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How to Stop Annoying Dog Habits
5 Annoying Dog Habits and How to Stop Them
We love our dog’s and they are a wonderful addition to the family. But like any family member, dogs can have some pretty annoying habits. Like…barking … jumping on people, chewing up your best stuff… As a dog parent it’s your job to teach them to have good manners.
If you don’t, you might find start avoiding things you like because of your dog annoying habits. Today we look at the top 5 annoying habits of dogs and how to fic them.
5 Most Common Dog Habits That Are Annoying
The five most common annoying dog habits are barking, jumping up on people, tearing up things, rough play and begging. But there are ways that you can successful curb each of these habits.
Annoying Habit of Barking
Dogs make great early warning systems. If anyone comes around your house, a dog can alert you that someone is there before that person even reaches your door. So for safety and security, nothing can beat having a furry member of the family around.
There’s Good Barking…
There are times when you want your dog to bark. If there’s something going on outside your home, your dog alerts you by barking. This is his way of taking care of you and protecting you. Your dog can see and hear what you often don’t.
The wrong response on your behalf is if you ignore the barking or tell the dog to be quiet. He’s trying to tell you that he senses something isn’t right. So what you need to do when your dog is alerting toward a door or window is to find out why he’s barking.
If there is something going on and he barked for that reason, you don’t want him to be quiet. Instead, you want to reassure him that he did the right thing. Tell him, “Good dog” and then have him go away from the alert point and sit or lie down.
Then There’s Annoying Dog Habits Barking
The kind of barking that gets annoying is when a dog barks for what seems to you to be no reason. Dogs always have a reason for barking, but it doesn’t mean that all barking is necessary. Just like some humans eat when they’re not hungry, dogs sometimes, well… because they can.
Dogs will bark when they get excited, bored, or in response to other dogs barking. It’s natural for dogs to bark. This is how your dog communicates when they are in a pack.
If your dog barks because he’s excited, calm him down – and if he barks because he’s bored, it’s a sign that he needs more physical action. You want to make sure that your dog gets plenty of exercise as well as social time with other dogs.
Never reward barking with activities that your dog likes – such as by taking your dog for a walk or giving him a treat. He’ll learn that if he’s not quiet, he gets a walk or a treat and you don’t want him to train you!
When you return home after being gone, your dog will often bark in short bursts because he’s glad you’re home. That’s simply his way of telling you that he is happy to see you an he wats you to love and pet him. Once his needs are met your pooch will settle down.
How to Stop Your Dog Barking
When your dog engages in incessant barking, you want to gently close your dog’s mouth and say a firm, “Quiet” or another command associated with him not barking. You want to use one word commands because dogs understand one word commands better than they do an entire string of words.
If, when you move your hand away from your dog’s muzzle, he begins to bark again, you’ll want to repeat your action of closing his muzzle and giving him the ‘Quiet’ command.
You can get your dog used to the quiet command by rewarding him when he does obey the command. This can be a verbal ‘Good boy’ or a treat. Some pet owners use anti-barking collars or products that will emit a loud, startling sound when the dog barks.
Most dogs can be easily trained to be quiet with just a command. If your dog just doesn’t seem to grasp the concept of barking only when necessary, you may need to enroll him in an obedience class.
When your dog jumps up on people, it can be a problem. This is one of the most annoying habits of a dog. Most people don’t enjoy a dog jumping up on them. And a large dog can knock a child down. You want to start training your dog that this kind of behavior is not rewarded.
When your dog attempts to jump up on you, refuse to look at him. The minute you make eye contact, he realizes that he’s got your attention and so he knows that if wants your attention, all he has to do is jump on you.
How to Stop a Dog Jumping on You
Besides not looking at him, you don’t want to give him any verbal communication. Don’t laugh and don’t raise your voice. Don’t give him any verbal commands at all. You want to ignore him until he settles down.
Don’t engage the dog by touching him, either. Don’t push him off of you – and if he jumps up on others, don’t rush over to pull him off. He knows then that this kind of behavior will get you to come and interact with him.
Don’t rub or pet him when he jumps up. Keep both verbal and physical contact non-existent. Some people will raise their knee when a dog jumps, believing that this teaches a dog not to jump up – but it doesn’t.
All this does is show the dog that if he wants your attention, all he has to do is jump on you. He actually sees the knee up as interaction and encouragement because you give him attention.
This becomes a problem because if you give the dog attention, he quickly learns to repeat his actions. You have to stand completely still and give him attention only when he’s sitting or standing before you.
The minute that your dog is standing or sitting before you, quickly give him a treat. He’ll learn to associate sitting and standing still with getting a treat. Be enthusiastic when praising your obedient dog.
Tearing Up Things in Your Home
Just like human kids, it’s natural for puppies to explore. They’re going to put things in their mouth and dig into things. They will find things and take them to play with. And, dogs will destroy things such as furniture, toys and shoes.
They might even take a bight out of a corner wall. This is part of their learning process, but instead of giving them free run. It’s best that you correct this as soon as possible.
It’s important that puppies and dogs learn what is acceptable and what isn’t.
Tearing up things in your home can get expensive, depending on what the dog tears up, and it can be dangerous for him. You can take away your dog’s odds of tearing something up by pet-proofing your home.
Dogs will tear up anything when they’re bored or lonely or dealing with separation anxiety. Put away things that dogs are normally attracted to tearing up – such as shoes and pillows.
