Quite a good number of people are not really enjoying the company their dogs ought to be giving them. Some are so exacerbated by them that they cannot clearly state the main problem if asked what the problem is. Most dog owners are acquainted with a common problem in dog behavior but often wonder why they exhibit such behaviors such as biting, random barking, chewing and some other common behaviors as they are usually being misunderstood. Probably, you just got a new dog, or perhaps you are contemplating on stepping up the management of your dog’s behavior or maybe your dog is not what you expect it to be? Well one step at a time, first you need to understand the downside of keeping a pet then understand some of the common behavior problems in dogs and how to prevent it.
Unhappy or overstrained with your dog?
HITCHES INVOLVED IN KEEPING A DOG
Responsibility : Dogs are human’s best friend in the domestic environment. Owning a dog comes with lots of responsibilities. It takes much more than purchasing all because you want to have a pet. And then keeping at home. Having a dog makes you have a sense of belonging and also develops you intellectually. You will have to manage to care for your dog as well go ahead with your normal daily routine
Time : The average lifespan of a dog is between 10 – 15 years. During this period, it thus dictates excessively how to fill in your time. You may need to be home at some speculated hours of the day to feed and relate to the dog.
Relating to the dog regarding playing, caring and carefully considering the dog takes quite a lot of time.
As we all know that dogs are naturally hairy, be it short or long. As time goes on, they begin to lose these hairs, and they are scattered all around your apartment. Getting to clear these hairs alone is usually tedious and time wasting.
Education : As a dog owner, it is sometimes expected that your dog should develop behavior problem. If this happens, then you really have to get a good dog education. Getting a dog education is quite stressful as you have to manage the lessons you are getting with your normal day to day activities. Most importantly, you have to take care so that your dog is showing immense improvement as some are naturally stubborn and hardly listen to commands. If care is not taken, you will be shocked to notice that your dog has become aggressive towards other animals and often self-destruct.
Social limitations : Dogs are not supposed to be everywhere. Imagine taking a dog to a social function, Ouch! Sounds quite an awkward right? This does not end here as sometimes when you are in a company of friends, some of them may detest the continuous barking coming from your dogs.
The resolution of going out with your pet goes farther than just having a companion around the house, and if you must go out with your pet, then you really have to be there to let your pets in and out of the house.
Costs : Purchasing a dog is not much of a big deal as you can get a small pup for a few hundreds of dollars. But the necessities to take care of the dog is what matters. You will need to provide for the veterinary care, a leach and sometimes a basket or backpack sometimes especially if the dog is still a pup. The cost of veterinary alone can do as much affect your monthly budget if not properly manage. In some advanced country, you might be required to pay municipal demand tax.
Apart from the shortcomings associated with keeping pets for yourself and your milieu, there are some other consequences.
Dogs are carnivorous and it is, likely to come from your resources or probably from factory farms. If it happens that you are the one producing the resources, it is sure to be more expensive and surely affects your pocket though it depends on how large your pocket is. If not, then you leave your pets with options to feast on other animals or expose them to the dangerous factory farm.- Just like other animals, Dogs excrete. This could be so irritating especially if it scattered around like playing fields, your environs or on the streets. This surely will prompt you to clean the shits all around to maintain proper hygiene and avoid being at loggerheads with your neighbors.
Owning a dog is a bit of ethos bewilderment and the only way to understand it is to try it out first. Having a bad sensation in the first instance does not mean that your efforts were in vain or worthless, but just like I said, it is one step at a time. Let’s discuss some of the bad behavioral pattern “your dog” might be exhibiting.
BAD BEHAVIORAL PATTERN IN DOGS
- Barking: Dogs bark, it is their general way of passing messages across, but when barking becomes excessive, it is then considered a problem. But before you try correcting your dog barking, there is need to determine why it is even barking in the first place as dogs might mainly for some reasons, some of which include;
- Attention-seeking
- Warning
- Ennui
- Excitement
- Anxiety
- Retorting to Other Dogs
- Attention-seeking
- Chewing: Chewing is also a natural trait common in dogs, it only becomes abnormal when it is extreme. Dogs chew mostly to relieve anxiety, stress, and to register restlessness.
- Biting: Dogs bite because of nervousness or been startled or probably feel threatened. They bite to defend their valuables like their puppies, toys or food. When dogs are infected or not feeling too well, they may be very dangerous as they do this to register their health discomfort.
HOW TO AVOID BEING UNHAPPY OR OVERSTRAINED WITH YOUR DOG
The nature of dogs is to bring immeasurable joy to those around them, but if not well taken care of, they could be a huge strain on the environment and to their owners as well. Nevertheless, the next few paragraphs explain how to successfully live with your dog and how to protect them from being stress to the environment.
Feeding time
Feeding a dog often require you running a factory farm. What dogs love for meat is quite high as they are carnivorous, but you still have to take care so that you don’t run at a loss as well help maintain the feeding routine of your dog. You don’t really have to feed them with nubs always, but you should understand that that is their major preferences. Keeping to their time of feeding will sure go a long way in rationalizing their feeding and give them a better behavioral pattern.
Venomous pet syndrome
Spraying toxic substances all over your environment and on dogs can be quite a big problem. Recent environmental studies show that if the chemicals meant for pest control is poured within the vicinity of any abode, it is likely to cause a nervous breakdown or if proper care is not taken, cause cancer as these chemicals is highly hazardous. This also applies to dogs as they have a slightly related nervous system to man.
Going for non-chemical pesticides and insecticides approach, like vacuuming, washing pet’s beds in hot water will go a long way to prevent regular disease although it does not guarantee safety.
Getting back to basics
Making your dog understand the behavioral pattern you want it to exhibit is also another good way to begin. Yes, I understand you might not understand animal languages, I can tell you that dogs, just like human have a high level of reasoning. They understand gestures once they are already accustomed to it. You don’t really have to learn animal language education, but should in case you do learn, it is a plus for you and your dog. You can ask your dogs to perform some of the training performed earlier, or you can try to catch it performing the act. The bigger the catalog of good behavior you prepare for your dog and encourage it to exhibit, the bigger the reward you should expect from it.
Having done this coupled with a little bit of hard work, and making sure that you have an appropriate home comfortable for dogs, then you are sure to have everything perfectly under control.
“I am just too frustrated to continue keeping this dog; I think I have to do away with it” This is just one of the vast majority of panic among dog owners. However, I would advise that you just don’t sit back and wait for the situation to resolve itself, you have stepped out and got it to work for you. You still have to rack your brain so much so you can get back to being the autopilot driving your dog and the environment in general into space and not the other way round.
Of course, you can do it; I believe you can.
Last Resort
So what happens when you have tried all the above tactics and your relationship with your dog is just not working? Do you mercilessly throw him away? This may and is not the best option. Every human being would have to fight with their conscious to do that and walk away. Your best option is giving the dog a way, to your friends, relatives, dog-lovers or the dog rescue services. Trust you me, there are many dog lovers who cannot afford to get their own dog. This way you will peacefully part with the dog and both of you will be happy in your new places.