If you have puppy, it’s likely that you’ve already begun seeing many of the more common puppy behavior problems at work. One of the most common problems is the digging and excessive barking you will see from many dogs. Some people choose to just ignore these issues, thinking that they will resolve themselves as the puppy gets older. Unfortunately, that is not how it usually works. If you want your dog to grow up properly and with good manners, you should definitely address these common puppy behavior problems as early as possible.
A puppy who barks a couple of times at strangers or when someone rings your doorbell is exhibiting perfectly normal dog behavior. If he refuses to stop until the person in question leaves, you will have to take steps to teach him that excessive barking simply is not acceptable.
How To Stop Behavior Problems
An effective way of stopping these common puppy behavior problems is to get a hold of the puppy’s collar and hold him firmly. At the same time, give him a command to stop barking. Soon, your puppy will understand what you need to do when it comes to good puppy behavior. When you think your puppy’s gotten it, you can take his training a step further and teach him that he shouldn’t be barking at strangers out of the house. Ask friends to help out and have them walk by your house a few times until the dog learns not to bark at them.
Digging and Barking
It’s at this time that you should keep in mind that common puppy behavior problems such as excessive barking will occur more often if the dogs aren’t given enough to do. In other words, the dog resorts to barking if he is not getting enough physical activity. In this situation, you might want to give your puppy more time to walk or play to stop the barking problem.
Another fairly common problem which new dog owners are forced to deal with is digging. If you’re planning to let your dog run loose in the yard, it’s important to train him that digging up the lawn is not acceptable. Since digging is a very natural instinct in dogs, it is very difficult to make them stop the habit altogether. What you might want to do is choose a special place in the garden where he can dig until his heart is content. All you will have to do to help him is to teach him where it’s okay to dig and where to stay away from.
At the start, this might be challenging, but when you’re patient, you will be able to do it with some secrets to dog training. When you catch your puppy digging in an area that is restricted, make sure to give him a command that will stop him from digging, then take him to his digging spot right away.
Of course, there will still be times when your dog may stubbornly want to dig in the prohibited areas. To prevent such disasters, you may want to install temporary fences around your plants until he overcomes these common puppy behavior problems.