Common Dog Training Problems

House training
House training, housebreaking, or potty training - no matter what you call it, this can be a big issue. It requires dedication, by you, to see the training through to success. Otherwise, you'll end up with an adult dog who can't be trusted to be in the same house with your carpet and rugs.

Barking
A dog will bark. If it's a minimal amount of barking, and there's a good reason for it, such as a squirrel running through the dog's territory, then it's probably okay. If the dog is barking all day while you're at work and the neighbors leave you nasty-grams on your answering machine, then the barking is a problem. If the neighbors feel the need to involve the authorities, that's also a problem.

Biting
A puppy will nip because that's what puppies do in the litter with their siblings, but it is a behavior you have to correct when he arrives at your doorstep. If not, the dog could pose a danger to children as well as adults, and someone could get seriously injured. Also, states have strict laws about dogs biting humans and yours could be put to death for biting people.

Jumping up
Dogs seem to think that anyone who comes to visit is there to see them and they get so excited they must jump up on the person in greeting. That's a problem for many reasons. Not everyone is a dog person; being jumped on could offend them or scare them. If your dog jumps on a child, the action could knock them right over. And what if your dog jumps on you and you're standing at the top of the stairs?

Pulling on the leash
Some dogs will slink away when they see the leash, but more commonly, dogs are raring to go for a walk and will behave badly by pulling you along. Another problem, if they're not leash trained, is what they can do to your arm and back if they suddenly see a squirrel or another dog and lunge after it. You need to be in control of your dog and not risk injury to you, your dog, or other people.

Chewing
Okay, it's cute when your teeny tiny puppy chews on your shoelace. But it's not so cute when he's bigger and he's destroying your shoes and your furniture. He's definitely gone too far when he's mutilated your daughter's favorite doll. Yes, chewing is a problem.

Digging
There are different reasons why a dog will dig, but none of them are really acceptable to you. If you'd like to keep your landscape intact and your dog fairly clean, then training him not to dig is essential.

These are the most common training problems. In the following chapters we will address why dogs have these behaviors and what you can do about them.

Out of all the training you do with your dog, house training can be one of the most
frustrating for you. It feels like a joke has been played on you, doesn't it? You're an adult, able to get along quite nicely, yet you can't figure out how to get your dog to go potty outside instead of on your carpet.

Here's what you do:

Take your dog outside on a regular basis. Start with first thing in the morning, after breakfast, after nap, after playtime, after lunch, and so on. Depending on the age of your dog, this could be every 30-45 minutes to start with. If you get a routine down, your puppy will learn what you expect of her, and you'll be able to pinpoint how often she needs to go outside.

You need a code word your dog can learn to associate with going to the bathroom. For many people it's the word "potty". Remember you'll be using your word in public settings such as the park, so you probably don't want to make it "wee wee" or "tinkle". Make sure everyone associated with taking your dog outside to do her business uses this same word.

Sometimes you will observe your dog doing her thing on the rug. If that happens, startle her with a loud "no" to interrupt her, and run her outdoors so she can finish up in the proper setting.

Cesar's Way:
The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems

Puppies don't understand at first what you want them to do. Use your code word when taking her outside and stay outside with her so you can catch her doing the right thing and offer her praise. When you go outside with her, she's going to want to play with you. Don't play, don't even make eye contact, until she's done her duty. Afterwards is the time for praise and play.

Dogs will give you signs, just like little kids, when they need to go. She might start sniffing the floor and pacing, or going around in circles looking for the right spot. She might even start sniffing at the door. My dog leans against the back sliding glass door and stares at me until I open the door. Do your part and become aware. It will save your carpet and ensure your dog's success.

Incorporate crate training with your potty training, especially when you're not home. Dogs don't like to defecate where they sleep so they're more willing to hold it. Keep in mind crates are not for leaving your dog in for hours when you are home.

If your dog has an accident in the house and you don't catch her in the act, don't reprimand her. She won't make the connection after the fact the way humans can. If you catch her in the act when she's outside, give her lots of praise while saying the command word. She will make the connection.

It may take longer than you expect as there are factors that come into play - the age, size, and breed of your dog, plus how much time you can devote to house training her. But stick to your plan and have plenty of patience and you will rewarded.

