Dog behavior problems in adult dogs often start due to a amount of key reasons.

These kinds of include the dog having an aversive experience or group of events, poor command and/or handler/owner inconsistency, long standing behaviors that have been exhibited over an extended period of time (ie: from puppyhood), a lack of proper socialization as a puppy and even genetics.

The key to addressing dog behavior problems is to prevent any inappropriate behavior from becoming an established ‘habit’. For example, a puppy that jumps up for attention or mouths and chews things. Often an owner thinks that the puppy will grow out of it but , if it is allowed to continue or is reinforced, it will often persist and may become a significant problem down the track.

In both puppies and older dogs, virtually all conduct problems do show early on warning signs, so it is absolutely important to notice when your dog is starting to display behaviors such as excessive too much barking, whining or crying, damaging chewing, scratching or looking, mouthing and biting, or anxiety.

Problems such as timidity, aggression, separation related behaviors, dominance/leadership issues also almost always have early on warning signs. The sooner we commence treating dog conduct problems the easier you should eliminate or significantly reduce it successfully – whatever their age. Even in an older dog, if a problem can be addressed in its early on stages the treatment process will easier, quicker plus more likely to be a success.

The important role of environmental enrichment

Although some dog behaviour problems will definitely require the assistance of a qualified coach and several intensive training techniques, specially if they have recently been going on for some time, a lot of common conditions that cause masters (and neighbours! ) tremendous grief can be nipped in the bud with the right environmental enrichment plan and good leadership.

The goal of environmental enrichment is to provide the dog with the mental stimulation and exercise they need to help keep them happy. If we don’t provide them with this then they will look for it in their environment…which is where problem behaviour can begin.

Obedience training and socialization

Obedience training also plays an important role in keeping dog conduct problems in check as it gives your canine something to ‘think’ about and provides both mental and physical stimulation.

It’s never too late to start out compliance training with your dog, but of course guaranteeing offer your puppy the right come from life with training and proper socialization during the critical period of development, (approximately the initial 16 weeks of their life) will help established the right foundation and establish rules and good manners.

Training can help develop a good line of communication between owners and their dogs and also assists in establishing and maintaining the pack hierarchy.

Next important tip about ensuring you have good leadership as a way to keep unwanted dog behaviour or issues at bay.

Being a good leader

Many problem behaviours are constantly reinforced by owners. Often owners are unaware of the impact of their behaviour on the dog and, what may have started off as a minor issue that could have easily been treated with little effort, can turn into a major problem that requires substantial behaviour modification.

Being an effective leader is not about domination or being the ‘alpha’ dog. It is about establishing rules and boundaries so that dogs understand what is expected of them i. e. what behaviours are acceptable and what behaviours are not.

This is achieved by teaching them appropriate behaviour in a fair and consistent way, and ensuring unwanted or bad behaviour is not actually being reinforced. It is also about keeping the relationship balanced so that they don’t start to develop attachment issues, which can lead to separation anxiety or jealousy which can lead to resource guarding (ie: aggression or guarding of you! ).

Again, the earlier you start training and have good leadership with your dog the easier it will be for you to notice and immediately address any behaviour issues that could otherwise turn into a major problem if left unchecked.

If you are having trouble establishing the boundaries with your dog, or have noticed some problem behaviour starting to present itself, then check to see if they are receiving the right levels of environmental enrichment that they need as a starting point, and engage the services of a qualified trainer to assist before it gets worse.