Dog Interactive Behavior

uncontrolled enthusiasm in our companion dogs

tanya105 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:21:52 +0000

With uncontrolled enthusiasm, the problem to be solved is the behavior of unrestrained ardor – unchecked fervor or wild fanaticism and may include symptoms like unruliness, destructive behavior, excitement urination, excessive and high pitched barking and/or whining, inability to relax, constant activity, severe meddling and possibly self injury. Stress related physical problems may result in more complex cases. The constant state of hyper behavior the animal habitually displays robs him/her of the ability to relax, to pay attention or to learn. A life lived in extremes is not good for any species. UNCONTROLLED ENTHUSIASM (commonly called hyperactivity) IS NOT A NATURAL BEHAVIOR FOR DOGS.

To correct this problem you must first realize that your dog’s actions are only symptoms of the problem, not the problem itself. To attempt correction on just the jumping or the whining or the meddling or the pacing or the destruction (you hopefully get the idea) without lengthening the attention span or lowering the activity level is , more times than not, an effort in futility (No win situation). Your goal should be teaching your dog to relax and wait patiently within it’s environment. One of the best ways of beginning this is to realize that quality time does not always mean play time. In cases of uncontrolled enthusiasm quality time means teaching, thereby changing pacing and meddling habits into lie down and chew a bone activity. Take that leash out of the closet or drawer and put it on the dog. Teach your dog to lie down and stay using your favorite technique. Don’t be distracted. Pay enough attention to catch any mistakes. Be patient, remember habits are not learned in a day and they are not changed in one. Take whatever time necessary and keep in mind the more time he/she spends lying down, the less time there will be for doing rude things and the more his/her activity level will adjust. Once your dog begins to learn calm you have a much better chance of teaching behavior modification in related problem areas. Remember to approach and interact with your animal on a calm adult level – if your interaction is high pitched and infantile -STOP & THINK- this could be one reason your dog’s actions are the same. The best place to work on these long downs and stays is right by your chair or wherever you spend long periods of time within the home.

house soiling problems with dogs

tanya105 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:13:00 +0000

Specifying the Problem:
With housesoiling, the problem to be solved is teaching the dog to hold urine and feces until he/she goes outside. We should focus our teaching on this and be less concerned about the excuses used to tolerate elimination behavior in the home. Your goal cannot be accomplished if the dog can “talk you into” excusing the behavior -ie- jealousy, spite, payback, being left alone (within reasonable limits), many more. Once your attitude displays good parenting and good leadership skills, then it would be good to understand some common causes for housesoiling difficulties so as not to unconsciously repeat past cause and effect teaching mistakes.

Free feeding / free roaming
If your dog has the run of anything and everything when he/she is first
learning your environment (free roaming), no matter what the age, and has the opportunity to “snack on food” anytime he/she wants (free feeding) then it is going to be very difficult to successfully achieve reliable elimination habits. I don’t believe that it’s a question of ability to learn on the dog’s part. I believe it to be more of a metabolic issue. If you are dealing with a young puppy, his/her physical ability to hold anything will certainly be shorter than that of an adult dog and yet even an adult dog will have the urge to eliminate after eating. It might be wise to schedule his eating habits.

Confusing Instructions
Confusion is difficult at best for humans to deal with and even harder for dogs. If several people jump up to “punish” an accident in different ways, the dog may react strongly -but- in truth, may not realize his/her point of error. If you correct some mistakes and don’t correct others for what ever the excuse, your animal may find it difficult to learn his/her point of error. Teaching correct elimination habits should be clear and simple to understand. Don’t “assume” the animal should already know. All teaching members of the family should work together with non-teaching members staying out of the way. It might be wise to establish a plan and the follow it with consistency

stress in dogs

tanya105 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:08:24 +0000

IN BRIEF Stress can cause physical as well as behavioral problems including but not limited to: hyperactivity, vomiting, anorexia nervosa, compulsive eating, self mutilation, compulsive shaking, hysteria paralysis, epileptic like convulsions, asthma like bronchospasms and sympathy lameness. More often then not the animal will over eat or under eat, defecate and/or urinate on the bed and/or clothes and very possibly threaten and/or bite one or more of it’s owners (or anyone else).

social stress

tanya105 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:01:59 +0000

The lack of opportunity for exposure to people, places and situations in a teaching manner contributes to the behavior. This is necessary social introduction with the emphasis on “no meddling” and “mind your own business” for the dog, NOT GROUP HUGS. This type on social introduction exposure develops a heightened sense of discretion in dealing with both the known and unknown. The animal that has not learned his/her place has no respect for authority and no regard for the consequences of his/her actions and may show no mercy to subordinates. The un-socialized animal as with the un-socialized human is running the show, has the run of the house, may threaten or attack anyone they choose to achieve their self goal. The degree of an animal’s reaction is closely tied to the degree of social instruction and natural parental guidance that has been ignored or reversed.

