Training but still having behavioral issues? Teaching your dog commands and boundaries is one thing, but understanding your dog is another. Many times when clients approach me with difficult dogs, I find that they think of their dogs like little humans, and while it seems intuitive to do so — dogs are members of our family, after all — in fact, it creates a disconnect in the human-dog relationship. Speaking realistically, dogs are dogs, not humans, and it’s unfair to the dog for us to expect them to behave or think otherwise.
For dogs with behavioral problems like separation anxiety, aggression, biting, and even house-training issues, you need to get to the root of the issue, and to do that, you need to understand how a dog sees the world. Since your dog doesn’t have the capacity to see the world from your perspective, it’s up to you to close the gap. In this episode, Brett discuses the importance of seeing your dog as a dog and tells you how to use that new perspective to help you resolve your dog’s issues.
Listen to Episode 96 of The Dog Savant Podcast here, or find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere else you find your podcasts!
Dog behavior problems generally fall into three categories: normal but undesirable (behaviors that are natural for dogs but annoying to humans), anxiety-driven, and aggressive.
Here is a comprehensive list of dog behavior problems categorized by their primary characteristics.
1. General Nuisance Behaviors (Normal but Undesirable)
These are often natural canine instincts that haven’t been redirected to appropriate outlets.
- Excessive Barking: Can be for attention, boredom, territory, or excitement.
- Destructive Chewing: Common in puppies (teething) and bored or anxious adults.
- Digging: Often motivated by hunting instincts, cooling down, or boredom.
- Jumping Up: Usually an over-excited way of greeting people.
- Begging: A learned behavior reinforced by getting food from the table.
- Leash Pulling: A lack of walking etiquette or a high desire to reach a scent/object.
- Inappropriate Elimination: House-soiling that isn’t caused by a medical issue.
- Mounting/Humping: Can be hormonal, but is frequently a sign of over-arousal or play.
2. Anxiety and Compulsive Disorders
These behaviors usually stem from fear, stress, or a lack of mental stability.
- Separation Anxiety: Destructive behavior, vocalization, or soiling that only happens when the owner is away.
- Noise Phobias: Extreme fear responses to thunder, fireworks, or loud engines.
- Resource Guarding: Aggression or tension when a human or animal approaches their food, toys, or even a specific person.
- Coprophagia: The habit of eating feces (their own or from other animals).
- Compulsive Behaviors: Repetitive actions like tail-chasing, light/shadow chasing, or excessive self-licking (acral lick dermatitis).
- Submissive Urination: Urinating when being greeted or approached, usually due to shyness or fear.
3. Aggression and Reactivity
Aggression is the most serious behavior problem and is almost always a symptom of an underlying issue like fear or pain.
- Fear Aggression: Snapping or growling to create distance from something that scares them.
- Territorial Aggression: Defense of the home, yard, or car against perceived intruders.
- Leash Reactivity: Lunging and barking at other dogs or people specifically while on a leash (often due to feeling restricted).
- Predatory Aggression: Hunting behaviors directed at small pets, wildlife, or fast-moving objects (like bikes).
- Redirected Aggression: When a dog is frustrated by a target they can’t reach and bites the person or animal closest to them instead.
- Pain-Elicited Aggression: A defensive reaction to being touched or moved while injured or in chronic pain.
4. Senior-Specific Issues
- Cognitive Dysfunction (Dog Dementia): Disorientation, changes in sleep cycles, and forgetting house training.
- Increased Irritability: Often linked to age-related pain or sensory loss (blindness/deafness).
If you’re noticing a specific behavior in your own dog, I’d be happy to help you narrow down the potential triggers or suggest some management strategies. Would you like to focus on a particular behavior from this list?