Post by animalexpert on Sept 13, 2005 20:29:55 GMT
What do all three of these problems have in common? They usually occur when dogs spend much of their time unsupervised in the backyard.
Digging and excessive barking are frequent complaints dog owners have about their dogs and I get called about this a lot. I usually start out explaining that the problem occurs, because the dog is spending unsupervised time in the backyard. Most of the time the answer is "he is an outdoor dog".
Let's look at what "outdoor dog" means. First if you pick up any dog book in the library or bookstore on dogs, you will not very likely find a chapter on "outdoor dogs" or any advice on how to raise and train an "outdoor dog". Why is that?
Dogs are pack animals and that means they are highly social animals who thrive on companionship. They are very similar to us in that way. Most people enjoy companionship and social contacts. Without it, we feel lonely and depressed. Our dogs are exactly like that. For this very reason dogs have shared their lives with humans for thousands of years. Because they like to be around us, they make such great pets.
Now if a dog is expected to be an "outdoor dog", we are forcing a social, pack-oriented animal to live a solitary life. To live away from its pack is totally unnatural for the dog and the resulting problems are plentiful. The most obvious are usually digging, excessive barking and escape behaviors. Left on their own these dogs find some activity to relieve their boredom and frustration. Please note, the dog does not do this to punish or annoy the owner, he just cannot help himself. Punishment will not solve the problem, as the problem is the social isolation.
Other, often missed problems of outdoor dogs are inappropriate behaviors when around humans, such as jumping up on people, play biting and no manners when brought inside the home. This is not surprising, because without the proper guidance the dog cannot learn manners and due to the social starvation, most outdoor dogs are usually beside themselves when they get a chance for social contact. But usually their out of control behavior lands them back in the backyard, and the owner feels it is justified to keep them there, because of the bad behavior. And the vicious cycle continues. Outdoor dogs cannot live life to their fullest potential, as one of their most important needs, social contact, is not met.
If you recognize your dog in this article, please consider training your dog so you can integrate him into your family and share your home where he would be most happy. Dogs are trainable at any age, no dog is ever too old to learn something new.
Author: Marlene Johnson - Gentle Solutions Dog Training
Marlene Johnson is a canine behavior consultant and a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (www.APDT.com). She is the owner of Gentle Solutions Dog Training and is an evaluator for the American Kennel Club's (AKC) Canine Good Citizen Test (CGC).
Digging and excessive barking are frequent complaints dog owners have about their dogs and I get called about this a lot. I usually start out explaining that the problem occurs, because the dog is spending unsupervised time in the backyard. Most of the time the answer is "he is an outdoor dog".
Let's look at what "outdoor dog" means. First if you pick up any dog book in the library or bookstore on dogs, you will not very likely find a chapter on "outdoor dogs" or any advice on how to raise and train an "outdoor dog". Why is that?
Dogs are pack animals and that means they are highly social animals who thrive on companionship. They are very similar to us in that way. Most people enjoy companionship and social contacts. Without it, we feel lonely and depressed. Our dogs are exactly like that. For this very reason dogs have shared their lives with humans for thousands of years. Because they like to be around us, they make such great pets.
Now if a dog is expected to be an "outdoor dog", we are forcing a social, pack-oriented animal to live a solitary life. To live away from its pack is totally unnatural for the dog and the resulting problems are plentiful. The most obvious are usually digging, excessive barking and escape behaviors. Left on their own these dogs find some activity to relieve their boredom and frustration. Please note, the dog does not do this to punish or annoy the owner, he just cannot help himself. Punishment will not solve the problem, as the problem is the social isolation.
Other, often missed problems of outdoor dogs are inappropriate behaviors when around humans, such as jumping up on people, play biting and no manners when brought inside the home. This is not surprising, because without the proper guidance the dog cannot learn manners and due to the social starvation, most outdoor dogs are usually beside themselves when they get a chance for social contact. But usually their out of control behavior lands them back in the backyard, and the owner feels it is justified to keep them there, because of the bad behavior. And the vicious cycle continues. Outdoor dogs cannot live life to their fullest potential, as one of their most important needs, social contact, is not met.
If you recognize your dog in this article, please consider training your dog so you can integrate him into your family and share your home where he would be most happy. Dogs are trainable at any age, no dog is ever too old to learn something new.
Author: Marlene Johnson - Gentle Solutions Dog Training
Marlene Johnson is a canine behavior consultant and a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (www.APDT.com). She is the owner of Gentle Solutions Dog Training and is an evaluator for the American Kennel Club's (AKC) Canine Good Citizen Test (CGC).
