The Library

Chewing, Digging, Barking, Chewing, Digging, Barking, Chewing.

Obsessive behaviors are one of the most common reasons that dogs are brought to animal shelters. Most of the time, these are family pets that are friendly, loyal, and all-around good dogs. But their "people" cannot handle their chewing, digging, or barking any longer. Unfortunately, a lot of these dogs are then placed in new homes and exhibit the same obsessive behavior, and a terrible cycle is established.

Why do dogs DO THAT?

All three of these behaviors are quite normal for a dog to do. A dog that lies down with a good "chewie" is one happy dog! Dogs make their own "beds" by digging a good hole in the ground. It keeps them warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Wild dogs, and some domesticated ones enjoy the sound of their own voice, and like to "sing to the moon." The problem arises when we people feel it is not appropriate for the dogs to do what comes natural to them. ...

So… you say your dog won't let you near his food bowl? And, he won't let you take something out of his mouth? Oh my goodness, he's growling at you or biting you when you do try to take something away from him? Well guess what? Your dog is just acting like a dog! His survival instincts tell him that giving something up that's valuable to him isn't normal behavior for dogs. Okay, we need to talk:

Before we tackle the guarding problem, we need to work on gaining your dog's trust and respect. In order to do this, you'll need to implement an everyday training regimen with him called "Nothing in Life is Free" (aka NILIF). This program is very simple, it doesn't take much time or additional effort to work with it, AND, you will probably see some nice results before the end of two weeks, or less. Any dog that is food or object/toy guarding has to be considered as on the verge of biting whenever someone interferes with his ownership of his possessions. I know you'll agree that this is a potentially dangerous situation, especially if you have young toddlers or small kids in your home. ...