Dog behaviour problems

Even the best behaved dogs can suffer minor behaviour problems. This bad behaviour can be something as common as barking at the postman or as severe as biting someone. For most types of bad behaviour, there is a solution which can reduce your pet’s undesirable traits.

  1. Types

    • The main types of bad behaviour are general disobedience, destructive behaviour or aggression. General disobedience can include ignoring recall when on a walk, begging at the table and not obeying commands. Destructive behaviour can include damaging items around the home or garden. Common targets for this behaviour are shoes, children’s toys and furniture. Aggression can appear in the form of barking at the postman, snapping at other animals or attempts to bite people.

    Causes

    • The cause of most bad behaviour is a lack of training. This is particularly true where general disobedience is concerned. Destructive behaviour tends to be caused by boredom and can occur when a dog is left alone for long periods or where its environment is lacking distractions. Separation anxiety, where your dog is worried you won’t return home, can also lead to destructive behaviour.

    Aggression

    • Aggression can be caused by many things. Some illnesses in dogs manifest as aggression, whether as a hormone imbalance or a reaction to painful parts of the body. Equally aggression can occur if a dog is scared, threatened or experiences a traumatic episode.

    Solutions

    • Be consistent in training, as any stretching of the rules will confuse your dog. If your dog is destructive, you could go home at lunch time to spend time with it, hire a dog walker to break up the time it is alone or provide a range of toys to keep it occupied. Even leaving the radio on can help.

      The first step to reducing aggression in your dog involves visiting the vet's, firstly to carry out tests to see if the dog has a condition which might cause its behaviour and secondly to get it spayed or neutered if that hasn’t already been done. Socialising your dog with other dogs can help to reduce aggression towards animals, while creating positive associations with strangers, such as giving your dog a treat when it sees them, can reduce aggression towards people. If you’re worried about this, it is best to muzzle your dog when out in public.

    The Law

    • Your dog’s bad behaviour could get you into trouble. If your dog doesn’t respond to recall, you could be breeching your local authorities' dog control orders for not having your dog on a lead, and be fined up to £1,000 under The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005. If your dog is a barker, your local authority could issue you with a noise abatement order requiring you to pay a fine and legal fees. The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 states that it’s a criminal offence to have a “dangerously out of control” dog in public, and if someone is injured, your dog can be destroyed and you could face prison time and a fine.