Behavior Issues

 

When troubleshooting behavior issues, please pause and remember that your dog is not giving you a hard time, he/she is having a hard time. They need YOU to help them feel safe and to prevent them from going over their threshold. Change cannot happen until both you and your dog feel safe. It is teamwork. As the pet parent, we are responsible to do research and get assistance. Please take a moment and take a breath so you can think. Your dog can sense your emotions too. 

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If your dog is irritable or aroused, it is best to give them time to process their feelings and resist the urge to pet them, grab their collar or hug them as this might set them off. 

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Keep a log of events (X caused my dog to exhibit Y behaviors) that occurred before the unwanted behavior occurred and identify your dog's reaction. Do your best to prevent these events from happening again and thereby preventing our dog from repeating unwanted behavior (creating a bad habit). This means managing the environment, reducing noise (create a spa-like environment, use visual barriers, limit your body movement, turn on white noise, practice slow breathing), and provide mental stimulation like opportunities to practice natural dog behavior like licking, sniffing, chewing, and scavenging.

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For example, my dog is lunging and growling at dogs when we go walking.

• Increase mental stimulation like nose work opportunities in your back yard or inside your home.

• Find an area where there are minimal instances of running into dogs or walk at odd times and please bring a friend to help you distract your dog or protect you from dogs off leash. 

• We are also part of the environment. If we are able to be calm and prepared, then we can help. This means doing research to learn techniques to help you and your dog create new behavior.

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You may need the help of a professional dog trainer, behaviorist, or vet behaviorist to help identify the root cause of unwanted behavior. 

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Five Tips for Avoiding a Behaviorist | Bright Spot Dog Training (kathysdao.com)

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Review reading dog body language

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Rule out medical issues

• Tummy (gut) issues

• Cracked tooth, cavity, gums - difficult to see and very painful!

• Pinched nerve in the neck

• Arthritis

• Sleep deprivation

• Dog body and pain

  • Aggression and Pain (Wizard of Paws)​

  • Degenerative myelopathies with Deb Torraca

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Stage in life affects behavior

• Puppies may have growing pains, teething, tummy issues from eating stuff

• Teenagers may have raging hormones

• About 8 years+, dogs may begin to experience arthritis, tooth issues, gingivitis, bad tooth.

• Senior dogs may lose hearing, eyesight, hip dysplasia, arthritis, etc. become jumpy and sensitive.

• Monitor your dog's food/treat intake during each stage of life, especially as they get older. 

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Be mindful when your dog is not feeling well. They may feel vulnerable or suddenly scared around strangers or other dogs even though he or she is comfortable with you. Dogs may develop arthritis from jumping on hard surfaces. Adjust your routine and consider reducing exercise and increasing mental stimulation.

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Other considerations

• Pain affects behavior (health issues, tooth ache, arthritis, pulled muscle, etc.)

• Change in routine may cause stress and anxiety

• Lack of Communication (they may become frustrated - what do you want me to do?) 

• Lack of or Interrupted Sleep (dogs get grumpy too, let sleeping dogs sleep please)

• Traumatic experience (thunder, something scary occurred, etc.)

• Stress & Anxiety (may create potty accidents, chewing, destruction, nervous zoomies, jumping biting)

• Separation Anxiety versus Independence issues (there is a difference both need your attention)

• Resource Guarding (always trade up, be a giver, let your dog eat in peace)

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Resource Guarding in Dogs: A Fear Free Approach:  https://youtu.be/LnSUerpBt1U

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If your dog is acting strange (i.e. is overly excited, grumpy, or nervous), pay attention. Most likely, your Malamute is trying to let you know that something is wrong. They may be stressed, bored, frustrated, or not feeling well physically. Work on finding the root cause for the strange behavior. Your dog may have an injury, need more exercise, mental stimulation, need time alone, or is anxious about a storm. As a dog enters different stages in their life, they may develop fear or hesitation towards things, sounds, that were ok before. Dogs will have their guard up to protect themselves if they feel vulnerable or are not well.

