Training Your Dog Out of His Bad Habits

So many people have asked me things like how do I break my dog from barking, digging, chewing, running away and not coming when I call, escaping from the yard, and a few more common bad habits.

I had a hound that ran away from home constantly, and the solution to that problem? There wasn't one. A hound dog will run off no matter what you do in the way of training, or kenneling, or any other possible way to keep him home, for it is just in his blood to run and explore. A search for a scent, any scent is in their nature. They will hunt every second of their life that they can. This is why it is so important to research the type of breed of dog you are going to get, for some breeds just do things that you will never get them to stop.

My border collie herded everything into the house and yard and neighborhood every chance he got. He would escape my yard on a regular basis, and go across the street to the cattle ranch, and go out to the fields and herd in all the cattle into the back yard of my neighbor, until he had them all grouped up on the man's patio. He would then keep them there as long as he could. What did I do about it? I told the man I didn't know who the dog belonged to!!!!

I am going to take each problem one at a time, and give you the best advice I know as a possible solution ---

• Running away and not coming back when called. -- This has to be one of the most irritating problems your dog can do, besides being dangerous if you are around traffic. If the animal is a puppy, simple obediance training is in order. An older dog that does this, is a different story. Most of the time an older dog will come when called when captive, or on a leash, but loose will not. There is a trick to breaking this habit. Put a light weight choker on the dog, and attach a piece of heavy duty fishing line so the animal cannot detect it. Let the dog think he is loose, and call him using the dogs name, and then the come command. If he bolts in another direction, step on the fishing line, and he will think you have some magical powers enabling you to stop him. Giving him the come command until he does come back to you no matter where you are. Do this several times a day until you feel he is trustworthy.
• Digging--digging is done for several reasons. Dogs like doxies are bred to hunt badgers and other animals that tunnel. They will dig no matter what. Puppies dig and should just be scolded. Dogs will also dig if they are hot, if the weather is hot, digging down to the damp soil and will lay in it to stay cool. Other than these situations, the dog who habitually digs for no reason can be stopped by filling any hole they dig with water from the hose. Take the dog to the hole, using a leash, and put his nose in the water for a few seconds. This does not hurt them but gives them a bad association with holes. This should only be done as a last resort after all other disciplines have failed.
• Chewing up shoes, or clothing, or items from the room, like pillows, etc. Chewing is usually a puppy thing. Puppies like small children chew on things when they are teething. It does not last too long, and if you get knuckle bones from the butcher, or toys, or the rawhide bones that they sell in the grocery store. These are better if you soak them in hot water or soup before you give them to the dog. Usually a substitute chew toy will suffice the problem. Sometimes giving the dog one of your old shoes to keep as his own works. Do not leave the dog alone with these items for they will be a source of temptation until the problem is defeated.
• Barking --either while you are home, or while you are away, causing the neighbors to complain.. Dogs who bark nonstop usually do this because they are either bored, or feeling stress. Dogs, as with people need to relieve stress with excercise. If your pets are not getting sufficient excercise, will exibit behaviors similiar to obsessive compulsive disorder, barking being one of them. Some obediednce training, such as come, sit , down, and heal, and even fetch will do away with barking, sometimes chewing, scratching at the doors, jumping up on the furniture, etc.
• Jumping up on people, greeting them by jumping up and licking--This is a very simple habit to break. It does not matter how old the dog, or how long he has been doing this. As soon as you see the animal about to jump up, raise up a knee, bumping him in the chest area, knocking him off you, and turn away, ignoring him. When he greets you by just approaching you with no jumping, but as he should, tell him over and over how good he is. Good dog, oh good boy, goes a very long way in getting the behaviors that you want. I would say that one good boy positively goes as far, or is as effective as five or six bad dog negative responses do from you.

For the most part I will say that most dog problems, if they are not just puppy being a puppy, can be fixed by these simple steps. Make sure the dog is getting plenty of excercise. Then, make sure that the dog id getting enough mental excercise. Stimulate his brain with obediance training first. After the dog has mastered the basic come, sit, down, heal, and fetch commands, if he is still reverting back to doing his extra carricular behaviors, continue to teach him things like taking one of his toys, perhaps a tennis ball for it will be easier for him to sniff for, into another room keeping the dog locked off say in the kitchen or outside, and hide it, not too hard at first. Then tell him to seek. He will enjoy looking for it for a while, just dont make it too hard at first. Another activity can be retrieving things for you. For example teach him what the newspaper is, and eventually he can go get the paper for you. teach him to haul things, or to pull the kids in the wagon. Use your imagination and keep his mind busy. He will feel more loved, less stressed, and will feel more like a family member and less like a pain in your arse...

Research what your particular breed of dog was bred to do or what he was bred for. Invent tricks or helps around the house to match the things he does naturally. A retriever will fetch things all day long. A border collie will round up the kids anytime, and a lab will play for hours and hours in the water. The terrior breeds are particularly smart, and can be taught to do just about anything a three year old child can do.

It makes me so unhappy, and that is putting it mildly, when I hear people that are planning on having their pet put to sleep, or are getting rid of them, only because they cannot stand their bad habits. There is no reason to destroy a perfectly good, healthy wonderful animal just because we are not smart enought to teach them not to misbehave. There is always a way to change their behaviors.

So, read up on your breed of dog, spend lots of time with them, and teach them to be good dogs, and you will have the most loyal \friend you ever knew for the next twenty years. Remember, you can learn from them too.....