn out some satisfying results as well.

Counterconditioning, Watch Me: Many have taught their dogs to walk nicely on a lead by teaching them to constantly look at them. This is really effective for dogs that pull because they want to investigate another dog or creatures because by having them keep on eye on you, you’ll be able to avoid having your dog’s attention go to the pull-causing-stimulus. Start at home, simply say “Watch Me” and if the dog looks at you, give a reward. Throughout the day continue doing this unexpectedly and if your dog looks at you continue giving a treat. Phase out the reward and make it unexpected for the best results while on a walk. Then just as outlined in the first technique, start by walking on a leash with your dog but this time encourage your dog to look at you. Slowly venture out to the street and build your way up to your original walking route all the while occasionally saying to your dog “Watch Me”.

Go Out More: From personal experience I can say that pulling becomes much less severe if the walks are much more frequent. While it may not completely eliminate it, frequent walks make the pulling much easier to handle. This is true because some dogs are simply excited that they finally are going on walk, but if the walk comes more often the excitement levels decrease. So going out for more walks may be the first step towards solving your pulling problems.

Barking:

Barking is a problem for some dog owners and yet for others it isn’t; the amount of barking one dog does depends a lot on his heritage and environment. We shouldn’t get mad because our dogs occasionally bark, after all it is their way of communicating. At times we may think that our dogs are barking at nothing however this is hardly the case. Dogs hear, feel, and sense things that we cannot and will not hesitate to bark to warn us to warn that particular thing away. Even though barking is normal for a dog to do, a responsible owner knows when their dog’s barking is becoming a annoyance to others and will do what he/she can to mitigate it. Let us not forget that in many places, a dog’s constant barking can be considered a public nuisance giving neighbors the right to complain to the proper authorities. Sadly, too many people resort to negative reinforcement collars to stop barking not taking the time to train the pooch instead; try the following before recurring to those collars:

Teach Speak then Quiet: At first this method may seem a bit counter intuitive however if done step by step this technique can become very effective. First off we start by making the dog bark. Usually many dogs will have a trigger to make them bark, some of these include but are not limited to: door bell, knocking, withholding a treat or toy for a prolonged period, seeing other dogs, vacuums, etc. Decide what you want to use to trigger the barking in the pooch. Use the trigger and wait for the barking, as soon as you think or you notice that your dog is going to bark say “Speak!” loudly and clearly (not so loud that you startle the pooch), if he/she continues barking praise and give a treat. Do this over and over a couple times rewarding the barking. Next, try getting your dog to bark on cue, meaning that you are no longer using the trigger. If your dog barks then reward and praise profusely. If nothing happens on cue try using the trigger and slowly phase it out as you would a treat. Keep using the cue and praise over a period of time before moving on. After you know the “Speak” command is well ingrained, it is time to teach “Quiet”. Ask your dog to speak and as he/she is barking quickly and audibly say “Quiet!”, is the barking stops praise and reward with a treat. Continue doing this until no more barking persists after giving the quiet command. Now it is time to test it out, go back to using the trigger and get your pooch barking then say “Quiet!”, praise and reward if the barking stops. Alternate between using the trigger and using the speak cue and then asking your pooch to be quiet.

Sound Deterrent: This technique isn’t unlike the one described above however we don’t use the speak command. The sound deterrent is geared towards dogs that don’t stop barking because they are so focused on what they are doing to listen to a command. The goal of this method is to startle your pooch giving you just enough time to give a cue as the dog stops barking. Use anything that will make a loud enough noise to startle your pooch will he/she is barking such as: coins in a tin can, keys thrown to the floor, training disks, or in some cases pots and pans may be needed. Use a trigger to get your dog to bark, as the barking goes on use the sound deterrent and quickly say “Quiet” , if the barking discontinues then praise and reward. If the barking continues then use a louder making deterrent. When you finally have got your pooch to stop barking, do this exercise over and over again using the sound deterrent, but later on slowly phase out the sound so that you can hush your pooch simply on command.