Dog Behaviour Problems

Dog Aggression

A common form of dog aggression is a dog on dog aggression while out on a walk. Other forms can be aggression to people coming to your home or out on a walk (see video), your own dogs fighting each other, dogs chasing cars, joggers, bikes, skateboards etc.

What is happening here is your dog believes it is leader and therefore decision maker, they are trying desperately to protect the pack (you) and are panic-stricken. This is a huge burden for them to have on their shoulders given that your dog is living in an environment it doesn’t understand, there can also be the added problem of your dog biting you during these times of panic.

It is important in these situations of aggression to show your dog that they have nothing to fear. What is of paramount importance is for you to remain calm. Easy for me to say, but once you understand why these aggressive situations are occurring together with the knowledge of how you are to respond, will give you the confidence needed, therefore, calmness will naturally follow suite.

The first step to solving aggressive behaviour in dogs and any other behavioural problem is to relieve the dog of the pressure of leadership.

Amichien Bonding will help with this problem and all other non-medical dog behaviour problems, you can succeed with this communication method in the privacy of your own home. Amichien Bonding can help with reading body language, teaching your dog good manners, the ability to be able to communicate effectively, becoming your dogs best friend and the general nature of your dog.

Dog Seperation Anxiety

This is possibly the most distressing problem to experience for both you and your dog. Dog Separation Anxiety manifests in many ways depending on the personality of your dog. For example, the dog chewing furniture, defecating and/or urinating in the home, the dog barking, howling, whining, and in some cases self harming.

Dog Separation Anxiety is something that I experienced with my first dog Fred, so I can sympathise with anyone going through it.

From a human perspective it is hard not to take it personally when you find your house destroyed on returning home from work or even popping to the shops, but let me assure you, your dog chewing your expensive items or your dog urinating or defecating is not done to punish you. It is all down to coping with the stress or losing you. It is heartbreaking to realise the level of stress your dog goes through when you leave them.

In fact the chewing action releases a natural endorphin which helps them deal with the stress, similar to some people chewing their nails when they are anxious.

So how do you solve your dogs separation anxiety? Relieve your dog of its leadership position so it can elect you leader of the pack, therefore, when they no longer feel responsible for you, you can come and go as you please.

Fear of Noise

Dogs can react to anything they don’t understand, particularly loud noises which given thought we do as well. Loud noises and the fear of falling will make us react violently and is something we share with canines. So it is no surprise then to learn that this is a common problem with dogs, in particular dogs and fireworks, a car back firing, dogs and thunderstorms.

I can give you some advice on this right now. The worst (but most natural) thing to do when you have a scared dog is to comfort them. This confirms to the dog that there is something to fear. The best thing to do is to be a calm presence for your dog but to make no issue of it. For example, if your dog is afraid of fireworks, when the time comes, prepare yourself with a book/magazine and sit on the floor near your dog, but do not interact. Your calmness will have a powerful effect on your dog. This is strengthened by the knowledge of how to communicate effectively with your dog to allow them to elect you leader and therefore decision maker. Your relaxed approach to your dog and fireworks is a strong message if your dog trusts your decisions.

Pulling on the Lead

Having experienced this problem myself, I can sympathise with owners trying desperately to tackle it. Believe me, I tried everything to help my dog. What I discovered was that gadgets simply do not work, they may make the dog pulling on the lead slightly easier for you to deal with but as soon as you stop using the gadget the problem is still apparent. What is important here is to start changing the dogs mind as to what their job is, thereby removing the job of leader and decision maker from the dog.

Dog Barking Problems

Your dog barking at people walking by your house, jumping up or going crazy when visitors arrive or simply your dog barking at anything and everything is possibly the most frustrating and annoying problem you can experience, especially if you live in a quiet neighbourhood, as there can be a tremendous pressure to keep your dog quiet so as not to upset the neighbours.

I have been asked this question many times – how to stop my dog barking? I will tell you this, dogs bark and you will not be able to stop them from ever uttering a sound again, but you can lessen the extent of your dog barking problem.

A typical reaction from owners is to tell the dog to be quiet or in frustration shout. This is the worst thing to do because if the dog believes they are leader, you are affirming to them that whatever your dog is barking at is indeed a problem to you, making the situation worse the next time they hear something.

Recall or Dog Come

I have heard so many times ‘my dog has selective hearing!’ To be able to go for a walk with your dog and know without doubt that when you call your dog they are going to arrive at your side without question is a pleasure. I refer to recall as having breaks on a car, you wouldn’t venture out in a car with no breaks!

How does a dog come back to you consistently? You could always keep your dog on lead or long line and I would advise this if you are having dog recall problems. There is a solution and I am sure most owners would like to enjoy seeing their dog exploring freely and safety without the constant worry as to where their dog is every second. Obviously one does have to be aware of where they are, but wouldn’t it be far more refreshing if this was the other way around, your dog keeping a watch on where you’re going?

Fussy Eating Dogs

Fussy eating dogs can be a huge worry for owners, it will have the owners serving meals fit for a King!

Sometimes a dog won’t eat until you are present in the room, others will pick at their food throughout the day.

If you relate this behaviour to a child who doesn’t want to eat their vegetables, some parents will add something they know their child likes and mix it with the vegetables, this action, done often will cause the child to refuse the vegetables on the basis that something tastier will arrive on the plate. The dog is doing just that!

There is actually no such complaint as a fussy eating dog. Given the right information your dog can change this behaviour so you can go back to feeding your dog a balanced diet of food fit for a dog!

Dog Chewing Furniture

Dog Separation Anxiety is something that I experienced with my first dog Fred, so I can sympathise with anyone going through it.

In fact the chewing action releases a natural endorphin which helps them deal with the stress, similar to some people chewing their nails when they are anxious.