Dog Behavior Problems

Excessive Biting/Chewing

Most puppies bite, chew, and even growl at their owners, especially when they are playing. Some owners worry that this means the puppy will grow up to be aggressive and start to impose punishments or strict dominance regimes. Other owners do nothing, assuming that the puppy will simply grow out of it. The best approach is somewhere between these two.

The biting is, of course, completely normal puppy behavior. It has two main causes:

1. Puppies and dogs play together by fighting "mock battles" in which jumping on an opponent and biting are fair moves. They do this with their human families too, until taught otherwise.
2. As puppies begin to lose their milk teeth and grow adult ones, puppies often feel pain in their teeth and gums, which may be relieved by chewing.

Puppies need to learn while they are young that it is unacceptable for their teeth to meet human skin under any conditions. They may think anger is the human way of playing rough, which is why punishment won't work, but the following should get a result.

Make sure your puppy has some very hard toys to chew to relieve teething pain. Smoked bones, which can be obtained from the pet shop, are good for this and less messy than fresh ones. Putting them into the freezer can help too, as chewing them cold often seems to relieve the pain.

Your puppy will be less likely to bite if you do not let it get too excited. Keep play sessions short and try to stop before the trouble starts.

It can also help to play structured games, which are less confrontational than pulling and tugging ones.

The best thing to do, however, is to make sure your dog sees you as its leader. When he is biting something he shouldn't (i.e. shoes, clothes, furniture, etc.), correct him and let him know that it is unacceptable. With a stern voice, say "NO!" and block him from the item. Keep doing this until he gets the point. After he does, give him one of his toys to chew on instead (if he MUST chew on something).

Digging - Your dog the gardener!

Dogs dig for many reasons, and sometimes it helps to pin down the right reason before you take steps to alter his habits.

I have used "he" to refer to the dog throughout this article but most of the points apply equally well to females. The only one that does not is hormones. If your dog is male and there is a female dog in season nearby, he may be trying to escape from your garden by tunneling. If your dog is female, especially if she has recently had her first season, she may be showing "nesting" behavior. If this gets very frantic you need to have her checked out by a vet in case she requires medical treatment to help her get over it. Neutering can often reduce hormone-inspired digging.

Otherwise, the reason your dog digs is most likely the simplest explanation - he is a dog. It is a very normal and natural behavior for dogs, and many of them go through at least a short time where they do it regularly. If he's a puppy, he may grow out of the digging, as he gets older. You could try waiting him out, or you could read on.

If this is a very recent habit in an adult dog, especially if it only happens in one place, then probably something specific happened to start him off and you may be able to distract him out of it again. Check that there isn't a toy or bone buried in the spot, or that rabbits haven't made a home there. It might also help to block his access to the spot for a while till he gets out of the habit. A pile of large stones or rocks, or a temporary wire netting fence round his favorite digging pit may do the trick.

If your dog is an adult and this is a long-standing habit (or if you try all the ideas above and he simply moves to a new spot), it is easier to limit his activities than to prevent them altogether. Digging is, as we said, a natural dog behavior.

Try giving him a small area in the garden where it's OK to dig and nose about. Dig out the plants and put in loose earth or sand, then bury a couple of biscuits in it. Let him see you the first time so he knows the food is there. Tell him he's good when he digs it out. Refill the area with biscuits, toys or bones every few days and praise him when he finds them.

If it is impossible to give him a digging area, vigilance is the only answer. As mentioned before, make sure your dog sees you as its leader. When he is digging somewhere he is not supposed to, correct him and let him know that it is unacceptable. With a stern voice, say "NO!" and block him from that area.

A final word - but you knew this already, of course - NEVER try to put him off digging by burying sharp objects where he's likely to dig.

practice, practice, practice!