No matter how well-behaved a dog is, it is inevitable that it will develop bad habits sometimes, such as biting people or jumping on people when the owner comes home. These issues often require dog behavior correction through structured methods.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, punishment is generally not recommended for correcting dog behavior. Studies show that positive reinforcement is far more effective and creates a stronger bond between you and your dog. Punishment can lead to fear, anxiety, and even aggression.
Instead, focus on redirecting unwanted behaviors and rewarding good behaviors. For example, if your dog is chewing on furniture, redirect them to an appropriate chew toy and praise them when they use it.
There are also some dogs that seem to be very well-behaved at home, but once they go out, they become bullies and are basically "invincible dogs in the community." Haha, facing these bad habits of dogs, how should we correct them? Effective behavior modification for pets can address these challenges.
Oh, facing these bad habits of dogs, how should we correct them?
Common Behavior Problems & Solutions
| Problem Behavior | Possible Causes | Corrective Strategies | Time to Improve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excessive Barking | Boredom, anxiety, alerting, attention-seeking | Identify trigger, teach "quiet" command, provide mental stimulation | 2-4 weeks |
| Chewing/Destruction | Teething, boredom, separation anxiety | Provide appropriate chew toys, puppy-proof area, increase exercise | 3-6 weeks |
| Jumping on People | Excitement, attention-seeking, greeting behavior | Turn away, ignore behavior, reward four-on-floor, teach alternative greeting | 2-3 weeks |
| Pulling on Leash | Excitement, lack of training, desire to explore | Stop when pulled, change direction, reward loose leash, use front-clip harness | 4-8 weeks |
| Separation Anxiety | Fear of abandonment, change in routine, past trauma | Gradual desensitization, create safe space, avoid emotional departures/arrivals | 4-12 weeks |
How to train dogs to prevent them from fighting?
A female friend wrote to me: "My dog is a male Schnauzer, now over one year old. He is usually very well behaved and docile, but as soon as I take him out for a walk, he loves to fight with other dogs. Now there are many people walking their dogs nearby. When they see my dog, they hide from him. There have been several times when they almost got into a fight. It gives me a headache. What should I do?"
How can we train dogs not to fight? In fact, it is very difficult to stop a fight between dogs. The key is to prevent it in advance with canine behavior correction techniques.
Pay attention to the signs in advance
There are always some signs before dogs fight, and dog owners should pay attention to them in advance: Generally, when your dog makes eye contact with its opponent, you should interfere; and once the dog has its tail erect and glared at the opponent, it indicates that a fight is about to break out.
If you notice your dog showing any of the above signs, take the dog away immediately.
Make sure the dog moves its head away
Sometimes dogs fight to protect their owners through aggressive behavior. If this happens, you may instinctively shorten the leash, but this is usually when the dog is furious, and forcibly pulling it back will increase its desire to attack. In fact, you should ask the dog to turn its head away at this time—a corrective u turn dog training tactic—so that it cannot make eye contact with other dogs, which is much safer.
In fact, you should ask the dog to turn its head away at this time, so that it cannot make eye contact with other dogs, which is much safer.
Distract the dog
When you encounter possible aggressive behavior, you should use a toy that your dog likes to attract its attention. Once the dog is distracted by the toy and its excitement has eased, you should command it to "sit". If your dog sits as ordered, you should reward it with food and encourage it to do so next time. This is a core behavior modification technique for dogs.
Conduct intensive recall training
Reinforce recall training in a quiet, distraction-free environment, preferably outdoors. Use a long leash or rope to retrain your dog to come to you, while using a favorite object to lure him. By reinforcing this training, you can greatly reduce your dog's love of fighting. (For specific training, see the "Come Over" training in Chapter 2.) This approach is foundational to dog corrective training.
Transformation of dogs that love to pounce on people
When dogs are excited, they will express it with crazy behaviors. Most dogs have a habit of jumping on people when they are excited, especially when their owners come home. Although this is the dog’s way of expressing its welcome to you, it’s fine if it’s a small dog, but if it’s a big dog, no one can stand it for a long time. How can we get a dog to stop jumping on people? This is a common goal in corrective behavior training for dogs.
