Behavioral Problems

Most dogs get noisy when they hear or see something new or unusual. The dog may start barking, whining, growling, or howling. Many situations can trigger barking:

• Strangers or other animals that enter the dog's property.
• Spotting “prey” such as birds or a squirrel.
• Being alone, separated from housemates, separation anxiety.
• Strange noises in or around the house, fireworks.
• Seeking attention, hunger.
• Needing to pee or poop.
• Other feelings of anxiety.
• Health problems.
• Old age (senility).
• Compulsive behavior.

As soon as barking yields a positive result—for example, if someone comes to check on the animal when it’s left alone for a moment—the animal sees its efforts rewarded. As a result, the next time it barks, it will be even more intense and louder! Animals that bark due to health problems, senility, or compulsive behavior can often be effectively treated with medication.

Tips:
To resolve a barking problem, you need to understand the situations and stimuli that trigger the barking. Without sufficient authority and leadership over the dog, you won’t get anywhere. So this must be established first. Only then can you begin teaching a dog to be quiet. Training a dog to stop barking on command can be done using techniques that involve elicitation and reinforcement, distraction techniques, and choke chain or collar training.

Start the training with simple situations (a family member knocking on the door) before moving on to more challenging ones (a stranger entering the room). By teaching the dog to be quiet on command, he can continue to bark in response to certain stimuli but remain silent at your request. The silence is then rewarded. With each subsequent training session, the dog must remain quiet for a little longer before the reward is given. Teaching a dog to remain quiet while the stimulus is present is much more difficult. To be successful, the barking must be interrupted as soon as it starts, and this must be repeated until the dog no longer responds to the stimulus by barking, at which point a reward can follow. Punishment is generally ineffective when it comes to barking problems. Harsh punishment can lead to increased fear, thereby exacerbating the problem, while punishment that is too lenient effectively rewards the behavior by giving the dog attention. For punishment to be effective, the barking must be interrupted as soon as it begins, using a method that actually works. If you’re never around when the barking starts, your only option is to use products that respond to the barking, such as anti-bark collars. However, if the dog hasn’t been trained to remain quiet in response to certain stimuli, the barking will indeed be interrupted, but the habit of barking in response to those stimuli won’t be broken. The best anti-bark collars are those that spray citric acid the moment the dog barks, and those that deliver a mild electric shock. The latter, however, are not without risk and are not permitted in the Netherlands.

When you come home, do you find a large puddle or a big pile of feces in the middle of the room? Or are you greeted by an angry neighbor who’s been bothered all day by Rakker’s whining and barking? If he behaves like a well-mannered dog as long as you’re around, but turns into a madman when you’re gone, then Rakker is likely suffering from separation anxiety. It’s estimated that 10 to 15% of all household dogs suffer from this behavioral disorder to a greater or lesser extent. Separation anxiety is actually a direct result of every dog’s natural instinct to be part of a pack. This immediately explains why this problem doesn’t occur in cats. Fortunately, there are several ways to help Rakker overcome his problem. He certainly deserves it—after all, he’s doing it all because he misses you!

The difference between separation anxiety and “ordinary” bad behavior is fairly easy to determine: animals with separation anxiety only exhibit this unusual behavior when they cannot reach their owner. In severe cases, the owner cannot even go into another room (at night: the bedroom) without the animal starting to destroy things or whine or bark.

Symptoms of separation anxiety:
• Destroying furniture, carpeting, curtains, etc. (destructive behavior),
• Excessive barking and whining,
• Urination and defecation indoors,
• Attempts to escape (doors scratched to pieces),
• Loss of appetite,
• Psychosomatic disorders: vomiting, diarrhea, licking itself bald.
• Additionally: when the owner is present, the animal follows him or her like a shadow throughout the house; when the owner comes home, the animal follows
• excessively enthusiastic greeting from the animal.

Why Your Dog?
Why does your dog have separation anxiety, but your neighbor’s dog doesn’t? There are many possible causes. Some animals simply lack the self-confidence to be alone. Some were left alone far too often and for too long as puppies. Others were abused or neglected. And then there are the dogs that went from one owner to another from a young age and eventually ended up in a shelter: it’s only natural that these animals are afraid of being left alone again.

Often, an animal behaves completely normally for years before problems begin. If the behavior seems unexplained, you should ask yourself if anything has changed in the home environment around the time Rakker decided that your recliner tastes really good. Did one of the kids move out? Has your partner gotten a job (again)? Do you have a new job that keeps you away from home longer? Whatever the reason, your dog is home alone more often and for longer periods, and he doesn’t know what to do with himself. He thinks, “What should I do if they don’t come back?” When this stress becomes too much for him, the symptoms of separation anxiety set in.

