Owner Behaviour

To help a dog suffering behavioural issues we must accept we are the problem. For a dog to overcome anxiety or lack of correct understanding our behaviour must change.
Inconsistency from the owner is done accidentally but can have a serious effect on the dog. Dogs do not choose to deliberately do things that displease, but they need to learn and understand what they can and can’t do to feel confident. For example, you not only allow but encourage the dog to get on the bed and sleep with you. Then you have just changed the sheets and the dog has come in from a wet garden with muddy paws, they jump up on the bed, for the owner to scold the dog will lead to confusion for the dog and anxiety as they do not know what they have done wrong? The dog does not understand you have just changed the sheets or that their paws are dirty. Do not tell the dog off they have not done anything wrong, just clean their paws and change the sheets.

When I dog is fearful it is essential not to reinforce the fear. This can be a difficult concept to instil in owners when a dog is trembling with fear the instinct is to want to cuddle them and tell them is ok in a concerned voice. This will only reaffirm to them that there is a reason to be afraid. You can not sit and talk through fears and phobias with a dog, rationalising the situation. However, never ignore a dog’s fear as it is very real to them and trembling with fear is a physical condition putting undue stress on vital organs.

Exercise boosts both endorphin and serotonin levels, both are ‘feel good’ hormones. They are produced in the brain and decrease anxiety and stress whilst promoting well-being and relaxation, (Endorphins — Balance Behaviour, 2021). In humans, we can call this the 'running high' the feel good from exercise which can even become addictive. There is biochemistry evidence that dogs who are high energy or high anxiety actually have low levels of endorphins. These dogs will do anything to increase their levels from running around chasing their tails endlessly to even chewing themselves causing them physical harm. Diet and nutrition is an important factor, in addition to diet a high energy dog can benefit from mentally stimulating games. Challenging them mentally and keeping the brain active helps prevent the low levels of endorphin from causing them to become restless and stressed.

Some dogs suffer low self-esteem and confidence, I would argue that they all do at some point such as when firstborn, the world is scary, and they do not know their place in it. Always use positive reinforcement which focuses on good feelings, in addition, mental stimulation games such as treat dispensing toys can help them feel a sense of achievement when they learn how to get the treat out. Giving a dog ‘choices’ can help them feel empowered, for example, when giving treats have one type in one hand and another in the other hand and allow the dog to choose which they want. Dogs are so dependent on us to give them everything they need, allowing them a choice will make them feel empowered and more confident.

Throw the Training Books Away

You have just got your first puppy and run out to buy all the training books so you can have the best-behaved dog in the street! Don’t, throw them away, they are completely unnecessary and unlikely to work if you do not understand communication, if you do not learn what your dog needs from you and how they feel the training will be useless. Dogs are predisposed to please humans, we give them water, food and shelter the essential resources of life and they give us loyalty. When dogs behave in away that we do not like it is us who must communicate this to the dog, so they understand what it is we want and do not want. I am sorry to say but all canine behavioural issues are man-made.

They have either not understood because we have not communicated properly, or we have miss understood what they are telling us. Behavioural issues particularly the serious issues manifest through anxiety. When the dog does not understand us, they fear doing the wrong thing leading to increased anxiety and resulting in behaviours from excessive barking to aggression. Dogs have been very cleaver in the way they have learnt to communicate with humans, through visual and vocal signals, but it is down to us to understand their language. If you learn canine communication your dog will do what ever you want with tail wagging. You need to understand any animal performs every behaviour for a reason and we need to understand the reason to understand the behaviour and if needed change the behaviour. We now live in an age where there is a vast number of publications explaining canine behaviour. So, ditch the training books!

There are many people who will still insist training works through reward and punishment. But what kind of life do you desire with your dog? Because yes dogs can learn, they have the mental ability to understand if I do that I will be punished, so what can I do? the dog becomes so afraid of a telling off they are nervous, withdrawn, and unable to explore their own personality. Sadly, in many cases this leads to anxiety which then leads to unwanted behaviour.
A happy relationship with your dog needs to be achieved through communication and understanding not through punishment and disciplined conditioning. Affection is an important resource for dogs in combination with food and water. Dogs do need boundaries to understand the dos and don’ts, and this understanding helps them to be happy and confident. A happy and confident dog will be a well-behaved dog willing to perform any behaviour you wish.

If you are experiencing any behavioural issues with your dog and would like some free online advice from a fully qualified behaviourist, simply email
happypaws.world@outlook.com providing as much information as possible
please allow 48 hours for a response
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