We know that puppies are cute, especially after they're house broken. Now you think you've got everything under control until you notice a disturbing new trend - she likes to bark. She especially likes to bark at the sound of the doorbell when inside, and at people walking by when outside.

Whatever the reason, it is annoying to you and you're worried the neighbors might complain. You sometimes hear dogs barking in the neighborhood, but it's different when it's your dog and your responsibility.

Well, there are steps you can take to curb your dog's barking, but first let's go over why dogs bark. It is very natural for dogs to bark when guarding their territory, when they feel they need to alert you to a problem, or when they want to let you know they need out to take care of business. But that doesn't mean they need to bark uncontrollably and non-stop. Some dog breeds tend to bark more such as guard dog breeds and small dogs. Personality comes in to play as well; as some dogs are just more nervous, excitable, or territorial.

You might have noticed yelling at your dog to stop barking doesn't work. It's been suggested this is because your dog thinks you are joining him in his game; he's barking and you're barking.
your dog not to bark is possible. You can train him to stop barking on command. It may take consistent action and patience on your part at first, but the result will be peace and quiet. Let's use the barking at the doorbell in this example:

1.Get a friend to help. You need him to ring the doorbell to get your dog to start barking.

2.Use a command phrase consistently like "be quiet", "no barking", or "hush". Pick just one phrase to use. When your dog starts barking, hold a treat out while you are saying the command phrase.

3.What will happen is your dog will stop in mid-bark to sniff the treat. Repeat the command again and pause for a second before giving him the treat. Praise him, even though he doesn't know what he did yet.

4.Do this maneuver again and again, each time making your dog wait quietly for longer periods of time before giving him the treat.

Dog barks.
You give him the command while showing the treat.
Have him wait quietly before you give him the treat.
Praise him.
Now do this training in other situations where he tends to bark.

Lastly, it's important to know why your dog is barking. Maybe he's doing it for attention. If so, you need to play with him more. He should get plenty of exercise, both physical and mental. If he does, he'll be a happy dog and will be more in agreement with you on the barking thing.

Here's another doggie behavior that can drive you mad - digging. It can be enough to make you rethink your decision to have a dog. Someone once told me, "You can have a dog, or you can have a yard." Is this a problem for you? Perhaps he likes to dig under the fence and escape, or maybe he's dug holes all over your once beautiful lawn.

There are a number of reasons why dogs dig; some instinctual and some due to the dog's current circumstances.

Dogs may dig to bury a bone so they can retrieve it later. This instinct served dogs well ages ago when they needed to hide food for a later time. If you observe your pooch closely when he's outside with a fresh bone, you can catch him in the act and correct the behavior. Sometimes simple distraction works well. Otherwise, consider giving him the bone inside or in the garage where he will just go through the act of burying it, that is, drag his nose across the ground several times in a burying motion.

When dogs are hot they will dig down below the warm surface to the cooler ground underneath. They like to lie in these pits in the summer as it helps cool them off. Provide shade for your pup or keep him inside during the heat of the day.

Dogs who are not neutered may try to dig out for a fling with a neighbor dog who is breeding. Keep your dog confined indoors, if possible, until this time has passed or consider having him fixed.

Dogs without jobs become bored. Give your dog a special toy with a treat hidden inside and let him work at getting it out, or give him a safe chew toy. If he's busy, he's less likely to dig.

If your dog has been all alone outside for too long a time, he may try to dig his way out to find some company. Dogs need companionship and are happiest with some attention. If your dog is an escape artist, try giving him more attention and don't leave him alone for too long. If you work long hours, consider hiring a pet sitter or responsible teenager to come over once during the day to play with the dog.

Some dogs dig because they have excess energy. Exercise your dog daily and wear him out before leaving him outside for a period of time. Get into the habit of routinely exercising him; it's a good thing for both of you.

Good Owners, Great Dogs

Here are some more ideas for your 4 footed digger:

If he just has to dig, designate a special digging area. Maybe you have an area in your yard, like the side of the house, where it can be okay to dig. Another idea is to put a bottomless sandbox filled with dirt in a corner of your yard and make that the digging spot. You will have to train your dog to only dig in that area. Hide a few treats in the sandbox and start digging to show him what to do. Praise him when he digs in the right spot and correct him when he digs outside the designated area. Be there and watch closely and it shouldn't take him long to figure it out.