Treating Separation Anxiety
The most important principle in resolving this problem is that punishment DOES NOT help! You must learn not to let your dog see your frustration or anger over the damage he’s caused. Punishment only makes the problem worse: as soon as he associates your absence and your return home with punishment, his anxiety will only increase. There are many ways you can help Rakker. However, you must keep in mind that treatment takes time. The main goal of treatment is for Rakker to learn that he can trust you to come back. One of the first exercises is “Sit and Stay.” This prepares your anxious dog for the “leaving exercises” that will follow later. Have Rakker sit and stay while you walk through the house. If he obeys, reward him (with a treat). If he can’t stay seated, try again, but this time for a shorter time and over a shorter distance. As soon as you notice that something is working—even if it’s just being able to walk from the living room to the dining room—you can slowly increase the time and distance.

The next step is to change your own habits. What is your usual routine? Do you always do the same things before you leave? Kissing your spouse goodbye, packing your bag, jingling your keys—these are all things that tell Rakker you’re about to leave. He associates your preparations for leaving with his own destructive behavior. Your goal is to break the link he makes between your behavior and your departure. To do this, you need to change your own behavior before leaving. Through this changed behavior, Rakker must learn that you always come back. Before doing the departure exercises, make sure to do something that stands out from your normal pre-departure routine. Above all, do not say goodbye to Rakker in an effusive way; instead, ignore him. You can also, for example, turn on the radio or give Rakker a treat. The cube filled with treats—where the dog can occasionally roll a treat out after a lot of puzzling—often works well; they can keep themselves busy with it for hours!

Your changed habits before leaving should therefore be accompanied by separation exercises. It’s important not to try to do too much at once; very gradually, you can increase the length of your absence, adding just a few minutes at a time. Practice this as long and as often as possible. To start with, stay away for only a few minutes. When you return, ignore Rakker completely: no greeting, no grumbling about broken items—don’t pay any attention to him. Only once Rakker has calmed down somewhat should you give him a single pat. The principle behind the departure exercises is the same as for “Sit and Stay”: you’re teaching Rakker that you always come back when you leave. If Rakker starts exhibiting his undesirable behavior again at some point, cut the time you’re away in half, and start building up again from there. For example, if Rakker starts destroying things again after you’ve been gone for 2 hours, start by staying away for 1 hour, and gradually build up from there. Repeat the exercises over and over, and eventually Rakker will learn that you always come back.

Ideally, you should be able to practice with Rakker for a full week straight. This is usually long enough. If you don’t have that much time, you can start on Friday evening and continue through the weekend. In stubborn cases, or if you don’t have enough time to practice properly, treatment with Clomicalm® should be considered. Clomicalm is a relatively new medication that reduces anxiety. It is therefore not a sleeping pill or anything similar. The dog receives a fixed daily dose to reduce anxiety during the owner’s absence. Incidentally, this therapy must also be accompanied by changes in the owner’s routines when leaving and returning home.

Once Rakker’s behavior has changed permanently, the medication can be discontinued. This should, however, be done in consultation with your veterinarian. Another strategy for addressing the problem is to take Rakker for a long walk before you leave. First, he’ll get plenty of positive attention, and second, he’ll be tired when you leave, so he’s more likely to go to sleep.

If you take the above advice to heart and put it into practice, you’ll already be well on your way to giving Rakkers a big confidence boost. Eventually, he’ll learn that destroying your furniture isn’t the best way to show how much he misses you. Don’t hesitate to seek professional help if things aren’t working out. As mentioned earlier, there are medications available today that can make all the difference between success and failure. Your veterinarian may also be able to refer you to a colleague who specializes in treating behavioral problems in dogs. Ultimately, it’s almost always possible to solve Rakkers’ problem for good!

Many dogs are terrified of loud noises, such as fireworks and thunderstorms. This fear can cause a great deal of stress for both the dog and its owner!

There are three ways to address a fear of loud noises, but first and foremost, you must avoid making mistakes that make the problem worse. If you gently pet an animal that is exhibiting very anxious and panicked behavior due to fireworks or thunderstorms and say, “Good boy, Rakker, it’s okay, calm down, good boy!”, you are actually reinforcing your pet’s fearful behavior. The only thing Rakker understands is that this specific behavior is receiving positive attention!

The first treatment option is to expose the animal to the noise under controlled conditions, gradually increasing the intensity of the sound. You may want to consult your veterinarian to ensure you don’t make the problem worse instead of better.

The second option is to mask the loud noises with other sounds. During a thunderstorm, keep the dog inside and turn on some music!

The third option is to use medication, for example, around New Year’s. Discuss this option with your veterinarian. If it’s a suitable method for your pet, he or she will prescribe the appropriate medication and dosage.

In some cases, a combination of the three options listed above is necessary.

• Set house rules and enforce them consistently.
• Avoid situations that provoke undesirable behavior.
• Provide the animal with everything necessary for proper care.
• Give a new pet all the attention and training it needs, and restrict its movement to a specific area of the house until its training—especially house-training—is complete.
• Encourage good behavior through rewards and attention.
• Whenever possible, correct bad behavior by offering positive alternatives: a toy instead of a shoe, a scratching post instead of the couch.
• Avoid physical punishment as much as possible. This can lead to fear-biting or aggression.
• Don't play too roughly with the animal; this can provoke aggression or fear-biting.
• Expose the young animal to as many different people, animals, and situations as possible. Take him to the city, in the car, on the train, to the dog club, etc.