Stop Annoying Your Dog

I know. The majority of dog owners think that is annoying to them when their dogs do certain things, like barking continually for no apparent reason. Well, have any of you owners ever stopped to think that we may be just as annoying to our dogs and that is the reason they continue to bark or misbehave? I bet not.

We all love our dogs but, quite frankly, sometimes all of their barking and howling does start to get on even the most patient owner's nerves. Why do they do it? Sometimes, we owners send the wrong signals or react incorrectly to things Brutus and Rose may be trying to tell us. Below are a couple of things owners commonly do that aggravate or annoy their dogs.

• Not comprehending why he is barking - Barking is the main way dogs communicate. They bark to alert us of potential danger, because they are excited, and sometimes, out of boredom.
  

-Do you shout at your dog to "Shut up!" or "Be Quiet!" when he seems to be barking at nothing? Doing this
can just make him bark more if he thinks you are joining him.
-Ignoring some barks tells him it does not matter that there is a another dog or squirrel outside. We could be inadvertently encouraging him to ignore a potential buglar.
-Think about it. When you are alone or lonely - do you ever talk to yourself? Well, dogs bark or howl to
themselves.

The solution: Try not to get frustrated or upset. Calmly tell your dog "Good bark" or "Thank you". This lets him know you heard him. It is his responsibility (in his mind) to protect his and your house. Make him aware that you know he is doing his job and you intend to fix those issues. Something to try might be to set a two to four bark limit. At the limit, tell him what a good job he is doing and award him with a treat or possibly throw him one of his toys. Occupying him might just take his mind off barking.

• Going someplace and leaving your dog at home - Dogs believe they are part of your family. As such, they want to go with you when you go somewhere. Most dogs suffer some degree of separation anxiety. They may bark, cry, throw fits, be destructive, or even get sick and throw up or go poop and pee.

Help your dogs acclimate themselves to you leaving by going out and coming back in short intervals several times over and over. This takes away some of the power of your absences. The most critical time for your dogs when you leave is the first 20 minutes or so. See if giving them their favorite toy or bone helps distract them some before you leave.

• Staying in bed too late - Dogs do not comprehend the concept of of sleeping in on certain days, i.e. weekends. Early morning, to them, is the best sniffing time. Plus, if you get up early every other day, their bladder is on that schedule. You should expect to get prodded and poked if you try to sleep in. They need their morning pee and they want you to get up with them.

As dog owners, we need to understand that our dogs are on our "usual" schedule or timetable. It is our responsibility to understand this and work to try and adhere to the schedule our dogs are accustomed to.

These are only a few of the ways we, as owners, aggravate or annoy our dogs. Each of our dogs has their own personality. I could not possibly list here all of the thing that potentially bother our furry friends. By learning certain things about the way they perceive things and understanding that there are usually reasons for the ways and things that our dogs do help us to be better caretakers for these wonderful creatures. In the end, this should make for a happier home for everyone.

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