Keep any stuffed animals out of sight when you’re not home because dogs often mistake stuffed animals for chew toys. Give your dog items that he is allowed to chew on – such as dog toys and dog teething rings.
If your dog is teething, giving him a dog teething chilled teething ring to soothe his sore gums.
Dogs will repeat behavior when there are no consequences to their actions. If they chew on the end of the sofa and you laugh or simply replace the sofa, it gets reinforced to the dog that his actions were okay.
How to Stop Your Dog Chewing on Things
When a dog does destroy something and you fuss at him after you discover it, your dog doesn’t understand what he’s done. He understands only when you interrupt him in the middle of tearing something up.
Firmly say, “No!” and then gently remove him from the item. You want to be gentle, but you don’t want to engage or pet the dog when he’s in the middle of tearing something up.
He’ll associate that action with your petting him or giving him attention. When there are no consequences, dogs will keep going back – such as chewing on the same piece of furniture.
There are some natural repellants that you can buy at the pet store. You can spray down the part of the furniture where he’s been chewing with this repellant. The spray won’t hurt him, but what it does is give him a nasty taste, like he’s bitten into something very bitter.
He quickly learns that the furniture doesn’t taste good. To head off the issue of chewing on furniture, some pet owners spray the edges of the furniture down ahead of time with repellant.
Make sure that you’re keeping your dog active – because many dogs will tear things up because they have a lot of energy that isn’t being released through enough exercise.
Rough Play May be Fun But Can Be an Annoying Dog Habit for Some
When dogs engage in rough play, without meaning to, they can harm themselves, other pets and even people. That’s why rough play should always be stopped.
Dogs are fast learners and pick up behaviors from other dogs – and people, too. If your dog plays too rough, it’s either because he’s caught up in the playing, and he thinks it’s okay to play rough, or because the dog is asserting his alpha side.
If you consider that your dog is playing too rough, then stop the play immediately. Tone down your energy and calmly remove the toy or take him from the area. When a dog plays he easily gets caught up in playtime and he might unintentionally cause him to be too aggressive.
If your dog begins to assert his alpha side, the play can escalate into serious biting as he attempts to subdue the other pet or person he’s playing with. Signs that your dog is playing too rough include his body language changing from relaxed to stiff and unyielding.
He’ll often stare in aggression and he’ll growl in a deeper growl than he normally uses. Play growling is a growling that he does that lasts longer than it usually does.
Monitor How Your Dog Interacts With Other Dogs
When your dog is playing with other pets, keep an eye out for signs that he’s playing too rough. If he is then stop him immediately and introduce your dog safely. Don’t allow your pet to be aggressive with other dogs or people.
Stop Play Biting
One thing that may start off as fun can turn into an annoying dog habit- play biting. Never allow your dog to play like he’s biting you. You can’t expect to let a puppy chew on your fingers or bite your arms and then get annoyed when they want to play biting.
Next time your dog want to chew on your toes, tell him “No” and give him a strong good quality toy to play with. When your dog chews on the item you chose for him, praise him so that he knows that it’s safe for him to play with.
When the dog gets bigger and older, he’s learned that this is okay and doesn’t realize that his tiny jaws and teeth are now a lot stronger and sharper. Instead of letting the dog bite on you, encourage him to bite dog toys.
When your dog is playing to rough, like a child that’s engaged in inappropriate play, your dog needs a time out. It’s easy for dogs to get riled up when they’re playing – especially if they have some energy to work off.
Make sure your dog has a way of letting off some of that stored up energy before he starts playing. Take him for a walk or let him run around in the yard and chase a ball.
Begging for Treats and Food
Sniffing around, licking the plates and mooching under the table. This is one of the annoying dog habits that’s usually a cause of their well meaning human. Dogs beg only because at some point, someone rewarded that behavior. So resist the urge to share from the table and your dog will not start the annoying habits of begging for food.
If your dog has an established begging habit, you can stop it by not allowing him in the same room with you while you’re eating. Let him stay in another room or in his crate whenever you’re having a meal or a snack.
Teach him to go when you’re eating. Train him that when you’re eating, he must be lying down in another room or on his dog bed. You can train him that it’s time for him to rest in his crate with the door open and if that doesn’t work, you can confine him to the crate during meals.
Never allow a dog to sit and stare at you or your guests whenever you’re eating. With their big eyes and sad faces, dogs can tempt even the strongest pet owner into giving in just this once.
Stop Annoying Dog Habits – Begging and Mooching
If your dog begs, whines or barks to get a bite of what you’re eating or cooking, and you find it annoying. Then it’s time to stop the habit. When you are breaking the habit of begging its important to be consistent. Otherwise it isn’t fair to your dog.
Create a schedule when it comes to feeding your dog. This way he will know when and where to eat. And he will get to understand what is his food and he’ll get to enjoy his and leave yours alone.
It’s up to you to establish the foundation to curb your dog from begging. It’s okay to give treats when you are training. But don’t create annoying dog habits such as begging under the table.
If it’s all to much to resist those begging eyes, then consider installing a baby/dog gate lock so your dog will staying place while you enjoy dinner in peace.
Wrapping Up the 5 Most Common Annoying Dog Habits and How to Stop Them
Taking the time to curb any annoying dog habits, and it will save you trouble and worry in the future. When your dog behave well, it is easier to take your dog anywhere. Instead of dealing with annoying dog habits your dog will integrate in all areas of your life.
Invest in a good training program, get a good harness and dog proof your home. These will help you stay in control while keeping yourself, your family and your canine buddy safe.