Veterinary behavior specialist Melissa Bains says dogs can have a range of behavior problems but most of them are fear based. Bains, a behavior expert at UC Davis, does not recommend using choke, pinch or shock collars because those restraint tools do not address the underlying problem. NewsWatch 2008
If he expects to get it and doesn’t. Could this lead to bad behavior
Dec 13, 2011 | 13 | Bad Dog BehaviorMy dog is almost 2 years old, and she’s really, really sweet with everybody … until now. It started out with her snapping at my 3 year old niece-in-law, then it turned into a sort of guy issue. Anytime my fiance, my sister’s boyfriend or even my dad (her favorite person) would get near her, she would turn really nasty. She lunges, growls and snaps. And she’s NEVER acted like this before. Her heat was about a month ago, and we were wondering if it was because she’s pregnant or does she have behavioral issues? It’d greatly appreciate any help!
Dec 11, 2011 | 6 | Bad Dog BehaviorMy son’s dog a year old large chihuahua has issues, we cant go anywhere while my son is in school, his dog goes nuts ant rips everything apart, he’s tore the floor up, trying to get out you cant lock him in a room , he chews through the doors, you cant leave him outside he climbs the fence, if you tie him up he chews through the leashes, but he’s fine as long as someone is with him, but during the day I have things to do and I cant take him all the time, if I leave him in the car…..
HE EATS IT…..he’s costing me a lot of money, we cant get rid of him. then he’ll get upset and sneak and pee on our shoes or Personal items….Im going nuts…….any advise is welcome
ive tried to crate him and he still tries to chew his way out , he’s lost one tooth on the metal one, so we bought a plastic one with a door in the front and he’ll poop in it and kick it at the door, we’ve only had him for 5 months, maybe this is why his ex owners got rid of him, lol, he’s crazy
i’m ready to find him a new home, but my son is really attached to him and it would kill him
i didn’t mention, our other dog , she is a chihuahua/pitt bull mix and doesn’t behave this way, so he’s never really alone, they get along great
He goes ahead of me (I have a retractable leash) and tries to lead the way
Dec 07, 2011 | 7 | Bad Dog BehaviorI’m not looking for training advice. I just want to know what is better in your opinion and why?
Dec 05, 2011 | 18 | Bad Dog BehaviorMy family has a maltese-poodle mix dog who is such a smart and for the most part well-mannered dog. However, he’s can get very emotionally stressed and agressive while were in the car with him. He barks, whines, scratchs, bites and runs all over the place when the car comes to a stop and when he knows a person is about to get out of the car. This is the only BIG problem we have with our dog, and it happens to be the only time he will get really agressive and attack you when you try to get out of the car. Any suggestions??
Dec 03, 2011 | 13 | Bad Dog BehaviorWe have been at the vet, he has been on meds, we’ve tried a kennel, chains, everything. He has seperation anxiety and he escapes and destroys doors and windows and siding and car tires and sides of car etc…….we have tried behavior modification techniques and nothing is working. Hes a 100 pound shepard. When we have to go somewhere and he has to stay home I have to go with the fear that he is going to escape out of his kennel and tear apart my house. I have chicken wire on the ground in the kennel and a roof on it. He actuallt bent and destoyed the chain links yesturday and when free proceeded to tear the sliding glass door screen off the house and peel back the siding around the door. I love my dog but I am afraid that I have tried everything to control this, spent hundreds of $ on meds and vets and training and fencing etc…….I am afraid that maybe I may have to find him someone who can be with him all the time or put him down…….I just cant handle him anymore
Dec 01, 2011 | 9 | Bad Dog BehaviorOur 3 year old boxer used to be well behaved when we were at work. After we trained her in the crate she got to a point where we could leave her out during the day. We moved to our first house in March and she was good but then started having small outbursts: pottying ocassionally in the basement, pulling random items out to destroy (bathroom trash, recycling, bag or toliet paper, rake, jar of parsley, bars of soap, etc.–i know that’s likely our fault but there is just no way we can keep everything out of reach; once we think we have, she finds something else) and getting on our bed. It seems more of an attitutude of “look what I can do to make you mad” type of thing and we’ve tried everything to discourage or punish the behavior. We’ve sent her to her crate for time out, pointed the mess out and told her “bad dog,” ignored her when we come home and see a mess (this drives her crazy), recrated her during the day and praised her excitedly when she doesn’t make a mess. Last night we started putting her in time out on the living room floor rather than her bed.
