7 Common Bad Dog Habits You Need to Break
(Right Now!)
If your dog has a habit of barking excessively or digging holes in your yard, you are not alone, as most dog owners will have to train their dog to break their bad habits. If you want to live in harmony with your canine friend, read on to find out how to break some very common bad dog habits that your pet may exhibit.
1. Excessive Digging
If your dog has a habit of digging up your backyard and destroying your flower beds, you may want to train your dog to dig in one specific spot, such as a designated sand box. After all, many breeds of dogs, such as terriers, are genetically predisposed to digging.
To dissuade your dog from excessive digging you need to address the root cause. As an example, if your dog digs holes to hide their toys or bones, you may want to keep their toys indoors. Alternatively, if you have reason to believe that your dog digs when they are bored, you may want to increase the number of walks that you take your dog on.
2. Begging
Do you find it hard to resist your dog’s puppy dog eyes? If your dog frequently begs you for food scraps when you’re enjoying a meal, don’t give in, because if you do, you’re actually training them to beg for food all the more. Your dog will believe they’re being rewarded for begging.
Before you sit down to enjoy a meal, train your dog to return to their dog bed. If your dog stays put while you enjoy dinner, reward your dog with a small treat, like a dog biscuit, after your meal.
Image source: Pixabay.com Public Domain
3. Chasing Cars or Other Animals
If you allow your dog to follow their natural instinct and chase after cars, they may end up getting hit! In order to protect your dog from getting involved in an unfortunate accident, you should train your dog to run to your side with a simple command or whistle. Until you’re confident that your dog will follow your commands, it’s important to keep your dog on a leash at all times in public places.
Related: Most Common Dog Training Mistakes of First-Time Pet Owners
4. Jumping Up to Get Your Attention
This habit is particularly common among smaller breeds of dogs who may make a habit out of jumping up on you or your guests in order to get attention. It’s important to train your dog to refrain from jumping, as they may jump up on your guests or on complete strangers, which may frighten some individuals, dirty their clothes, or cause them to stumble.
To train your dog to refrain from jumping, it’s important to ignore your dog when it jumps up on you. Simply ignore your dog and walk away, because if you try to remove your dog’s paws, they’ll get what they want, your undivided attention!
5. Excessive Barking
Excessive barking is one of the extremely common bad dog habits and is an issue that plagues many dog owners. If your dog barks every time the mailman knocks on your door or barks at every dog that walks past, you’ll need to train your dog two commands, bark, and quiet. If you can successfully train your dog to bark on command and to refrain from barking, you won’t have to worry about your [amazon_textlink asin=’B00JH9AITS’ text=’dog barking excessively’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’animalbliss-blog-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’0ce7a03d-796a-11e7-bcb6-432096c61120′] again.
If you find it difficult to train your dog to bark and to refrain from barking, you may want to seek the help of a professional dog trainer.
6. Urinating Indoors
If your dog has been urinating indoors on a frequent basis, it’s important to [amazon_textlink asin=’0553382896′ text=’house train your dog’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’animalbliss-blog-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’65b0cfc5-796a-11e7-9343-9de1d63a71cf’] as soon as possible. The best way to teach your dog to urinate outside is to catch your dog before they pee inside your home. If your dog walks around your home sniffing or scratching the floor, take them outside and reward them for urinating outside.
Alternatively, if you’re too late and catch your dog in the act, make a loud clapping sound, to stop your dog in their tracks. Then, take your dog outside to finish their business. Once your dog has successfully peed outside, reward their good behavior by patting them and using a friendly, happy voice.
Image source: Pixabay.com Public Domain
7. Biting
Many owners make the mistake of letting their dog nip them, as they figure that nipping is a playful gesture. Even if your dog playfully nips you, it’s important to teach your dog that nipping or biting in any form is unacceptable.
Related: 5 Tips on Training Your Dog Not to Bite
If your dog nips you, make a loud noise and then remove your dog from the room that you’re in for a period of time. If your dog continues to nip or attempts to bite someone, it’s crucial to look for the help of a professional dog trainer.
Image source: Pixabay.com Public Domain
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“7 Common Bad Dog Habits You Need to Break Right Now”
Author Bio: At PawLife.com we have a warm heart for cold noses and we know you do too. So, our site is dedicated to helping pet parents care for their four-legged family members the best way possible.
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Which of these common bad dog habits live in your house?
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Jeanne,
When I visit your blog eventually I’ve got to force myself to leave some for later. A bit like Facebook, only much more interesting!
So I’m into allowing my dogs a lot of space to just be dogs. People say I was born too late an would have made a good hippy! LOL!
I’m particular about some of these habits like urinating indoors, jumping, barking excessively and begging. My brood know the rules on these and have no issues sticking to them.
Barking is the behavior which took the longest to recondition. Since you had Star I’m sure you know that GSD’s are vocal and LOVE to bark. But thankfully with plenty patience and love we got it sorted.
I did teach bite inhibition but I wanted a measure of the behavior to stay. It sounds nuts but I like playing tug with my dogs and controlled biting makes them more comfortable with the game. And keeps drive high. It’s a fine line and I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone.
They have been reliably trained to know that cars are a danger so no problems there. But I have not dissuaded them from chasing animals. They like to chase the birds that land on the lawn but there’s no way they’ll ever manage it. The birds are just too fast and smart. The birds are so smart they perch on our roof and it’s almost like they tease my dogs. Like “ha ha, run, run as fast as you can, you can’t catch us because we have wings!”
I guess some people might think I’m weird for giving my dogs freedom but I see them as beings with their own minds, desires, needs and personalities and I like to give them freedom to express these.
Chat soon,
Rosemary
I understand that you want to loosen some rules for your dogs. I’m like that too (and I’m an old hippy). 🙂 I just had a peek at your site and see you’re quite devoted to German Shepherds. I miss my Star so much. If some circumstances were different, I would get another GSD puppy immediately. I’m glad you enjoy visiting my website, and I do hope you’ll come back many more times. Talk later!