Dealing with dog behaviour problems can be frustrating, so it is important to nip them in the bud as soon as possible. Younger pups will often display unwanted and attention seeking behaviour, while they're young, it's a good time to train them, and nip bad behaviour in the bud before they grow to be an older dog.

Dogs are sociable animals and enjoy playing with other dogs, toys and people. Dogs dig, nip, mouth, chew, mark, bark, chase and zoom, they're all natural behaviours to your dog.

Dogs often display other types of behaviour, behaviour that's unwanted and seen as bad. Aggression, resource guarding, separation anxiety, submissive urination, noise sensitivity, barking, obsessive behaviour, urine marking, and toileting in inappropriate places are common dog behaviours.

As a responsible dog owner, it's good to understand common dog behaviour problems, and what you can do to resolve them.

Aggressive Dog Behaviour

If dogs become aggressive, they may be in pain, and your vet should examine them to determine if there's an underlying medical cause for the behaviour. Old dogs may also become aggressive due to canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome. There are different types of aggression and understanding which type of aggression a dog has can help to discover the root of the problem.

The various types of aggressive dog behaviour:

• Dominance
• Fear
• Inter-dog
• Maternal
• Pain
• Play
• Possessive
• Predatory
• Protective
• Redirected
• Territorial

Female dogs in season may also show a change in behaviour and may become more aggressive due to hormone changes. Neutering will stop any unwanted hormonal behaviour.

A behaviour specialist should design and supervise a management plan to help your dog avoid situations that make them aggressive, which can reduce the risk of your dog biting someone. However, it is important to note that aggression is complex.

Why Do Dogs Bark?

Vocal sounds can express anxiety or other negative emotions, can warn others of size and strength or sound an alarm. Barking has an array of purposes. A high-pitched tone is associated with fear and anxiety, while a dog that is under-stimulated may bark in a low, monotonous tone.

Fast, loud, repetitive bursts of barking can signal an alarm to a possible threat. Growling and whimpering are other sounds – growling usually indicates a threat but can occur during play. Whimpering on the other hand indicates anxiety. Yelping and howling can indicate pain and high distress respectively.

Excessive barking can be difficult to live with, but when it comes to how to get your dog to stop barking, it takes patience. Instilling a "quiet" command and using it every time they begin to bark will get you on the right track. Remember, when they do stop on command, give them a treat with lots of praise.

Why Do Dogs Chew?

It’s normal for puppies to investigate their surroundings by sniffing, tasting and chewing. But chewing on your favourite shoes won’t make them popular! Give them something you’re happy for them to chew and make sure your dog gets plenty of exercise.

Chewing and destructiveness can be a response to being anxious, stressed or bored. If they are in an insecure place, they may dig and chew to escape. Do not reward this behaviour with attention, as it may encourage the dog to continue doing it.

How to stop a dog chewing? Remember that good training is all about positive reinforcement – never punish your dog.

How to Stop a Dog from Nipping

Nipping and mouthing is part of your dog’s way of communicating during play and interaction. However, it’s not always easy to distinguish non-aggressive from aggressive nipping. When dogs play together, they might nip or mouth their playmate harder than they should – the other dog yelps and stops playing. But they soon start playing again and the dog learns to control the force of the nipping and mouthing so that play doesn’t stop.

If a dog nips your hand too hard, you should cry out in pain and stop interacting. Then praise your dog for stopping and carry on playing. You can also add on a loud ‘No’ or a time-out! This way, you teach your dog that gentle play is acceptable behaviour and aggressive play means no play at all.

What is Resource Guarding in Dogs?

In the wild, dogs protect a resource to prevent other dogs in the pack taking it. So, some dogs feel threatened if they think another individual is going to take away or prevent them from getting to that important resource.

They either hide or move the resource or object or show aggressive behaviour (snapping or growling) to protect it. Resource guarding in dogs is often food, but can also be toys, chews, resting places or attention from their owner. If your dog shows this behaviour, ask your vet for advice.

Coping with Dog Separation Anxiety

Some dogs adapt to their owner’s lifestyle without any issues. Others, if left alone for too long, may become destructive, go to the toilet indoors, howl or become shy and withdrawn. Dogs enjoy being part of the family and forming attachments with their owners, so if their owners leave them home alone, they may feel insecure and develop separation anxiety.

Treatment for dog separation anxiety involves gradually increasing the time you’re apart - never punish your dog as this will only make them more anxious and distressed. Your vet can give you tips on how to manage the problem.

Dogs Marking their Territory

Urine marking is another way that dogs communicate – by marking their territory or leaving a message for other dogs. It’s a natural, instinctive behaviour but not welcome indoors! It’s more common in entire dogs so neutering can resolve the problem.

Intact female dogs may mark when in heat and dogs that are anxious or competing for dominance in a multi-dog household may also mark. Always remove the scent from previous markings with an enzymatic cleaner otherwise the dog will keep remarking there.

Meanings behind Dog Body Language

Dogs use postures, vocalisation and scent as ways to express themselves, a key to dogs is understanding a dog's body language. Observing the stance can indicate whether the dog plans to run away (leaning backwards) or approach you (leaning forwards). The position of the head can also convey whether the dog wants space (dipped head or turned away) or head up with throat exposed (confident, threatening posture).

A dog’s ears, eyes and mouth all show how the dog is feeling. Ears that are forward and erect indicate that the dog is alert to a possible threat. Narrowed eyes may indicate that the dog is attempting to calm. If they look away, they don’t want to interact.

Direct, prolonged eye contact is typically seen as a threat. The mouth is normally relaxed, but if the teeth are barred, this usually means a warning. Lip licking may mean that the dog is feeling stressed or uncertain.

A tail held high usually indicates a high state of excitement. If level, the dog’s emotional state is fairly neutral, although if the end droops down in a curve, this indicated uncertainty. How fearful the dog is can be determined by the degree to which it tucks its tail underneath its body.

People usually interpret a wagging tail as an indicator of a happy dog, but it signals an intent to interact, both positively and negatively. Wide, sweeping wags accompanied by lots of body movement, is usually indicative of a friendly dog. When a dog's tail wags stiffly and slowly, it usually indicates that the dog needs to be given space. A fast-wagging tail tip that’s tucked underneath the body is an appeasing gesture for space.

If you’re concerned about any of your dog’s behaviour, if they have any behavioural issues or you notice a change in their behaviour, your vet can help. If the problem is severe, they may refer you to a behavioural specialist.

When it comes to interacting with your dog, and dealing with behaviour issues, always be consistent. Training your dog with rewards, praise or treats for good behaviour soon means they'll learn the difference between what good behaviour is and what's bad.

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Content provided from Vetstream's Vetlexicon Canis - www.vetstream.com/treat/canis 

Vetlexicon is the world’s largest peer-reviewed online clinical reference source. All our content is written and peer-reviewed by over 1,000 of the world’s leading veterinarians, ensuring relevance, accuracy and quality.