Seeking Solutions To Dog Behaviour Problems

Help with Your Dogs Unwanted Behaviour

 

Behaviour problem will not go away if left untreated. Quick fixes are a myth. Random DIY searches for solutions, generic answers without assessment and not tailored to your dog, wrong, incomplete or old-fashioned solutions can make the behaviour problem worse.

Often an owner will seek solutions to dog behaviour problems on the internet, or social media, cherry picking solutions, perhaps hoping to find instant solutions. The solutions to dog behaviour problems published on the internet could be from various sources, many of which have no scientific basis. It is like just taking a few pages from a book, important plots are missed and the whole story is incomplete, or misunderstood. 

The advice may be inappropriate for your special dog. It may be outdated, or could compound the behaviour problem, serve to maintain the behaviour, or create other behaviour issues. None will involve comprehensive assessment of your individual dog, to tailor a full behaviour plan. If the principles of the advice found are not fully understood, not appropriate for your dog, or methodology incorrect, your dog will not have the right guidance from you.

Here are two examples of poor advice:

1. ‘If your dog jumps up – raise your knee, so your dog meets your knee’- The reason the dog jumps up is unknown, this adverse method is not recommended, for dog welfare and will not guide, or explain acceptable behaviour and can lead to fear, aggression, or mistrust instead.
2. Another poor example of advice. ‘If your dog has a house training accident, push your dogs face into it and tell him off sternly’. This outdated adverse method, will cause fear, or potentially aggression associated to toileting. It can cause other unwanted housetraining behaviours to begin, ruin a relationship and not teach the dog where is ok to go to the toilet.

Dog behaviour problems naturally feel stressful for many owners. An owner seeks help when dog behaviour problems not resolved, or have become more complex. Regular owners often report that they feel unsure what to do to help their dog. Indeed it is difficult to resolve the problem alone. Smart owners seek the help of a Clinical Animal Behaviourist, that deals with a range of behaviours, who can investigate cause and develop a dog behaviour modification plan, relative to the individual dog. 

There is not a one thing solution to dog behaviour problems. There are no instant answers, long term results takes your work and patience. It is not resolved by purely obedience training. Management and various technics are employed to help your dog. After a veterinary assessment to rule out medical issues affecting behaviour. A through assessment and consultation is required to look at many factors, many of which the average owners is unaware of. It is important to understand the dog as a species, individual temperament and animal behaviour to establish cause and develop a dog behaviour modification plan. This is tailored to your dog and family circumstances. There is not a one size fits all solution.