Bad Behaviors

When working with bad behaviors there are a couple things I take into account before focusing on a specific problem.

We must see the whole picture before we start painting the details.

What I look for are all things you can analyze and adjust at home to help improve some your dog’s behavior. While this isn’t an exact solution, it is a start and can make learning easier in the long run.

Proper diet….yes Ol Roy or Pedigree doesn’t cut it. That’s the equivalent of you eating McDonald’s everyday. Start adding some balance to your dog’s nutrition to create a healthy mind. My go to website for dog food information is dogfoodadvisor.com

Exercise with a purpose. This will vary with each breed. And yes your couchridden dog would like exercise, unfortunately you have reinforced there’s no need for such creating an unhealthy animal. Exercise does us all good, even when we don’t want to, so get out start walking and/or playing.

Adequate rest. Studies show that a dog should get between 11-14 hours of sleep a day. I personally like to enforce mid-day quiet time where the dogs are crated for a couple hours to rest and relax.

Socialization/interaction. It’s a known fact dogs are social creatures, however in my years of working with handlers and dogs, I have found there’s either no interaction or it’s over the top. Most dogs crave to have someone or something to follow. A purpose, but much like our human to human relationships, we must set boundaries and rules when interacting with our dog. Respect goes both ways and if we don’t teach our dog how to socialize properly it will create frustration. Take the extra time to establish your boundaries. It’ll make for a better time together.

Overall, most bad behaviors don’t appear out of thin air. While there are some heavy genetic influence in certain behaviors. Starting out with the basics will allow you and your dog to step in the right direction towards a healthier body and mind.