How can we get a dog to stop jumping on people?
Method 1:
1. Start training at home. When the dog jumps on you, turn around immediately and say "no" to the dog. If the dog continues to jump on you, the owner should ignore it and go out directly.
2. After one minute, the owner returns to the room and orders the dog to sit down. If the dog sits down, the owner rewards the dog.
3. If the dog does not jump on you, the owner can squat down immediately, pet the dog, or reward it with snacks;
4. If the dog still jumps on you, you can scold the dog in a stern tone, then go out and repeat steps 1-3:
Method 2:
Before this training, you need to find something that your dog hates very much, such as a water gun. Next, let's demonstrate this training process:
1. The puppy tends to approach you;
2. It was about to pounce on someone, and the owner said "No" to the puppy!
3. If the dog still wants to pounce, spray water on it;
4. Ignore it for a while (about one to two minutes);
5. Continue this process until the dog gets used to it and stops jumping.
6. When the puppy starts jumping again, say "sit" to it. If it sits down, give it a treat.
The above two methods of stopping dogs from jumping on people are both relatively effective dog training corrections. Please feel free to choose according to the situation of your dog.
Training to stop dog barking
One of the bad habits of dogs that people who live in high-rise buildings are most afraid of is barking. There are generally two situations in which dogs bark: one is when a puppy just comes home, especially at night, and the other is when a big dog barks during the day.
The puppy loves to bark at night when it first comes home
If this is the case, it is usually because the puppy has just entered the house and is unfamiliar and afraid.
Before going to bed, the dog owner can put the puppy in a cage and do not turn off the lights. At the same time, put some toys, such as dog chews, for the puppy to play with. The puppy will naturally fall asleep when it is tired. If necessary, turn on a radio next to it and tune it to an all-night program channel. Appropriate sounds can make the puppy feel at ease.
At the same time, dog owners should pay attention: do not scold puppies for barking at night. Although the puppy will stop barking temporarily, it will make the puppy fear the owner and thus distrust the owner. Generally speaking, puppies will gradually become familiar with and adapt to the environment after 2-3 days and stop barking at night.
In addition, if the puppy barks at night, the owner should pretend not to know and let it be. Never go over to care for the puppy as soon as it barks, as this will make the puppy feel that the owner will come to accompany it as long as it barks. If it really doesn’t work, the dog owner can take the dog for more exercise during the day. The large amount of exercise can also make the puppy fall asleep early at night and stop barking.
If it really doesn't work, the dog owner can take the dog for more exercise during the day. The large amount of exercise can also make the puppy fall asleep early at night and stop barking.
Adult dogs are prohibited from barking during training
If the dog is already quite old, but loves to bark during the day, it is often due to excitement, just like jumping on people. You can use a similar method to the previous section to train the dog not to bark, incorporating behavioral training for dogs:
1. You should first establish a password, such as "Don't shout".
2. After you give the command, if the dog continues to bark, or even tries to jump towards you or grab you with its front paws, you should turn around and leave the dog.
3. After the dog calms down, the owner returns to the room, orders it to sit down, and then rewards the dog for its good performance.
4. If it still doesn't work, you can use more harsh training methods, such as water gun punishment or harsh voice - this will let the dog know that this behavior is not good. If the dog stops barking, make a gesture to let the dog sit down and give it food as a reward.
In this way, the dog will know "barking ~ water gun punishment", "no barking ~ food reward". With rewards and punishments, the dog will soon stop barking—a key outcome of pet behavior training.
Change your dog's bad habit of not letting you comb its hair
Some dogs don’t like being combed by their owners. When their owners comb their hair, they get very impatient. What can we do about it? Ways to improve this situation are part of dog training correcting bad behavior:
1. When you comb your dog's coat, try to use a gentle tone. If the dog really doesn't want to be combed and resists, don't scold it. Instead, use other ways to stroke it to eliminate its vigilance. While softly praising and stroking it, continue to comb it. The dog will gradually adapt.
2. You can also comb your dog's coat before breakfast every day, and feed it after combing its coat. This will allow the dog to develop a conditioned reflex that it will only be fed after being combed, and it may be more receptive to being combed.
