Taming a dog and keeping it in your home can be delightful. But it should not be considered a cake walk, because there are certain problems that occur with dogs. You have to be well versed with before you decide to have one as a pet. Hereâs a guide to help you with the most common problems you might face with your pet
Handling a dog with aggressive behavior
A dog that has been brought too young may become aggressive because he hasnât got the opportunity to be with his family to learn community manners. Other major reasons could be defensiveness, where the dog becomes aggressive when he sees a threat in a bid to protect himself; or pain, in which he may be suffering from some agony which has not been noticed by you; or territorial protection, a tendency in which the dog tries to defend his possessions against all comers; and lastly , the urge to reproduce, when the dog senses a female nearby is in heat and may end up fighting with other dogs to reach her or even become aggressive towards family members. Aggression can be a serious problem and develop biting tendencies in your dog. Hence, taming such a dog with the help of a behaviorist is essential. Neutering the males, and spaying the females before they turn six months will be of great help. If your dog is showing errant behavior and launching serious attacks, itâs time to call for a vet. This may be a result of some physical problem such as brain tumor, lead poisoning, liver disease, or blood sugar, and should be examined immediately.
Stopping unusual eating habits
âPicaâ is the medical term for the tendency of dogs to chew on anything they find. Their objects of interest may include your new shoes, plants, rugs, wood or just about anything. This may be an attention-seeking behavior or a play habit for dogs, or even a way to vent out their frustration or to fulfil their nutritional deficiency. Another type of eating disorder found in dogs is âCoprophagy’, where they have an affinity to eat their own or other animalsâ faeces. To check this tendency, you must always have your dog on a leash when you take it out on a round. On encountering any stool , distract his attention with a toy or any other object. Keep toys in your home that the dog can bite into, and praise him when he chews upon only those. Keep your garden clean of any stool and infest the dog food with additives to give his stool a repulsive taste. In fact, you can even make all this much easier by enrolling into a dog affiliate program.This article discusses the the top 10 dog affiliate programs of 2020. You can check them out.
Handling an anxious dog
A dog may face several kinds of anxieties primarily those about being left alone, travelling, noise, and confinement. Major symptoms include incessant barking, chewing unfavorable things around, uncontrolled excretion, and aggression towards other dogs, people or other animals. To deal with this, desensitize the dog towards the stimulus of anxiety by attempting to draw his attention towards objects other than those that would cause anxiety, and when the dog does so, award him with praise or a treat. This will reinforce the positive behavior. Set up a fixed routine for your dog that defines his exercise, feeding time, excretion time, play time, etc. and devise ways to enforce the set rules upon the dog. Get your dog a relaxation massage once in a while, and if need be, consult a behavior specialist.
Stopping a dog from chasing cars
Dogs have a tendency of running furiously behind moving cars or any other fast moving thing as they view them as an object of threat that would crash their gates. This is quite dangerous and creates a lot of disturbance in the environment. To curb this pattern every time a car passes by, always have your dog tied with a long leash when out in the open. If you are around, interrupt its attention immediately at the start of the chase, and praise or treat it for looking away from the object of chase. Make your dog do plenty of exercise and take him for long morning and evening walks every day. Include a lot of running and jumping games like frisbee in his daily play practices.
Dealing with dog-borne allergies
Allergens, mainly carried by proteins found in the saliva and urine of dogs, stick to the fur when the dog licks himself, and get shed continuously with dander. These allergens cause an itchy sensation followed by running nose and watery eyes when they come in contact with the eyes and nose of an allergic person. If inhaled, they may cause breathing problems and congestion. Hence it is important to consult an allergy specialist to deal with day to day handling of pets. An allergic person should stay away as far as possible while grooming the pet. Utmost care must be taken about the hygiene of the dog and he must be washed and brushed regularly. Excitement increases shedding of fur, so take care to brush dogs in response. Wash your hands properly after cleaning your pet to avoid any allergic episode.
When behavioral attributes are in question scolding or thrashing the dog are never going to help, as the former will encourage attention seeking, and the latter aggression. There is a gamut of other things you need to do for your dog such as keeping it free from fleas, taking care of his sunburns and sore paws, helping him out after an unpleasant encounter with spiky shrubs, getting him vaccinated and taking him regularly to the vet to avoid most of the problems and giving a pet a happy and healthy experience.
