How To Deal With Your Dog’s Destructive Behavior
It’s typical for dogs to chew on objects, dig, and guard their territory. When dogs destroy items like furniture, shoes, doors, or carpets—things we don’t want them to—they are labeled with destructive tendencies explain experts from Animal Hospital Jacksonville. However, not all damaging behavior is the same. It is mainly destructive when a dog exhibits inappropriate chewing or digging habits without revealing other symptoms. Secondary violent behavior is the term used to describe a dog’s destructive conduct and other symptoms like anxiety, fear, or aggression.
For dogs, especially puppies, chewing, playing, exploring, and investigating their surroundings are standard actions. However, these typical actions may lead to property destruction, which can be a significant and annoying issue for owners. One of the most typical behavior issues with dogs is destructive activity. Dogs don’t engage in bad behavior out of resentment or a desire for vengeance. They do so to cope with stress or to release excess energy. When stressed, dogs often chew, lick excessively, pace, or poop in the house, whereas people may exercise, chew on their nails, or drink.
Because there are numerous potential causes of destructive behavior, a thorough examination of the dog’s background and environment is required to help identify the issue and to suggest appropriate behavior modification approaches state the experts from Animal Hospital.
In this article, we’ll look at:
- What are the types of Bad Dog Behavior?
- Top reason of Reasons for Destructive Dog Behavior?
- How can you deal with a dog’s destructive behavior?
- How can you diagnose your dog?
- What is the treatment you can consider?
What Are The Types Of Bad Dog Behavior?
Numerous canine behaviors could seem undesirable. The conduct’s severity is based on several variables, including…
- Breed: Some breeds of dogs are infamous for “poor” characteristics such as excessive barking, digging, etc.
- Age: Unwanted behaviors are frequently more prevalent in puppies or senior dogs.
- Training: If the activity is effectively implemented, some habits can be easily modified.
- Situation: Bad conduct varies depending on the circumstance, such as barking at an intruder or without reason.
- Owner Preferences: What might be deemed lousy conduct by one owner may not be an issue for another. In general, bad dog behavior is defined as excessive and unpleasant activity that persists despite correction attempts by the owner.
Although not every dog will engage in every potentially harmful action, some examples of negative behavior include
- Barking
- Leaped up
- Begging
- Whining
- Digging \sCounter-surfing
- Nipping or biting
- Tugging the chewing leash
- Chasing
- Marking urine
While a single instance of any of these habits is typically not an issue, persistent, recurrent conduct can be difficult to change say the experts from Animal Hospital Jacksonville Beach. Fortunately, it is possible to influence a dog’s undesirable behavior.
Destructive dog behaviour can result in issues with teeth, skin, the stomach, or intestines, among other organs if left unchecked.
Top Reasons For Destructive Dog Behavior
There is numerous reason for destructive dog behavior. Some of them are mentioned below:
- Unsuitable Punishment
Any form of excessive punishment or punishment meted out after the fact for misbehavior may cause anxiety related to the owner’s presence. As a result, the dog becomes more anxious when the owner is expected to return or arrive, and this worry may lead to destructive behavior.
- High Drive, or Hyperactivity
Drive and hyperactivity can cause destructive behavior because the dog is always full of energy and is seeking a power outlet. Curbing bad behavior with an overactive dog requires two unique steps to be effective. The first step is to give the dog enough exercise to be adequately worn out before being left alone. Second, you must provide enough mental stimulation to keep them cognitively engaged. You can give your energetic dog the inspiration they need through hunting, games, and other challenges.
- Phobias
In the home, phobias of loud noises and strange people frequently lead to destructive behavior. The dog may start destroying doors, walls, or other objects to hide if it hears loud noises like thunder or fireworks. While you are away, strange visitors knocking on the door or passing by the house may potentially trigger a fear response and lead to destructive behavior.
- Boredom
The leading cause of many problem behaviors, including chewing and destructive behavior, is boredom. Many dogs seek a way to vent their anger or boredom, which quickly escalates into chewing and other destructive behavior. Unattended dogs in fenced-in backyards frequently dig up and damage landscaping and chew on wooden decks, gutters, and siding. When dogs are kept in crates or kennels for an extended period, they frequently start chewing on the bedding, bowls, and kennel.
- Medical Issues
In mature dogs, stomach discomfort, dental pain, or gum pain can lead to destructive chewing. Some illnesses might result in extreme appetite (polyphagia) or consuming things other than food (pica). If you think there might be an issue, speak with your veterinarian. A ravenous dog can go on a scavenging rampage and wreck the house in search of food. Some dogs find that being confined in small spaces, such as crates (flight kennels) or compact rooms, causes them to become agitated and destructive (bathroom, laundry room). Separation anxiety might be related to this.
- Attention-Seeking Behavior
Dogs can often be destructive to get their owner’s attention. Owners often reward this behavior, reinforcing the dog’s attention-seeking behavior. Previously, I worked with a dog owner dealing with a Sheltie that was destroying toilet paper in the house. The Sheltie would regularly grab the toilet paper from the roll and drag it to the home’s front door. After working with the owner, I learned that a previous trainer had told her to call the dog to come and reward the dog anytime the dog was chewing on the toilet paper.
