Dogs are man’s best friends. They teach us how much we are capable of loving. They bring out our better sides. Not to mention the companionship that they bring with them. You love them to death and bring home toys, so they keep engaged while you work. But like every relationship, this one also has problems. Dogs depend on you for love and care. They pick up habits from the moment you bring them into your house. If you’re not careful, they can slip out your hand.
Bad habits and solutions
Bad habits can arise from different things. Some can also result from an injury where your dog wouldn’t let you pamper himself because he’s hurting. This can also happen at old age, where dog euthanasia is the best choice.
But if your dog has picked up bad habits in the prime of his life, you must work hard to remove them. These are the most common habits with solutions.
Barking at night
There’s nothing worse than you going to bed after a long day at work and your dog waking you up with his shrill bark. It’s quite annoying. Many dogs bark at night and disrupt their owner’s sleep. Some reasons can be harmless, like they see something in the yard — which is not so harmless for you — that’s bothering them, or they hear other dogs barking.
Other causes include loneliness or inadequate attention, especially after the pandemic when they got used to the attention and you being home all the time.
What can you do?
Try bringing him inside your room. He will feel comforted and won’t hear any noise from outside. Then, spend time with him. Sometimes dogs don’t feel sleepy due to the lack of exercise. Take him for long walks to get his muscles working, and then, he’ll enjoy a good night’s sleep.
Biting
This is a terrible habit that causes harm to you and your family. You should be careful about the breed of the dog you’re getting, as some can be aggressive. This is something that you look after when your dog’s a puppy. Dogs can get aggressive for many reasons if they’re not properly trained. If you have kids, you must be very careful with the aggressive dog.
What can you do?
Take your dog to a proper trainer who can train the habit out of him. This is the most sensible option if your dog has grown up because you might not be able to control him. Moreover, he’s already biting, so he can do that again. Another option is finding out what’s irritating him. Analyze exactly when he bites. Some dogs don’t like being touched often and can get frustrated when someone gets clingy with them. So, the solution here is avoiding what’s making him angry.
Guarding things
This is a very common habit amongst dogs. You give them something, and they start guarding it. It can be a food item, toy, or simply anything that they find precious. The root cause of this problem is that your dog doesn’t trust you. You must’ve seen videos where dogs hand their toys to owners. That is a sign of trust, which your dogs lack. This can arise from you taking their stuff away multiple times a day.
What can you do?
Build trust with your dog. If he bites when his things are taken, use protective gear or contact a dog trainer for support. You must make him understand that you’re not snatching things away. This way, he’ll know he can trust you.
Running away
Some dogs follow their owners on walks, and others are always on leash because they run off. It’s irritating yet funny. Your dog runs off because you never gave them proper leash training. It’s as simple as that. They’re not meant to be leashed.
What can you do?
Spend time walking with dogs with treats in hand. This way, they do not leave your side. Initially, take them to a place without distraction and slowly transition to walking without treats and leash. Your dog will run off during training, so be ready for that.
People have dogs so well-trained that they don’t enter the kitchen unless called; they bring beer from the refrigerator and fetch newspaper for you in the morning. So, if your pet is acting badly, there’s something wrong that happened in the early stages of parenting and training.
But don’t worry, dogs are intelligent creatures and easily trainable, so you can take a few minutes out of your schedule to train your dog; you can convert him from a chaotic animal to a good loving boy.
