Dog behaviour might appear mysterious at times. Often, they’ll bark for apparently no reason, show aggressive tendencies, or simply display body language that doesn’t make immediate sense.
Yet, such behaviours aren’t without a reason. Whenever your pet acts a certain way, they’re likely trying to communicate something. This principle applies to troublesome behaviour as well. Understanding the cause of particular issues is a crucial step toward resolving them.
This guide will explain why dogs behave in different ways under various circumstances. We’ll also provide some tips on how to address unwanted reactions from your pet.
Common Behavioural Issues in Dogs
Dog behaviours can range from the quirky to the unacceptable. For instance, there’ll be a considerable difference between your pup jumping to greet guests and showing open aggression towards unfamiliar faces.
Fortunately, most unwanted behaviours can be addressed with relative ease. In many cases, all it will take will be some patience and the right approach.
Let’s look at behavioural issues from the most aggressive to the least severe.
Unwarranted Aggression
Dogs can act aggressively when trying to protect their home and family or if they feel threatened. While this behaviour may be justified in certain situations, especially with guard dogs, it’s not welcome in everyday circumstances.
Aggression comes in various forms, from mild signals to open attacks. This type of behaviour may include a rigid body stance, guttural barks, growling, snarling, muzzle punches, nips, and bites. It’s worth mentioning that even signs of aggression without physical contact require an immediate reaction from the owner and further correction via training.
What Causes It?
Dog aggression can fall within several categories depending on its cause:
- Territorial
- Protective
- Defensive
- Frustrated
- Social
- Predatory
Territorial aggression is precisely what it sounds like: the dog has an instinctual tendency to protect its territory. Dogs usually become territorial when they’re one to three years old.
Protective aggression is a reaction to a perceived threat to the dog’s family. This is especially the case when a dog sees an individual as vulnerable. Besides people, your pet might try to protect their puppies and even objects that they consider their possessions.
Defensive aggression is primarily motivated by fear. When dogs become fearful, they can exhibit a fight-or-flight response. Entering the “fight” mode may mean growling, charging, or outright attacking whoever scared the dog. Such reactions may also occur when the dog is in pain.
Frustrated aggression happens when a dog lashes out due to being denied free movement or action toward an object, person, or another pet. Similarly, if the dog is prevented from displaying aggression toward someone or -thing, they may redirect the behaviour to whoever interferes.
Social aggression stems from the dog feeling like they’re the leader of the pack. In that case, they could become aggressive toward people, including family members, to keep them “in line.”
Finally, predatory aggression is an instinctual reaction that’s quite common in canines. This type of aggression primarily consists of chasing anything that moves quickly. It’s the same instinct that makes dogs love to play fetch.
How to Resolve It?
The proper response to dog aggression will depend on the type of behaviour. Most of the variants are resolved if the owner positions themselves as the leader of the pack. This will make the dog view the owner as the one responsible for their territory, family members, and issuing commands.
Establishing a good balance between discipline and security will be pivotal. If the dog learns to obey commands and respect their owner, they’ll less likely be spiteful or rebellious. And if your pup knows they’re in safe hands, they won’t feel the need to protect themselves or anyone else at all times.
When it comes to more instinctual aggression types like predatory behaviour, proper training will be the answer. It’s worth noting that the best way to get rid of aggression will be through positive reinforcement. Punishment or violent reactions will only prove counterproductive.
Barking
Dogs bark for a variety of reasons. Since this is one of their primary ways of communication, some pets might bark excessively, to the point where the behaviour becomes more than a mere nuisance.
When your dog barks at every opportunity, the resulting noise can disrupt sleep and cause neighbour complaints. Worse yet, barking can easily grow into a habit that occurs at any time, including late at night.
What Causes It?
Barking can be your dog’s way to express a range of emotions. It can be a sign of aggression, although the noise likely won’t be the most concerning issue in that case. Other reasons why dogs bark can include raising alarms, attracting attention, responding to other dogs, or even greeting guests.
Your pet could also bark to “tell” you that something’s bothering them physically. For example, barking could be the result of an injury or pain. Finally, a dog may bark when left alone as a symptom of separation anxiety, trying a calming dog bed might help.
How to Resolve It?
You can train your dog to be quiet on command. This can be done by teaching them the “quiet” command and rewarding the pup whenever they stop barking. You can use different techniques to stop your pet from barking, from holding their muzzle to providing treats as distractions.
If you choose the muzzle-holding route, remember to do it gently. The goal is simply to prevent the barking without scaring or injuring the dog. If your pup responds well to this method, positive results could be seen relatively quickly.
On the other hand, if the dog seems distressed by having their muzzle closed, it would be better to opt for treats. You should issue the command as soon as the pup barks, then offer them small treats and keep feeding them until whatever provoked the barking passes.
If you get positive results from this method, start making pauses between the command and giving the treats. Gradually prolong the pause until the pup gets used to the idea of staying quiet on command.
Chewing
For some dog owners, ruined furniture, shoes, or personal items represent an unpleasant yet frequent sight. Such issues are caused by destructive chewing, one of the more common behavioural problems in dogs.
It’s not unusual for your pup to chew on things for different reasons. However, if this behaviour becomes frequent and results in material damage, it will need to be addressed promptly.
What Causes It?
Chewing usually becomes a habit from an early age. Puppies often alleviate teething discomfort through this activity. They can also chew objects as a means to explore the world around them. As adults, dogs often chew to clean their teeth and maintain jaw strength.
Outside of regular behaviour, chewing might be a sign of separation anxiety or hunger. If the behaviour is a result of the former, it probably won’t be the only symptom. Typically, it will be accompanied by whining, restless pacing, or urinating inside.
Dogs with a restrictive diet can chew in search of more food. They’ll usually chew anything food-related.
Furthermore, chewing can be compulsive, as a result of early weaning. In those cases, a dog might chew on pieces of fabric.
How to Resolve It?
The best way to prevent uncontrolled chewing is providing your dog with edible and inedible chewing material. Toys, special chew bones, and pig ears are good examples. However, make sure that whatever you give your dog to chew on is perfectly safe for them.
It would be best to use these chewables as a substitute for the regular objects your pup might chew on. To that end, you should monitor your dog’s behaviour and offer a toy or edible replacement once they try chewing on something else.
You could also try applying deterrents in spray. This method may prove particularly efficient in protecting furniture. But even if the deterrent fixes the immediate issue of material damage, it won’t address the underlying problem. In other words, your dog will still feel compelled to chew.
To resolve the root cause of this behaviour, you’ll need to monitor your pet throughout the day and determine when they tend to chew. This might help you understand the reason behind the behaviour. Plus, you can react faster and command your pup to stop what they’re doing.
Like most forms of training, getting your dog to stop chewing will require time, patience, and constant repetition. And like most training, it will only be successful if you stay consistent.
Reinforce Good Habits and Healthy Behaviours
Dogs usually behave poorly due to specific issues, not because they want to cause damage or irritate their owners. In most cases, bad behaviour is a symptom of another problem. Anxiety, malnourishment, or trauma can result in behavioural issues.
While there are specific methods to address every form of unwelcome behaviour individually, it would be best to focus on the cause. Proper training will often provide an answer, but the best way to get your dog to behave as expected would be to develop a healthy relationship with them.
Provide your pup with a sense of safety, love, and stability. Make them feel at home and secure in your family. More than anything else, this will make it easier to teach the dog how to behave and help them develop better habits.