Dr Chris explains reasons for a dogs bad behaviour and what you can do to defeat the impact of them
Digging!
Why they do it:
- Boredom: Our pets love a project. A job that occupies their very active minds. And if there is no other form of entertainment or exercise then digging fits into that job description very nicely. Even if it does destroy your beloved back lawn.
- Keep cool: This is often a big surprise. But the fact is that many of our pets (especially long coated dogs) dig holes as a way of finding the cool earth underneath that they can put their paws, noses and even bodies in. If your digging only happens on hot days then this could be your answer.
What to do:
- Try to catch them in the act and give a firm ‘no’. This is often difficult. Remember, there’s almost no point punishing your pet many hours after the digging has been done.
- Exercise your pet before leaving them home alone. This makes it easier for them to relax and maybe even sleep away the day.
- Provide a project. Time occupying treats and toys should surely take their mind off any excavation plans.
- Provide an alternative. For dogs that love to dig or for those in need of a cool spot then try offering them a sand pit where they can dig to their hearts content.
- Provide a deterrent. Placing material that pets find it unpleasant or even impossible to dig through can help. Try placing small pebbles or stones or even lay chicken wire in areas that you want to keep away from busy paws.
- Set a trap. You could even consider laying booby traps to convince them that digging isn’t desirable. The fact is that dogs will often return to previously dug holes. So by placing a full water bomb at the base of a filled-in hole – the surprise on your dog discourages them from future digging.
Barking!
Why they do it:
- Anxiety: Life can be confusing for pets. One minute they’re sleeping in your bed with you and the next they’re turfed into the backyard to spend the day alone. This can cause anxiety as to where they truly fit in the family. And that barking is simply them voicing their concern. How can you be sure? Listen for a high pitched, repetitive bark.
- Locating and communicating: Dogs are social creatures. They like to play and interact with other animals and being locked in a backyard with high fences doesn’t really allow for much of this. Occasional barking is a way of locating or communicating with friends that may already have made a noise. How can you be sure? Listen for a single, occasional bark.
- Guarding: Our pet’s have many purposes in our lives. While we think they’re mostly for company, it’s a sure bet that ‘security’ is at the top of many of their list of chores. So when you hear barking while you are at home, chances are they’re responding to a strange noise, a noisy neighbour or a passer-by and telling them to stay off your turf. It’s how our pets get to feel important in your family. How can you be sure? Listen for a sudden burst of loud, lower pitched, threatening barks.
What to do:
Identify the type of barking your pet has and try to correct it where you can
- For anxious dogs: Try sneaking out of the house and not alerting them to your leaving. Leave plenty of time occupying treats and toys around the house. Exercise is also a great way to naturally relax a ‘revved up’ pet. Having someone call by the house to exercise or even making unscheduled arrivals home let’s your pet know that a working day doesn’t have to mean no attention all day. Finally, leaving a TV or radio on will help. Hearing those voices allows them to feel not so alone.
- For locating dogs: Try to give them their social fix at other times. By walking or playing in the park they’ll feel they’ve established their ‘community’ contacts and therefore not feel the need to leave ‘voice-mails’ from the backyard. De-sexing will also help reduce this urge. Putting on the radio or playing classical music (which has been shown to relax pets) can drown out the sounds of other curious pets. Finally, a good temporary measure (to appease frustrated neighbours) could be to use a ‘husher’; an elasticised muzzle that lets them eat, breathe and drink but makes barking difficult.
- For guarding dogs: This is one of the reasons people have dogs in the first place. But regardless, you do need to be clear about not encouraging pointless barking. Make sure you never pat your dog as a way of settling them down after barking. This only says to them ‘thankyou…please keep doing that’. Instead, ignore it and reward them for their calm behaviour instead.
Humping!
Why they do it:
- Sexual satisfaction: It’s simple. Add hormones to a willing and able animal and you get the often electric result! If your pet isn’t de-sexed and older than 3 months then chances are that this is the cause. While it’s much more common for males, females can also hump.
- Dominance: Often confused for sexual satisfaction, dominance humping is the answer in de-sexed dogs or those younger than 3 months. The humping implies supreme superiority over the animal being humped – like they’re rubbing their noses in the dirt.
- Attention seeking: Also in de-sexed pets, this is often hard to differentiate from dominance humping apart from one important factor. They only do it when you’re in the room! It’s a way of showing off and getting guaranteed attention. Humping of inanimate objects like cushions and chairs is almost always attention seeking humping.
What to do:
Identify the type of humping your pet performs.
- For sexual humping, de-sexing is obviously the easiest solution. After all, it’s hard to say no to what those hormones are saying. But just beware that it often takes a full month before those hormones leave the system. Injections to reduce libido temporarily are also available.
- For dominance humping, be aware that this is often just a temporary show. Once their seniority has been established, the behaviour should stop. In the meantime, be careful not to make it worse for the dog at the bottom of it all. You must not try to be democratic in your house. Instead, play favourites. Pat, feed and play with the dominant dog first. By doing this, you relax him and stop him having to take it out on the lesser animal.
- For attention seeking humping, the answer is simple. Ignore, ignore, ignore. Instead of responding, get up and walk out of the room without even making eye contact with them. If they persist, then pick the dog up and put them him in a room (like the laundry) by themselves.
Begging for food!
Why they do it:
- Hunger: Sure you fed them only a few hours ago, but they possess an incredible capacity to eat again. Instinct tells them that you just don’t know when the next meal will be and this drive is only increased when they smell your food.
- Attention seeking: One way our pets know they are truly our best mate is a through food. So, why wait for meal time?! They want that ‘loved up’ feeling right now and will beg for it if necessary!
- Boredom: Eating is an easy way to alleviate boredom. So if their appointment book is looking free, they’ll be thinking food.
What you can do about it:
- Ignore it. Just like teaching a dog to sit, if you reward them for it, they’ll keep on doing it. You must ignore begging if you want it to stop.
- Take away the attention. If they are too persistent, then you can remove them from the room altogether and put them somewhere quiet like the laundry. By depriving them of the attention they crave, this makes for a significant deterrent.
- Make them feel full but not fat. It’s easier said than done but not impossible. Try feeding the same total daily amount but split over two (or three) separate meals. Also, for dogs, try adding in boiled pumpkin into their food. It’s low in calories but sweet enough to make it appealing. Finally, there are now ‘low fat’ foods available (called “Weight Management” formulas) that enable you to give them a full bowl of food without feeling full of guilt.
- Keep them busy. A mind that’s occupied is a mind that won’t be so focussed on begging. For that reason toys that challenge them and keep them entertained will ensure you get your free time to yourselves. And for those truly food obsessed pets, you can even find toys (like “Buster Cubes” and “Kongs”) that feature treats hidden inside.
- Make food seem not so fantastic. Part of the reason begging is so common is because we always offer them things they will like. You can quickly end their interest in your food by only ever offering them unappealing items. While vegetable pieces like carrot and broccoli will be good for them, there’s no way they’ll hang around long to find out the long term benefits!