If there is a particular area that your dog likes to dig, you can shovel some of his poop on the area. This will definitely curb his desire to dig in that spot!

If your dog likes your flower garden, change the type of flowers you plant. A prickly rose garden will keep him out and still give you a nice bouquet.

Change your dog's outside boundaries. If your dog is allowed to freely roam the entire backyard all day, you're just asking for some casual digging to happen. Think about restricting him with a gated area or shortening his time outside.

Dogs will dig for a variety of reasons; overheated, boredom, lack of exercise, need for companionship, and trying to bury a bone, among other things. Finding out why your dog digs helps you come up with solutions.

Most dogs have a natural desire to chew, and yours is no exception. Chewing, in and of itself, is not a bad thing unless she's chewing on your most expensive pair of shoes or leaving her teeth marks on the legs of your new sofa. So why do dogs chew? They may feel the need to sharpen their canines, or they might be anxious or bored. Below I've listed my favorite ways to get a dog to stop chewing on the wrong things:

1. Your home should be dog-proof. Why put temptation in her path, especially if she's a young puppy and in training? Yes, she will eventually learn not to chew your things, but in the meantime, remove what you don't want her to chew.

Go over every room in your house and put your things safely out of reach. Remember to look low, on the floor. Also look high, especially if your dog is big or can jump. Dog have been known to jump on furniture and then on the kitchen counter to reach a desired item.

Here are some of the things chewers like:

pillows
candles
shoes
garbage
cell phone
remote controls
garbage
socks
books
garbage

2. Don't allow your dog to chew on something one day, and not the next. Be consistent. Puppies get confused when you let them chew a sock yesterday, but get mad at them when they chew it today. They also don't understand when you let them chew on an old shoe but not a new one. A shoe is a shoe to them. Keep game rules consistent.

3. Encourage her to chew. Since your dog loves to chew, give her safe, owner-approved options like chew toys. Steal a trick from parents of toddlers and rotate the chew toys to keep it interesting.

4. Playtime with supervision. It's tempting to think about keeping your dog penned up until she's old enough to know better, but you can't do that. Give her a chance to learn her boundaries and discover what is wrong and right while spending time with you, her favorite human.

It's natural for your dog to want to chew, especially if she's under the age of three. Keep most of your valuables out of reach until she she's trained. Be consistent and correct her when she starts inappropriate chewing. Replace the unacceptable chewing item with one you approve of and praise her for doing the right thing so she starts to make the connection. With these tips in mind, you should be able to train her to stop chewing your possessions.

Your dog is sooo happy to see you whenever you come home. She's missed you and thinks you're the best thing that's happened in her life. It's understandable then, when she can't contain herself and jumps all over you when you step foot in the door. And it doesn't have to be just you; she's very happy to see anyone who comes to visit her. Understandable - yes, acceptable - no.

Yes, it's a touching thing to witness when she's a puppy, but it becomes less cute when she grows into a full-sized dog. You don't want muddy paw prints on your new pants, or dog hair and slobber on your shirt. Jumping dogs are not just annoying, they can also cause damage by accidently scratching or bruising the person they jump on, and could possibly knock them down. Dogs that jump up are scary to children as well as people who are not comfortable around dogs.

The biggest reason why a dog jumps is she's happy to see you and wants to tell you so. She wants your attention. She is greeting you and because she loves you, she wants to be touched by you. She's learned that jumping is the best way to do this. Jumping on people is most often a learned behavior from puppyhood that has to do with attention-seeking. You may have given your puppy attention by fussing over her and getting her even more excited when she jumped. Then you gave her more attention by telling her to stop and pushing her back down. Yelling at her to stop and touching her when she's jumping just reinforces the jumping behavior.

Another reason behind jumping comes from an inherent instinct in puppies to lick the muzzles of adult dogs. This was reinforced if you let your puppy jump up and lick your adult face.

The Power of Positive Dog Training

The best thing to do then, from the beginning, is to ignore your dog when you come home if she jumps. Put your coat away and perhaps leave the room until your dog has calmed down. When she is calm, you can then give her attention. That way you are not rewarding her with attention for negative behavior. Be careful though, if you fuss too much she might get excited and start jumping again.

