Free Help With Dog Behavior Problems

Get answers to your biggest questions about training and your dog's behavior

See also dog separation anxiety cures and advice for dog behavior problems

On occasion, your dog may exhibit behavior problems like chewing on your sofa, digging in the garden or jumping on guests. 

As humans, we sometimes find ourselves asking "Why does my dog do that?" or "How can I make him stop that?"

It can become frustrating when the same problems arise over and over again, but don't worry, you can get help with dog behavior problems right here.

When training a dog, you'll have to find ways to work around any behavior problems that your dog might have.  Read below to find free help with dog behavior problems and the answers to common questions regarding dog training problems.

How do I keep my dog from chewing on furniture?

The first thing you need to do is determine why your dog is chewing.  Is your dog a puppy? 

If so, he is probably teething and he chews to relieve his painful gums.  For a teething puppy, you can keep him from chewing by providing appropriate chew toys.  Special dog teething rings, ice cubes and soft rawhides are all good for teething puppies.

If your dog chews on furniture when you're not home, the dog behavior problem is probably Separation Anxiety.  See Dog Separation Anxiety for many easy solutions to this problem.

Let's say your dog is not a puppy and he chews while you are home, then what do you do?  Well, it is probably a case of boredom or high energy.  A good solution is to provide your dog with plenty of appropriate items to chew on and interactive toys (like a Kong.)  You should also make sure your dog is getting plenty of exercise.  If he has an outlet for his pent up energy, like taking a run with you or visiting a dog park, he is much less likely to take his frustration out on the legs of your sofa.
 

How can you prevent a dog from digging holes?

Dogs are natural diggers, so understand that digging is a part of your dog's genetic makeup.  There are a few things you can do to deter digging behavior.  First, try to limit your dog's time alone in your yard.  Limiting the amount of time your dog has for digging will give him less opportunity to dig.  Second, make sure your dog has plenty of shade and maybe even a dog house or baby pool in your yard.  Dogs dig holes in order to cool their body temperature, so the issue could be that your dog is just hot and he's trying to cool off by laying in a cool muddy hole.

The third thing you can do is to fill all of the holes with rocks, chicken wire or blown up balloons and cover them with dirt.  Your dog will begin to re-dig these holes and will find it uncomfortable to do so.  The rocks or chicken wire will make it hard for your dog to dig with his paws and the balloons will make a loud popping noise that will scare your dog.  When you do this, your dog will find it much less fun to dig in your yard.
 

How do I make my dog stop chewing while I'm not home?

If your dog is chewing things when you're not with him, he clearly has a case of Separation Anxiety.  This means that your dog is bored and lonely without you, so he's chewing to pass the time.  There are several easy solutions to cure Separation Anxiety in dogs that you can do at home.  See Separation Anxiety.