Troubleshooting Behavior Challenges

Health & Wellness

Is there an underlying medical reason for the dog’s behavior? 

Even low levels of discomfort can contribute to BIG behavior changes (think: a nagging headache). Sudden changes in a dog's behavior is a red flag to look for an underlying medical cause. A veterinary exam is often required, and you may need to keep asking the question “what’s going on inside” if an initial vet check doesn't provide an immediate answer. A veterinary behaviorist can be helpful in these situations, as they have additional training and certifications in both veterinary and behavioral medicine. 

Some examples:

  • Snaps at being handled because of pain from a musculoskeletal injury, arthritis or sore ears.
  • Has accidents in the house because of a UTI, age-related incontinence disorders, or movement-limiting pain or discomfort.
  • Barks and lunges at other dogs while on leash because of anxiety or pain.

Stress and anxiety are a major component of wellness. A newly rehomed dog may be exhausted and have a body and brain flooded with cortisol (stress hormone), which can contribute to undesirable behavior.  Dogs who are stressed aren’t able to use the “thinking” part of their brains, and function mainly out of instinct. The more we can support the process of decompression, the more we’ll reduce the emergency hormones flooding his brain. 

For severe problems or ongoing issues in which you're struggling to make progress with training, considering asking a vet about behavior medication. Many dogs with behavior challenges benefit from behavior meds, which are generally inexpensive, effective, and well tolerated. The simple addition of carefully-chosen medications can make all the difference between a dog who is unable to cope, and one who can relax, rest, and learn. 

Some indicators of stress/anxiety:

  • Poor sleep - not napping soundly during the day or sleeping through the night
  • Hypervigilance - anxious “watchy” behavior, startling at every sound
  • Excessive fear
  • Multiple behavior challenges
  • Over arousal and/or inability to settle
  • Repetitive or compulsive behavior, such as licking a body part, or spinning
  • Separation anxiety
  • Aggression
  • GI issues - obvious, such as diarrhea, or subtle/unobvious 

Research clearly shows a link between chronic stress and illness. A dog who lives in a constant state of stress has a greater chance of developing health issues down the road. Some stress is a normal part of life, but the more we can minimize it in our dogs’ lives, the healthier they are likely to be. 

Are the dog’s innate needs being met?

In addition to fully addressing basic needs of safety (actual and perceived), shelter, water, and nutrition, dogs have species-specific innate needs. Is boredom or frustration a factor? Does he have daily opportunities for physical exercise, and for doing dog things like sniffing, licking, chewing, etc.?

Addressing wellness issues needs to be a top priority. Training won’t be effective if the dog’s basic needs aren’t being met. 

Management

Is the dog’s behavior something we could easily prevent?

Management is about arranging the environment to set the dog up for success. Many management solutions are quick and easy to implement. A simple management strategy may be all that is required, or can help temporarily while you're working on training new behaviors. 

Some examples:

  • Using a baby gate to block access to the front door to prevent bolters from escaping.
  • Covering windows with removable film to preempt barking at dogs or passersby.
  • Giving him a frozen food enrichment item to keep him occupied while you're on a work call.
  • Keeping counters cleared so “surfing” isn't reinforced by grabbing something tasty.

Use Reward-Based Training

Are we creating a connection?

Reward-based training methods are humane, science-based and effective. They promote emotional and physical health, create success and invite learning, and strengthen the dog-human bond.

Punishment-based methods have fallout and may create other, more complex  problems. Dogs learn primarily by association and consequence. Suppose your dog lunges at dogs or barks at strangers on walks. If you punish the dog for his behavior, the connection he will make is that the appearance of a dog or stranger predicts that something bad will happen to him. He does not understand that his behavior is the problem. The next time he sees another dog or stranger, he will be more likely to have a stronger reaction, and the negative association he has will grow stronger over time.  

Learn Dog Body Language

What aren’t we seeing? 

Dogs communicate primarily through body language. They are pros at reading us, because it has been a key to survival as they evolved alongside humans. Their body language is rich and nuanced, and there is much that they try to tell us. We only need to learn to listen! 

Understanding dog body language is vital to building a connection with our dogs and understanding their needs. Being able to recognize subtle signs of stress, fear or discomfort is essential to avoid the need for the dog to escalate their communication. 

Seeing body language is the best way to learn.

More information can be found on our Dog Body Language page.

Understand Normal Dog Behavior and Provide Outlets

Are his needs for enrichment being fulfilled?

Imagine a world devoid of things that bring you fulfillment; no books, movies, or lovely sunsets to enjoy. Chewing, licking, sniffing, foraging, barking, digging and shredding are normal, species-appropriate behaviors, and satisfy deep, innate needs for our dogs. Whenever possible, provide legal outlets for these behaviors where the dog’s underlying need can be met in a manner that is acceptable for you.

Some examples:

  • Lickable items such as frozen Kongs or Pupsicles - licking is a calming activity.
  • Appropriate chewable items such as beef cheeks, collagen rolls, bully sticks.
  • Food puzzle toys, snuffle mats, or scattering kibble allows the dog to forage.
  • Have a designated spot in the yard where digging is allowed. “Plant” items there for the dog to unearth.
  • Treats hidden inside brown packing paper, empty paper towel rolls, or boxes can satisfy the need to shred.

More ideas can be found on our Enrichment page.

Building Trust: When We're The Problem

Is it me, and not you?  

Humans are sometimes the roadblock to changing behavior. We often ask too much of the dog too soon, or fail to recognize subtle (or overt) body language signs of stress.

It’s easy to mistake the behavior of a shut-down or highly anxious dog as “good manners”, not recognizing the signs of stress. The dog whose behavior is inert isn’t being “good”; he’s overwhelmed. Failing to provide adequate time and a supportive environment for decompression is one of the most common mistakes we make as fosters or new pet parents. 

Understanding how threshold and trigger stacking work to sabotage behavior is crucial. If the dog has already endured more than his emotional bandwidth allows, his behavior will reflect that. For example, he was startled by a pan dropping in the kitchen, then was approached by a stranger on a rainy walk. While wiping his paws, he growls and snaps at you “out of the blue”. Each of these triggers stacked atop the other created an “over threshold” moment, when he reached the end of his emotional rope. Paying attention to things that startle, scare or make him uncomfortable and decreasing his exposure to them will help keep him under threshold, where he can make good choices and learn best.

Checking our own behavior for ways in which we’re inadvertently eroding trust can go a long way to solving a behavior issue. By focusing on body language and giving the dog agency and choice in small things, such as petting consent or whether or not to go for a walk we build trust, which is essential for behavioral success.  

 Some ways in which we create the problem: 

  • Luring a dog into an iffy situation, e.g., using food to coax him into the crate, then shutting him inside.
  • Crowding, cornering, hovering over the dog, e.g., looming over him to clip leash, hugging (most dogs dislike being hugged), trapping him between couch and table. 
  • Asking too much of him too soon.
    • A stressful walk in the neighborhood when time in the yard would be plenty, or having guests when he’s already overwhelmed. 
    • Raising training expectations quickly instead of taking small, incremental steps to ensure he’s successful.
  • Taking away food or a toy, which can feel threatening and may create resource guarding. 
  • Unintentionally punishing rather than rewarding desirable behavior. Some examples:
    • Calling him away from playing with buddies, immediately clipping on his leash and walking away, instead of rewarding him for good recall.
    • Cornering him and wiping paws when he comes in, so he becomes reluctant to approach the door. Body handling may be an issue for him (let him walk across a couple of towels instead).
  • Not giving new and resident dogs enough time apart during the day, or having high value resources such as toys available, which creates tension and may lead to fights. 

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