3. For some really disobedient dogs, in order to prevent them from biting people when combing, you can tie up their mouths before combing. It is best to use gauze strips to tie their mouths, because gauze strips are soft and will not hurt the dog's mouth. Wrap the gauze strips from the nose to the lower jaw of the dog, tie a knot, and then wrap it around the back of the neck and tie it tightly. After tying it a few times, the dog will gradually get used to combing its fur and will change its bad habit of not letting you comb it.
How to prevent puppies from biting people and objects?
Although puppies are smart and cute, they sometimes bite people or things like sofas, which often brings a lot of trouble to their owners. So how can we correct this habit of puppies? I recommend the following three puppy training tips for correcting dog behavior issues:
let the puppy develop a good habit first.
To prevent puppies from biting people and objects, first of all, we should curb the bad habit of puppies to bite things. For example, do not let the dog touch things that should not be bitten. Put shoes in the shoe cabinet, put expensive books on the bookcase, not on the coffee table. In short, put away all the precious things and keep them away from the puppy. But while putting things away is a good idea, this approach has two fatal flaws: It does not teach your puppy to avoid dangerous objects and places.
train the puppy to have a sense of fear first
Most owners underestimate a puppy’s ability to find chews. The only way to ensure a safe environment for your dog is to teach him what he can play with safely and what he should stay away from—core to canine behavior modification. The first step in training is to teach the dog the command "no". Whether the timing of saying "no" is correct or not is an important factor in whether the puppy can understand why it is being punished.
Next, we can practice with a piece of "unplugged wire". "Wire" is one of the most dangerous things to an unsuspecting puppy. The touch and feel of an "unplugged wire" are exactly the same as the power cord of a normal appliance for a puppy, except that the extension cord is not plugged in. Put the extension cord in front of the puppy, then out of its sight, hide in a corner, and observe its movements (you can also use a mirror to observe). Once the puppy discovers the new toy and starts to chew it, immediately say "no" and spray it with water. Repeat this exercise regularly until chewing the wire becomes a no-no.
The same method can also be used to prevent dogs from chewing shoes, books, magazines or other things. If you continue to use praise or petting to teach your puppy to only bite the right things, the random biting behavior will be greatly reduced.
pay attention to the reasonable use of reprimands for puppies
With the above training foundation, you can slowly train your dog not to bite people or things. If the puppy has a tendency to bite or pounce on people, you must stop it immediately, and issue a loud "no" command while making an unhappy expression. Because of the previous training, the puppy will quickly understand that this behavior is also wrong, and will gradually give up the behavior of biting people or things, because it knows that the owner will be unhappy if it does so.
What should I do if my dog always bites my hands?
I am also often asked this question: "My puppy always likes to bite my hand when he comes home. What should I do?" First, understand dogs: biting is part of their growth process. Chasing moving objects and biting them is a habit of dogs. The mouth and paws are the way dogs touch objects. Dogs in the socialization period will also bite each other and learn how to communicate with their companions and control strength.
But dog owners must pay attention: never tease the dog to make it bite your hand intentionally. Because if the dog still bites the owner’s hand after six months, it will usually develop into a problem behavior requiring behavior training for pets.
So what should you do if your dog wants to bite your hand?
1. First, dog owners should remember: don’t tease the dog on purpose. If you don’t want the dog to get used to biting human hands, don’t swing your hands around in front of the dog to tease it. If the dog locks on your hand and pretends to bite it, hide your hand so that the dog can’t see it.
2. Use smells that dogs hate: There are anti-bite sprays on the market that can prevent dogs from biting you, but they are not effective for every type of dog. According to my experience, you can also make some "onion" or "garlic" juice and apply it on your hands. Dogs don’t like this kind of smell.
3. Satisfy the dog’s desire to bite things. We can use some toys to satisfy the dog’s desire to "bite". For example: Pulling toys are a very good tool that allows dogs to consume energy while pulling and biting, satisfies the dog’s desire to bite things, and greatly reduces the chance of the dog biting objects randomly.
