We all like to spoil our dogs every so often. Nearly 90 percent of American pet owners say they consider their companion a part of their family, and 54 percent said they bought them at least one gift for the holiday season, just like for a real child.
While it's ok to spoil your pet and let it act out sometimes, a dog that is consistently disobedient and misbehaving needs to be disciplined before they become dangerous, and there are various ways to do so. Taming their behavior, though, takes time and energy, and in order to do it effectively, you should first understand the causes behind it.
So how do you know why your dog is being disobedient? Newsweek spoke to several animal behaviorists and veterinarians to find out what could be causing your pet's misbehavior, and below are the top five possible causes and solutions.
The Top 5 Causes
Experts agree that while there are different reasons why dogs misbehave, it's never their fault and it always falls on the owner. That is because dogs don't have mental abilities that allow them to be evil or vindictive, so their behavior is down to what the owner has taught them.
1. Inconsistent/Insufficient Training and Negative Reinforcement
The main cause for misbehaving dogs, according to accredited animal behaviorist Susan Nilson, is inconsistent or insufficient training.
Nilson told Newsweek that inconsistent training can confuse dogs and make learning a new skill more difficult for them. You shouldn't expect your dog to know how to do something if you haven't taught it properly and certainly shouldn't be angry when it can't do it.
"Insufficient training means there hasn't been enough training to cement the skill being taught," she said. "This also applies to generalizing a skill to other contexts. For example, your dog may come to you when you call him in the house, but not when he's out in the yard where there are more distractions and exciting sounds and scents to investigate."
Another mistake in training your dog is subjecting them to negative learning experiences. According to Dr. Jennifer Frione, veterinarian and owner of Lakeside Animal Hospital in Plantation, Florida, negative reinforcement makes the pet fearful and leads to other undesired behaviors such as avoidance or aggression. She told Newsweek: "Clear communication and positive reinforcement is key to getting your pet to obey."
Rewarding behaviors you like, known as positive reinforcement, makes it more likely for your dog to repeat them, and it also makes listening to you and engaging with you more enjoyable and worthwhile, Nilson suggested, saying: "Think of it as a salary for a job well done."
Inconsistent training also means not sticking to one set of rules and having different expectations from the dog. For example, Sally Grottini, dog behavior expert at JustAnswer, explained that if you train your dog not to eat food off the table but then another member of the family gives them food while they're having dinner, it will send the dog mixed signals. It will break the pattern of good behavior you tried to instill in them.
"Consistency among the family that owns the dog should be a top priority," she said.
2. Life Stages
According to Grottini, just like humans have the "terrible twos" where the child acts out, or they reach the teen years and do not listen, dogs behave similarly at certain stages of their life, where they keep pushing their boundaries.
"You take your dog for a six-week puppy class, and you see he has learned the commands very well," she said. "So, you stop with training and just use what the dog learned in class around the house. Then suddenly the puppy reaches a certain age, and they are more inquisitive, so they stop listening to the owner to explore other regions of their environment. This eventually teaches the dog that it does not have to listen to the owner anymore while it is finding other outside interests."
3. Temperament and Emotions
Temperament can also be a cause for misbehavior, and the biggest troubling temperament are fear aggression, possession aggression and alpha aggression, according to Grottini.
"If a dog is acting fearful and the owners push the dog into something they fear, a bite will incur if the dog feels they cannot get away from what they fear," she said. "This is the flight-or-fight instinct. Dogs with fearful temperaments need to be trained a bit differently than a dog with a normal happy-go-lucky temperament.
"It is up to the owners to make sure they know what they are getting into when they pick out a dog. If you are unsure, bring a trainer that knows how to do a temperament test."
Because dogs are sentient beings, they can experience a range of emotions, from anxiety and stress to happiness and excitement, and according to Nilson, these emotions are a significant factor in a dog's behavior, which are often the cause of unwanted behaviors such as excessive barking or aggression.
"The dog who lunges at other dogs when out on a walk may be fearful of the other dogs and want them to go away, frustrated that he's confined on a leash which is preventing him from accessing other dogs, or happy and excited to see the other dogs and want to greet him," she said. "So each underlying motivation is different even though the resulting behavior is the same."
The best way to help your dog in this instance is to observe and recognize how your dog is feeling before embarking on any kind of training or behavior-modification program, as any underlying needs must be addressed first.
"A dog who is chewing the furniture because he's bored will need a different training plan from the one who is chewing the furniture because he has separation anxiety," Nilson said.
4. Lack of Exercise and Boredom
Dogs often tend to show destructive behaviors when they are bored or haven't had enough exercise for the day.
When dogs do not receive appropriate exercise or stimulation, according to Frione, they often redirect their energy to other unruly behaviors such as chewing or barking, so an adequate amount of daily exercise will help to decrease excess energy.
"Additionally, increased enriching activities such as food-dispensing toys, puzzle bowls, bones, will help to keep them stimulated and less likely to partake in undesired behaviors," she said.
5. Health Issues
Sometimes unwanted behaviors in dogs can be a sign of pain or an underlying health issue, and it's important to rule out any medical issues before implementing a training plan.
If your dog is well potty-trained and suddenly starts peeing around the house, he may be suffering from a bladder infection. Or for instance, if your friendly and well-behaved dog suddenly reacts fearfully, barking at familiar people, he may be experiencing visual impairment.
Go at the Dog's Pace
According to Nilson, whatever the causes behind your dog's behavior, in any training program, it's always important to start off at an easy level, in a place where they feel safe and there are no distractions and then give your dog time and not rush things.
"You'll see his brain kick into gear as he tries to work out what he can do to earn his next reward. It's incredibly satisfying to watch the transformation!" she said.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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