Got A New Dog? 2 Bad Behaviors And How To Fix Them

If you are a new dog owner, it is important that you know that dogs have certain behaviors that are not very becoming. In many cases, new dog owners do not fully understand these behaviors and will mishandle them. To ensure that your relationship with your dog starts off on solid ground, here are two bad behaviors that you will most likely see your dog partaking in and what you need to do to solve and prevent them:

Bad Behavior #1: Chewing

For most dogs, especially puppies, chewing is a very natural behavior. However, it can very quickly lead to a lot of destruction in your home. Now, dogs chew for a number of reasons, including teething, curiosity, anxiety, and pure boredom. It will take some time, but it is possible to get your dog out of the habit of chewing. As you are doing this, though, it is a good idea to try and keep your personal belongings out of reach.

The best way to go about this is to make sure you have lots of different chew toys in the house. When you aren't going to be home, you will need to keep your dog in a crate or at least confined to one specific area of the home where there is little to no items for him or her to chew up. When you catch your dog chewing on something that he or she shouldn't be chewing on, yell "No!" firmly and replace the item with one of the chew toys in the home.

Bad Behavior #2: Jumping Up

Jumping up to greet you is a very common behavior among dogs. They do this to seek attention from you. However, in some cases, it can be dangerous or just downright annoying. For some children, depending on the size of the child and the dog, it can scary and dangerous.

To help stop your dog from jumping up each time you or someone else walks through the door, you need to start by grabbing their paws, lifting up your knee or simply pushing him or her away. However, these actions are not going to work for all dogs and you will need to try something else. If this is the case, just turn away from  your dog and ignore him or her. Avoid any eye contact, touching and speaking. Once you dog calms down, reward him or her. Eventually, your dog will understand what he or she is doing wrong and will stop doing it.

If you are having ongoing trouble with your dog's behavior, reach out to a vet like those at Marquette Animal Hospital.