 

Growling

If your dog is not feeling well, is unhappy, or is scared, he/she may growl. It is important to never punish your dog for growling. It is your dog’s way of communicating their discomfort or stress. It is a warning that prevents a bite. If possible, ask or lure your dog away from the trigger so he/she understand there is a way out. Give your dog "space" and time to recover. It may take hours or days depending on the scary event. Take it easy.

https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/behavior/understand-why-your-dog-growls/). 

 

Adjust the environment to help your dog feel safe.

https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/behavior/fear-confidence/building-your-dogs-confidence-up/

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I wish my dog could speak . . .  Good news, dogs do speak by using their body. If we fail to "listen" to our dog's body language (head-turning away from you, stiff posture, lip licking, freezing, air snap, growl), a dog will escalate and possibly bite you if we do not listen. Their life is in your hands!   

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"Touching a dog increases, approximately 20 seconds before a bite, as does standing or leaning over a dog." Dog Bites: Behavior of Dogs and Humans Before an Attack

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Review dog body language

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Schedule and Routine

Create and maintain a schedule and routine. “Many dogs find “living in the moment” and spontaneity to be nerve-wracking. In fact, much of a dog’s life is about anticipating future events. Dogs thrive off of predictability and routine.” Dog Liaison, Jenna Romano

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Each dog is a unique individual. Once they are settled into their home, you can then change up the routine. It depends on the individual.

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Create a Spa-like environment

• We go to the Spa to relax, decompress from stress, and take time to heal. Your dog's cortisol levels are probably high. Think have there been changes to his world or maybe he/she can no longer see or has some other health or mental issue that makes them feel on the defensive? Similar to the straw that broke the camel's back, a dog may become overwhelmed by a lot of little things (trigger stacking) and blow up (over threshold). 

• Reduce and/or avoid excitement to prevent your dog from reacting.

• Control the environment by reducing distractions (noise, motion, and commotion). You may consider covering your dog's crate and using white noise such as a fan to reduce stimulation.

• Provide mental stimulation (stuffed Kong, natural chews, sniffing games like "find it")

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“A dog that is “over threshold” isn’t necessarily afraid.

Sometimes it’s frustration, overjoyed excitement, or simply sensory overload.” Dog Liaison, Jenna Romano

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Prevention and Management

• Remove opportunities to make bad choices

  • put away temptation

  • block off areas

  • close doors

  • block window views

• Offer “choices” 

  • retreat to their safe place (crate or quiet area in your home)

  • increase the distance from the thing or person that is upsetting them

  • provide different enrichment opportunities (sniff, chew, lick, shred, etc.)

• Show your dog the behavior you wish for them to repeat or use a fun recall cue for them to come to you.

  • Yelling "No!" does not provide any information. Why is my human so scary right now? 

  • "No!" or corrections may temporarily suppress behavior and your dog may react one day.

• Please do not use aversive (force, fear, shock, choke, intimidation) methods or equipment. Doing so may temporarily suppress behavior or cause the dog to feel they must defend themselves with aggression. This does not solve the root cause of your dog's concern, pain, or fear. Imagine being punished by your loved ones when you are experiencing great fear, pain, or both?!

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“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” Abraham Maslow

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Bucky's Story

Bucky (pictured below) became easily aroused. He would jump up on people, then start humping, biting and digging his paws into their back. Ouch! The volunteer below is laughing because he is taken by surprise. It was very intense, and we redirected him with treats. We then worked with a professional trainer and despite our best efforts, Bucky was still struggling and humping.

 

We removed him from the over stimulating environment and placed him a foster home with his volunteer of over a year. We then consulted with a vet behaviorist. Bucky was diagnosed with general anxiety. We did not want to medicate him, but Dr. Sinn explained that Bucky's quality of life was poor. Imagine becoming so anxious at the slightest movement, noise, and smell?  Living in this continuous state is not healthy. Bucky was placed on fluoxetine (Prozac). The purpose of medication is to help a dog's mental state so that he/she can learn new behavior. You cannot learn if you are freaking out. Medication does not work alone. Training is required. We continued training and today Bucky is living his best life! 

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