How to correct a dog’s habit of licking people?
Dogs like to lick and kiss people. This is a natural expression of their enthusiasm for people. However, if a dog licks and kisses people indiscriminately, it is easy to cause disgust. Therefore, I believe that this behavior of dogs should be properly corrected through dog behavior modification:
1. Stopping your dog from licking you at will must start from a young age. Try not to let your dog lick you too much during the puppy stage. If your dog licks your face or hands, you should turn your face and hands away to stop the dog from licking you, and gently scold it but don’t punish it harshly because licking is a sign of obedience for dogs. Too harsh rewards may make the dog feel overwhelmed and apologize with more licks.
2. In addition, when a dog enthusiastically jumps into your arms and licks and kisses you madly, you should push the dog away first, let the dog calm down, and then stroke it. If the dog insists on continuing to lick and kiss you, you can pull the collar to pull it away. When the dog stops licking and kissing, you can pat its body and caress it. You can also encourage the puppy with a praising tone. If necessary, you can even throw a small toy for it to play with to show your approval!
3. Also, when the dog keeps licking and kissing, you can use the usual training commands, such as ordering the dog to "sit!", "don’t move!", "lie down!". If the dog obeys the command, immediately give it an appropriate reward, so that the dog will form a conditioned reflex of being rewarded when it does not lick and kiss the owner—an effective behavior modification technique for dogs.
Treating the dog's habit of rummaging through trash cans
Is your dog a garbage dog? For example, when you come home tired after a day’s work, you open the door and see your dog staring at you with a mouthful of garbage in its mouth. You probably feel like you don’t want to live anymore, haha~
Why do dogs love to rummage through the garbage?
1. Finding Food: Dogs that are alone at home will rummage through trash cans. It’s not that they particularly like trash, but that they like things that have a smell, such as bones left over by their owners in the trash can.
2. Thought it was a toy: The dog doesn’t know that you can’t turn over the trash can; it may think it’s a toy can. You should know what’s in the trash: no matter what you throw away, it has a strong smell, and shredded paper and plastic taste good.
So what should we do in this situation?
In this situation, the first thing we must do is: discipline!
1. Stare at it: Once you find the dog approaching the garbage can, yell at it and let it leave on its own;
2. Strengthen the dog’s memory: If the dog refuses to leave, hit it a few times when it is chewing the garbage (such as the newspaper roll mentioned before). This is a small way that makes a lot of noise but is dangerous. At the same time, you should also scold it loudly to make it realize that it is wrong to do so;
3. Do something naughty: If you can’t bear to beat your dog, or if disciplining your dog doesn’t work, you can only do something naughty, such as spraying some air freshener or perfume on the edge of the trash can, or applying some wind oil, cooling oil or other things that are very irritating to dogs, so that the dog will think that the trash can smells bad. Note: Do not spray toxic pesticides or disinfectants, as that will hurt your dog.
4. Make the trash can disappear: If all disciplines are useless, then you can only use this trick, put the trash can where the dog can’t reach. Of course, for less smart dogs, you can also choose a trash can with a lid to replace the open trash can. This approach is part of corrective behavior training for dogs.
How can I correct my timid dog?
Although everyone loves their dogs very much, some dogs are born timid. The common behavioral characteristics of these puppies are: they are relatively timid, afraid of various sounds, particularly sensitive, and prone to panic and fear. We can achieve this by "reducing the dog’s sensitivity to the things it fears," a method aligned with canine behavior correction:
1. Generally, sound desensitization exercises are simple. You can record sounds dogs fear, like car noises or children crying.
2. When the dog is not too nervous, play the sounds at low volume from a distance. Control distance and volume based on the dog’s tolerance. Do not practice while the dog is eating, as it affects normal eating. Train at ordinary times.
3. Gradually shorten the distance and increase the volume to allow the dog to adapt.
4. Practice daily. As your dog becomes familiar with these sounds, it will become braver—an outcome of dog training certification-backed methods.
If the dog is afraid of other things (e.g., children), use the same pet behavior training approach: Find a child to play with the dog more often. Slowly, the dog will overcome its fear.
