How to Find Out Why Your Pooch is Behaving Badly

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How to Find Out Why Your Pooch is Behaving Badly

Last Updated on July 9, 2020

Is your furry best friend behaving badly? Do you come home every day to find ripped up couches and destroyed ornaments? If your answer is ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then you are probably desperate to discover why your prized pooch is causing such mayhem. Luckily, there are some relatively simple reasons why your dog may be behaving negatively, and some affordable and easily accessible ways to find out why.

Go to Training Classes

One of the most common reasons that dogs behave badly is that they are not trained well enough to understand acceptable behavior in new environments. If dogs are not trained, they will return to their natural instincts and behavioral patterns, which can often have a negative effect on your furnishings. However, if you begin to train them in the correct manner, your dog will be able to distinguish right from wrong and adapt to the instructions that you provide for it. The best way to learn how to train your dog correctly is to go to a dog or puppy training class. These are normally 6-week training courses based on a range of commands such as sit and heel, and a variety of training methods, such as the power of rewards.

Get a DNA Test

Many dogs are predestined to negative behaviors inherited from their breed. Certain breeds of dog will have specific genetic characteristics that could be perceived as negative behavior such as boundless energy, whilst some are known for their milder characteristics. However, other dogs will have inherited characteristics from their parents, and in these cases, it is vital to know the tendencies of their parents before you can make observations on what may be causing this bad behavior. YourDNA provides a guide to DNA testing for pets, which can allow pet owners to discover their dog’s genetic history and what may be the causes of their bad behavior, along with any problems concerning their health.

Research Their Background

Researching your dog’s background is especially important for those who have adopted their dog from a rescue center. Dogs from these centers may be adopted as adults and have a history of violence or neglect which may impact their behavior in later life. Additionally, some breeders and previous owners of your pet may not have properly socialized your dog as a puppy, and this can cause poor socialization in later life, such as aggressiveness towards family members and other dogs. This is why it is extremely important to vet breeders and ensure that you are buying from an established breeder before taking your puppy home.

Review Your Training Techniques

However, your dog may have poor behavior simply because you are not training them in the right manner. Many dog owners do not know how to train puppies properly, and tactics such as punishment or aversion techniques do not often work and cause dogs and puppies to become more aggressive in the long term. If this is the case, you should swap punishments for rewards to learn basic tricks, as this will help your dog to connect treats and positive reinforcement with your commands.