- Separation phobia
This is one of the most frequent reasons for destructive behavior in dogs, especially those rescued from shelters or found as strays. Dogs who suffer from separation anxiety frequently exhibit deep attachment to their owners, such as following them around the home, greeting them almost frantically, and reacting to their getting ready to leave the house state the experts from Animal Hospital Arlington.
A change in the family’s schedule that causes the dog to be left alone more frequently, a transfer to a new home, the death or loss of another family pet, or a stay at a boarding kennel are all things that might cause a separation anxiety problem. Separation anxiety can also show up as excessive vocalization or house-soiling along with damaging conduct.
- Investigative Conduct
When dogs study or explore, they may unintentionally destroy objects in the environment. Dogs dig things by pawing at them and using their mouths to examine them. Many dogs enjoy fetching and carrying stuff, particularly retrievers and young animals. When dogs are left alone for extended periods, it is widespread for new or unfamiliar objects to sustain damage in this way.
How Can You Deal With A Dog's Destructive Behavior?
- Make Sure Your Dog or Puppy Has Plenty of His Chew Toys
Make sure your dog or puppy has plenty of his chew toys, edible chew bones, rawhides, or other suitable-sized toys. Give your dog a few toys at once; don’t give them all at once. Keep the extras hidden. Your dog or puppy may quickly come to feel that anything on the floor is “fair game” to chew on if you scatter too many toys throughout the room at once, and as you are aware, this is where shoes and other items are frequently left. Occasionally, give them new toys to avoid your dog getting bored with the same old toy.
- Train Your Dog
Teach your dog what is appropriate behavior say the experts Animal Hospital Race Track Road. You may consider hiring the assistance of a professional dog trainer if you lack the time or patience to train your dog or puppy.
How Can You Diagnose Your Dog?
Your veterinarian will need a thorough medical and behavioral history to identify patterns and rule out or confirm physical conditions that might be connected to the behavior. Things your veterinarian will need to know to include your dog’s training history, level of daily physical activity, when the destruction first started, how long it has been going on, what events seem to set off the defeat and whether or not your dog is alone when the destruction takes place. It is also important to tell your veterinarian whether the destruction has worsened, improved, or remained the same since it was first noticed.
Your veterinarian will look for indications during the physical examination which have resulted in such a behaviour of your dog. It will be decided to order a complete blood count, biochemical profile, and urinalysis. The results any internal organ issues with your dog will show to your veterinarian in the tests, if there are any. Your veterinarian may also request a blood test for thyroid hormones to assess whether your dog’s thyroid level is low or high. Even thyroid hormone abnormalities are responsible for harmful conduct.
Your veterinarian will perform blood and stool (fecal) tests to check for diseases or nutritional deficiencies that would contribute to pica if your dog is consuming objects that are not food, a condition known as pica say the Vets Jacksonville. These tests’ outcomes will show whether your dog can properly digest its food and receive the nutrients it needs. If it is an older dog, your veterinarian may request a computed tomography (CT) scan or a magnetic resonance image (MRI) of your dog’s brain when these behavioral issues first appear. With the help of these tests, your veterinarian can visually assess the brain’s functionality and establish whether a brain tumor or disease is to blame for the behavioral issues. If no medical issue is detected, your dog will be given a behavioral problem diagnosis.
What Is The Treatment You Can Consider?
If a medical issue has been identified, treating the sickness will fix the behavioral problem in most cases. Without a medical condition, your dog’s veterinarian will create a plan to address any behavioral issues. Most of the time, medication alone cannot resolve the issue, hence, both training and medicine will be required most of the times.
In the case of primary destructive behaviors, your veterinarian will work with you to develop a strategy for redirecting your dog’s destructive actions toward acceptable items. This will assist you in teaching your dog to chew on things that you find suitable and stop your dog from harming or chewing on inappropriate items.
While secondary harmful behaviors will be treated with a mix of medication and therapy say Vets Race Track Road. Your vet may decide to administer an anti-anxiety drug, to assist your dog respond to training more rapidly. You and your veterinarian will also create a training program to teach your dog how to act more appropriately. Once your dog learns not to destroy stuff, you might be able to quit the medicine. To assist them in overcoming their destructive behavior, some dogs, however, need to be given anxiety medication for a while.
Conclusion
Behavior monitoring and follow-up appointments are required for the therapy of destructive behavior in dogs. Keep track of any behavioral improvements or regressions in your dog, and if you can, videotape the behavior to show your vet. Your dog’s recovery depends on constant effort and commitment to following the veterinarian’s training and behavioral management guidelines, regardless of the underlying cause of the behavior. A veterinary behaviorist or professional training program may be recommended for you.
Focus on positive reinforcement training and adhere to the veterinarian’s advice regarding improvements to your dog’s environment that may enhance behavior and suggested exercise regimens. Above all, exercise patience with your dog because impatience will upset him, and healing will take time say Vets Arlington.