temperamental stress

tanya105 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:59:15 +0000

This type of stress occurs when the animal’s temperament does not match the environment -ie- a shy dog raised in a loud, confusing household, a dominate dog raised in a passive household, fast learners raised in slow moving households as well as slow learners raised in fast confusing households, etc. As with all forms of stress, this type can lead to health as well as serious behavioral problems.

environmental stress

tanya105 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:55:14 +0000

Environmental stress occurs when the animal’s environment is ruled by confusion. Human(s) interacting the way they want with little or no knowledge or regard as to what the animal needs are (step by step natural cause and effect learners). Sustained environmental excitement may cause both behavioral as well as physical problems. On again, off again interactive attention (at our convenience) is extremely confusing and can force a take-over situation. The lack of consistency plus free roaming causes much confusion. This provides an extremely poor learning environment and can – very often does – lead to serious and potentially dangerous mistakes.

frustration stress

tanya105 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:51:59 +0000

A dog brought from his/her natural environment (the wild) into ours must conform to many restrictions and what may be natural in the wild for a dog in most cases is not socially acceptable according to our human rules. Basic needs and desires may be so frustrated and repressed that he/she may literally be a prisoner in the most clean, comfortable and loving of cages. Frustration stress is one of the most common cause for aggression in most species. Frustration is experienced on chronic, long-term basis and pent-up - build up behavior may be discharged out of the blue, for no apparent reason, by the most in-appropriate stimuli and under the most unexpected circumstances.

dog interactive behavior – what it is, who it’s for.

tanya105 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:16:46 +0000

Dog interactive behavior help is for companion dogs that live indoors and share a home environment with their owners. By learning to respect boundaries, listen to rules, and develop good manners at an early age, both the animal and the owner(s) can avoid frustration, unnecessary expenses, injury, and the potential for heartbreak due to uncontrolled behavior.

This blog deals exclusively with interactive dog behavior causing problems within our homes. The blog shows you how to apply dog behavior techniques early to prevent problems from ever developing.

fear aggression

tanya105 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:58:16 +0000

Fear aggression is by far the saddest and most dangerous behavior I work with and yet in most cases, is the easiest to turn around because the dog doesn’t want to do it in the first place. It usually just knows no other way. Typically the animal in an average household is being constantly forced into making decisions (no clear lead) before they know what a decision is much less how to make one. They can only decide what to do from experimentation and prior or pre-existing knowledge – errors just repeat themselves. One of the biggest causes of fear reaction is the “too much – too soon” syndrome. The title of “free roaming” (as if to imply a kind thing) labels this error. Free roaming without knowledge leads to many confused and reactive animals. The reaction will develop the way the individual animal’s temperament and prior knowledge guide. All too often fear aggression appears. Too many people believe that for a dog to show fear aggression it must have been “beaten or abused”. If you consider a constant state of confusion a form of mental abuse and you believe that mental and physical abuse are equally devastating then these people are right, however, a dog showing extreme fear aggression – more often than not – may have never been struck, may have lived in excellent conditions, may be in wonderful physical condition and may never have been told NO. Canines, being a monarchy species in nature need one thing above all and that is leadership presenting what is wrong as well as what is right.. We humans seem to want only the fun parts of the relationship and we avoid the guidance and/or teaching part. Wanting the fun parts of any relationship is most everyone’s wish however, the refusal to accept and apply the needs of the animal through teaching responsibilities can result in tragic and often deadly behavior (usually injurious and heartbreaking for the humans / deadly to the confused, scared dog).

protective aggression

tanya105 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:54:51 +0000

Protective aggression is a kind of close up and personal canine use of power and if guided properly, is of great benefit to the human family. This type should not be confused with possessive, territorial or any other of the many forms of aggression. This form of aggression display is usually shown within close proximity to loved ones (home/family). As much as this behavior can help us – it can equally hurt us if the dog is making his/her actions up along the way – again, no clear guidance. If this type of behavior is treated as a toy, a joke, a threat to other family members (even if it’s only in fun), a crutch for our own personal fears, etc., this behavior can easily result in serious and costly consequences (and very often does). Be aware of the dangers of the exploitation (using your dog for ego extension / gratification / etc.) of protective aggression. As with many, this behavior is a self motivating and self starting weapon and should never be used through ignorance. Don’t put your family, friends, innocent bystanders and your dog at risk just to feed your personal “I wanna’s”. This type of interaction is not fair to the situation and certainly not fair to the dog. The potential safety this behavior can give us is well worth the effort to understand and apply right teaching.