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People who feed their dog at any time of the day or night and in every room of the home teach him that the dinner table is you and dinnertime is all the time. Essentially, they're teaching their dog to beg. Inevitably, they come to regret it.
Adult dogs who develop the destructive habit of chewing often do so out of either boredom or frustration from inappropriate confinement. A bored dog will chew to expend pent-up energy that would be far better relieved by way of exercise. And a dog left alone for hours in a modest room behind a closed door will chew to escape. Again, issue behaviors caused by owners who lack a basic understanding of their dogs needs.
Dogs who jump on furniture are typically dogs who are invited to sleep inside the bed with their owner. How is he to know that the bed is OK but the couch is off limits?
Dogs who jump on individuals can ultimately be traced to owners who reward the behavior if only occasionally because they think its cute. But a dog who is encouraged to jump on his owner when his owner is in a playful mood cant be expected to know not to jump on his owner or anyone else when they arent inside the mood.
Of course, you will find difficulty behaviors and then you can find dilemma behaviors.
Biting behavior, for example, typically starts with an owner who literally inserts his hand in his dogs mouth throughout the course of play, essentially teaching the dog to bite. Excessive authority or dominance and abusive punishment on the component of the owner will also create a dog who bites and growls out of fear.
Dogfighting is an unpleasant and occasionally frightening behavior that, at its core, boils down to an instinctive need to defend territory. The territory in dispute could be anything a yard, a house, food, a toy or even a person. Thats right. Your dog may possibly not be protecting you simply because he loves you so much. He may well just be guarding a resource.
This territorial instinct coupled with improper socialization or a total lack of socialization makes a dog a likely candidate for dogfighting.
Recently I was talking to a woman who says her dog guards his toys and doesnt play nicely with other dogs. So what does she do? She takes him to the dog park and brings his favorite toys. In doing so, she is encouraging the extremely behavior she wants to curb.
But dog aggression toward folks or other dogs comes with dire consequences. Dogs get hurt. People get hurt. Homeowners insurance gets dropped. Expenses mount. Frustrations build. Tension bubbles. And with that kind of negative energy between owner and dog, you'll be able to only expect a lot more trouble.
This is why its so vital to understand the role we play in our dogs lives beyond the basics of food and shelter. We as dog owners exercise enormous influence over our dogs behavior. Taking the time to examine the connection between our behavior and theirs empowers us to bring about the positive behaviors we want from our dogs. And it gives our dogs the chance to please us, which is all they actually want.
Woof!
Dog trainer Matthew Uncle Matty Margolis is co-author of 18 books about dogs, a behaviorist, a well-known radio and television guest, and host of the PBS series WOOF! Its a Dogs Life! Read all of Uncle Mattys columns at the Creators Syndicate Site at creators.com, and go to him at unclematty.com. Send your questions to dearuncle.gazette@unclematty.com or by mail to Uncle Matty at PO Box 3300, Diamond Springs 95619.
c.2010 Creators Syndicate Inc.
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