What are you going to do if your Northern Virginia dog exhibits bad behavior? Sometimes, no matter how cute or adorable your dog is, it will, at some point, exhibit naughty behavior. Keep in mind that dogs do not have a sense of morality, they do not know what is right from wrong and so whatever they feel like doing, they will do it without feelings of guilt or remorse. For instance, if they see a chair leg they can’t help but bite or chew on it. Most pet owners who don’t know how to properly train their dogs end up giving their dogs a cookie in an attempt to lure them away from the chair leg but this will also give dogs the impression that if they want to get a cookie, they should chew on the chair leg which is wrong. Let’s find out the best ways to control bad dog behavior.

How do you prevent dogs from getting bored?

When dogs do not have anything to do they usually resort to digging and chewing. As a pet owner, you should find ways to keep your dog busy like giving them entertainment or daily exercise. Aside from ensuring that your dog stays busy and active throughout the day you should also be able to identify if your dog is prone to behavioral problems and address these problems by helping your dog overcome them.

How Do You Correct Your Dog’s Behavior?

The moment you witness your dog show bad behavior you should make it a point to correct it ASAP. The longer you allow it to go on, the harder it is for you to correct it in the future. In fact, some dogs exhibit the worst behavior that the dog owner cannot be able to control it anymore. Don’t worry because if you are on the brink of giving up, a professional dog trainer will help you.

Aggressive behavior – aggressive behavior doesn’t always mean your dog is going to attack you but it is still dangerous nonetheless. Examples of aggressive behavior include baring all of his teeth when you try to reach out to him and guarding his food and toys when you go near him. If you notice these signs you should take action right away. How do you control aggressive behavior? It’s important to set limits. Only reward your dog for good behavior. If reinforcing limits with your aggressive dog only makes their behavior worse it’s time to ask for professional help.

Excessive barking – it’s normal for dogs to bark because that’s one of their ways to communicate with you. However, when your dog’s barking irritates you try your best not to bark back because this will give your dog the idea that maybe his barking should be louder. Instead, you can teach your dog to bark on command by using the words “bark’ and “speak” and words like “quiet” and “shush”. You can also feed your dog so that he stops barking and then when he is quiet you can say the words “good shush” and hand his reward.

Begging – another bad habit common among dogs is begging. This type of bad behavior is easier to correct than to prevent. What you can do is you can confine your dog in a crate during your meal time and give him a chew toy to keep your dog busy. If your dog has developed the annoying habit of begging you should confine him until the whining and the barking stop.

Takeaway

When you train your dog keep in mind that all dogs are different. One method of training may work for some but they may not work on your dog. Choose a training that is effective for your dog. If you need help you can always ask help from professional dog trainers.