Whatever behavior issues your dog displays, the first step toward a solution is truly understanding how your dog thinks and experiences his world.
While so-called 'nuisance' behaviors like barking, jumping, and nipping can be troublesome, they generally do not carry the same damaging potential of some more serious behavior problems like aggression, phobias, and separation anxiety.
If you have a dog that suffers from a more severe behavioral issue, the first thing you should do is rule out any health-related cause by seeing your veterinarian. Once health issues are eliminated, the primary key to success is to avoid the use of any confrontational or punishment-based training methods, as this can exacerbate aggressive behavior, fear-related and anxiety-based issues. Knowing when to refer to a veterinary behaviorist is also an important consideration for serious behavior issues.
Some "compulsive" behavior issues such as excessive licking, spinning, and tail chasing can be difficult to curb. Fear of going to the vet or getting in the car can cause serious health and lifestyle problems, while common noise phobias to triggers such as fireworks or thunderstorms can be managed and sometimes even prevented provided you start training early enough.
Positive training methods are the key to reducing aggressive behaviors, lowering a dog’s stress level, stopping resource guarding, and more. With patience, the right motivator for your dog, and a qualified positive trainer, even the most challenging behavior problem is within your reach to solve.