We’ll go in cycles of being back in the crate for a week or 2 then out in the house. she’ll be good the first day or two but then do something she knows is bad (jar of parsley yesterday). I know she’s trying to get our attention but am unsure why and what we’re doing wrong to remedy it. Since we aren’t home to punish the behavior right away I don’t think anything is working.
Some more background: she used to go to the dog park in the morning but our move and thus longer commute to work make it impossible now so it could be that. Of course, she does get walked in the morning and still gets to go to the dog park in the evening. We live in a large city where going home at lunch isn’t possible due to the commute. She does suffer from some separation anxiety as she was a rescue brought in for being abandoned but this has imporved greatly. We do give her a kong with PB to distract her when we leave for work.
I’m thinking of a dog walker but we’re looking at around $75 or more a week. Yikes! Any help would be most appreciated!!!
UHave2BeKidding: I can assure you our dog has a loving and rich life. She gets regular excercise and attention and I do not appreciate your insinuating post stating otherwise. If you have some productive answers to my questions, then great but otherwise, feel free not to respond.
For the record I did not state that I wouldn’t pay the $75. As you can see we are considering it but I would like advice on the behavior before we move forward. Plus, handing over our house keys to a stranger is a bit scary.
Thanks to all the great advice so far. Most of it is reinforcing my conclusions already but its great none the less.
Dorothy S.: feel better? i hope so and hope you found what you needed to make yourself happy. shame on you for your comments.
Based on UHave2BeKidding’s new post our dog is getting more excercise than is recommended but I realize we could do more. She gets a 30 minute walk in the AM and PM dog park play for an hour. She regularly goes over to her friend’s house for playdates(or “hosts” at our house) . She goes to doggie day care at least once a week for a several hours (when we have to run errands during the weekend). And, we play with her at home, as well. Unfortunately, my husband and I have to work and do not have the luxury that some do to work from home or not at all. I’m sure a better understanding of our situation would show we’re good dog owners but alas these forums really only present a 2D view.
so, based on the advice we have here she needs more excercise. got it, duly noted and agree. thanks to those that helped.
Nov 29, 2011 | 9 | Bad Dog Behaviorwell, our 5 year old golden retriever is a great dog… but he thinks the world is all about him. if we sit on the couch and he lays on his bed, he’ll bark for no reason! well, actually because we’re not petting him. but we are busy people and we can’t constantly pay attention to him. he gets over 5 hours of play time a day, and interaction all other times.
and also, he will nearly rip the door off a small kennel (like at the groomers) and can’t stand lonlieness. well, he used to be an outdoor dog and he had free reign of the yard, but he’d rather be in with us, so that all works in the house. but how can we teach him not to be so “in your face” in a bad way? oh, and he has a mouthing problem to (not so it hurts, it just gets annoying when your hand is always shrively and soaked).
do you think it is bad to have him sleep outside in -18 degree weather tonight with heat lamp, blankies? and if no, how will we keep him in somewhere? he opens doors and latches, and he goes nuts.
yeah, i need info on the alpha stuff to fix this, i did nearly all the “alpha dog” things i could find. or training help. or success stories.
need help on sleeping conditions though…
oh, and he eats soft toys and doesn’t enjoy tough bones, so the only ones he ever eats are soft and quick. he is mildly detructive. and afraid to climb stairs. should i camp out in the living room with him tonight?