Behavioural Problems : Treatment & Management

 

Behaviour problems exhibited by dog:

• Are usually normal behaviours considered as being unacceptable ot the owners, neighbours and/or the general public;
• May indicate poor management and/or training
• Can in a few cases be due to the dog being clinically abnormal (ie "insane")
• For a successful outcome the cause or motivation for the abnormal behaviour needs to be ascertained.

Take as an example the common behavioural problem of dog barking.

Dogs bark for many reasons including:

• Communication
• Attention-seeking
• Territoral protection/warning
• Separation Anxiety
• Sterotypic self-stimulation
• Trained to bark
• Excitement
• Play / Social
• Medical (ie senility, deaf)

We need to determine the motivation for the dog's barking, if it is indeed considered to be a behavioural problem. This is an important first question to answer, ie is the dog's barking a problem and for whom? Are there are any other factors involved eg. neighbourhood disputes.