Identifying Behavioral Issues in Dogs

Dog behavioral issues can take many forms, including excessive aggression, constant yelling, and extreme anxiety. Causes of the problems are primarily a species-inappropriate attitude, incorrect education, and insufficient treatment. Professional help is often required to treat behavioral disorders.

In the worst-case scenario, dogs with behavioral issues may be given away repeatedly and never find a home. In the worst case, if dogs with behavioral issues become aggressive and attack people or injure them, they could be put down by police. In order to prevent this from happening, it is important that problems are identified and treated as soon as possible.

What are behavioral problems in dogs and what do they mean?

It is easy to move from a dog’s undesirable behavior that can be tolerated, to a dog with behavioral problems. Problems are often minor at first and not noticed. Over time, misbehavior can become more pronounced or even spread to other areas, resulting in a behavioral disorder. Examples of behavioral disorders include:

Inability to motivate yourself* Fearfulness and extreme shyness* Addictive play behavior (ball junkies “).* An uncontrollable hunter’s instinct* Persistent disrespect* Begging, stealing, and “destructiveness”.

Possible causes of problems
Mild behavior problems in dogs are often caused by training mistakes and miscommunication between dog and human. The human is usually responsible for bad behavior, such as disobedience and lack of motivation. Other problems, like begging or stealing, are caused by the dog’s inability to understand the training. You may find that your four-legged companion is “misbehaving” because of boredom. For example, they might destroy your interior furniture. Some dogs, however, are harder to train due to their disposition. Breed may play a role, but so does the personality of each dog.

A certain disposition can also cause more serious behavioral problems in dogs. For example, hunting dog breeds have a stronger instinct to hunt than companion dogs or herding dogs. This can become out of hand if it isn’t controlled by proper training starting at puppyhood. The dog will chase everything moving and could be a danger. Uncontrolled hunting instincts can manifest themselves in play as addictive behaviors. Breeding dogs to be independent may lead to stubbornness, making them difficult to train. Dog owners who are inexperienced tend to be overwhelmed and can make mistakes which lead to behavioral issues.

Incorrect dog training can result in excessive vocalization. It may also be a sign of separation anxiety, or other anxiety disorders. Training errors cannot account for anxiety disorders or extreme aggression. This is because bad housing conditions can cause the quadruped to feel constantly threatened by its own pack, or resources, and will react either by withdrawing or attacking. In this context, withdrawal refers to anxiety disorders, while attack means increased aggression. These behavioral issues can occur in shelter dogs who have experienced a lot and have been “passed” around a lot, or with emergency dogs rescued off the streets. This should not deter you from giving them a chance. However, if you see that they are having problems, it is important to seek help.

We help dogs with behavioral issues: What should we do?
A professional dog trainer or a good dog school can often help dogs with mild behavioral problems. Be sure that the school or trainer is using non-violent training methods. For example, they should not use leash jerking or “alpha-throwing” or muzzle holdings. It can make the situation worse for dogs that are prone to aggression, fear, or nervousness. This is because it makes them feel intimidated, insecure, and breaks their trust in you. Positive reinforcement is more effective than negative reinforcement.

Consult an animal psychologist who specializes in problem dog therapy if the issues are so severe that education and training alone will not help. He will guide you and your dog step-by-step to restore your sense of security and confidence, as well as teach them non-aggressive strategies for resolving conflicts. It may require time, money and effort but you’ll save your dog a terrible fate.