To stop an older dog from jumping will require a bit of consistent training. Have your command word ready; "huh uh" or "down" and put your hands behind your back so you won't be rewarding her with contact. When she goes to jump, step back and turn around while using the command word. Do this until the dog stops jumping. When she stops you can give her all your attention and praise her for following the command.

It's easiest to train a dog not to jump from the beginning, but it's not impossible to retrain a dog to stop jumping. "Down" is an important command for your dog to learn so she doesn't hurt anyone and doesn't lose human friends who don't want to be around a dog with a bad habit.

Biting is not an acceptable behavior in any dog, but how do you put a stop to it? Maybe when you understand why dogs bite, you can then use the ideas here to train your dog not to bite. Biting is a common complaint among puppy owners, and if the issue is not dealt with when a puppy, it could lead to having a very undesirable situation with your family pet.

To understand biting, you need to know biting is a defense mechanism for animals, including our domesticated dogs. A dog needs to be able to protect himself from attacks by other dogs, and biting is a natural response for him.

In addition, dogs are carnivores and in the not-so-distant past they had to be able to tear apart their raw food in order to eat. Keep in mind, too, that puppies are getting new teeth and are teething, just like human babies do. When they get new teeth it's uncomfortable and biting makes it feel better.

Puppies first learn to bite when in the litter, before they come to live with you. Have you ever watched how roughly puppies play? They are learning what is acceptable biting as the other puppies do squeal if the bite is too hard. This feedback helps them learn how to control their jaw and develop bite inhibition or "mouthing" instead of biting down hard.

To train your puppy to stop biting, start off by mimicking another puppy in the litter. When your puppy's bit hurts you, squeal to let your pup know. "Ow!" in a hurt voice should do the trick. If not, you can use a negative tone of voice instead.

Just as with any unwanted behavior, you should give attention to the good behavior and ignore the bad. If your puppy is nipping at your feet, don't give him attention until he stops. Try turning your back and walking away. Be careful not to step on the toe-nipping pup though! Ignore him until he stops, then pet him and talk to him.

How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With

Instead of your arms and legs for biting, try giving him a safe toy. Although biting behavior is different from chewing behavior, you can use the toy to distract him. This will help him learn what is acceptable and reinforce the good behavior.

You do need to let them know that it's not okay to bite. One way to do this is to give him a tap on the nose and say "no bite" when he starts biting. Eventually he will figure out that biting is not okay with you. Some dogs are a little slower to pick up on this than others so keep on reminding him.

Remember that puppy nipping behavior does not start out as an act of aggression; it is just a fun activity for young puppies.

Your dog might like to go for walks, but you, on the other hand, dread it. Your dog is always pulling you along so that you almost have to jog to keep up. You worry that another dog might come into view on the other side of the street and you'll have a hard time keeping your dog in check. Is there a book called Simple Leash Training, you ask?

It's really not that hard if you know what to do. Of course, it's best to teach your puppy to walk properly on a leash as young as possible, but you can still retrain an adult dog.

Some puppies will like the leash because they learn it means going outside with you. A few won't like it and will pull back and plant their rear on the floor. The key is to make it a positive, rewarding experience. Sometimes it helps to start with attaching the leash, immediately give the pup a treat for enticement, and taking him outside for a very short walk.

Some puppies want to chew on the leash. Of course, we know that chewing is a natural instinct for dogs. Distract him when he starts this or he will be constantly trying to grab the leash in his mouth rather than concentrate on walking. It's a bad habit, plus it looks silly when you're walking him.

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A common way to train your dog not to pull on the leash is to use a reward system. Have a pouch of small dog treats attached to the left side of your belt and hold the leash in your left hand. Use the word "heel" while giving a short tug on the leash. When the dog comes in line beside you, reach into the kibble pouch with your right hand and give him a treat.

Keep repeating this pattern, for as long as necessary, until you have a dog who walks beside you without pulling. Again, patience is required.

Once you and your dog have mastered the leash, the next training steps; " sit", "stay", and "heel" become easier to teach because you will use the leash as a training aide. The leash is your tool for further training so mastering it is important.

Remember, most dogs learn best with a consistent owner, repetition in commands, and the use of rewards when they do the right thing. If your dog is properly trained, you'll want to take him out for walks more often. Pleasant walks make for great bonding between you and your dog, plus it's good exercise for both of you.