Controlling dog behavior problems relies on a combination of training and, in extreme cases, pet med to ease the anxiety and symptoms for your pet. When a well-train dog behaves badly it may be due to a change in environment or an untreated physical condition. Two common problems reported by pet owners are dog aggression and separation anxiety. If you have recently adopted your family pet, the behavior may be a result of past experiences that traumatized the animal.

Very active dogs or sight hounds may chase anything that moves. Timid dogs may shy away from moving objects – even their own shadow. Dog aggression takes many forms and the behavior may be an instinctive reaction for some dogs when the owner attempts to curtail the pet’s activities. Food aggression is a common complaint of pet owners and is instinctive for some breeds. Other dogs guard their food due to having to fight for food or having insufficient food in the past. Most problems with dog aggression can be managed through a combination of corrective training, calming pet meds and common sense. Dogs with food aggression should be fed in a private area with visitors and children warned to stay away from the pet’s feeding area.

A dog that is shy or fearful may react badly if he feels threatened with no avenue of escape. Even a shy dog when cornered may lash out in self defense. A new pet brought into the home without warning can lead to dog on dog aggression. Neutral territory is the place to introduce a new dog to the family. Disagreements among multiple dogs in the home will happen on occasion but are usually a method of establishing the pack order and not serious. This fussing is most often found when the pets are of the same gender.

Aggression can result when an owner corrects an animal too sharply or interrupts a dog whose barking has reached the level of hysteria. This is the canine equivalent of a panic attack in people and may be an instinctive response from a pet who had no intention of aggression. Separation anxiety is another indication of panic. A dog frightened of being left alone may destroy the furniture in your room or chew up rugs or personal possessions. This is not bad dog behavior but an emotional problem of anxiety that can be treated with pet meds and cured with training.

Certain breeds of dogs are known for their aggressive nature. You cannot remove instinct of a breed with training but you can control the aggression by eliminating the triggers that set the animal off. A well trained animal will be well behaved even though the breed is known to be aggressive as the owner can manage the dog’s environment to reduce risk of problems.

Experienced dog trainers often utilize canine behavior meds to break bad habits. Dogs suffering from canine separation anxiety and compulsive disorders may be given Anipril (or the generic version, Selegiline). To help control dog agression, Clomicam and Amitriptyline for dogs may be good choices. Pet owners can develop a plan of action with an animal behaviorist to correct or control behavior problems. Anti-depressants or calming meds are often an important part of such a plan.

Good basic training techniques avoid many behavioral problems in dogs. Bad behavior may be the result of environment or of poor treatment by a previous owner. Many problems can be totally reversed while severe bad behavior can be controlled with training and pet meds. Training focuses on managing and avoiding problems when the behavior is due to breed genetics.

Bad canine behavior should not be ignored but solved or managed for the safety of the pet own and the dog. Pet meds to treat canine anxiety can be very expensive. However, your vet may be able to substitute a generic pet med and will be happy to give you a prescription so you can buy discount pet meds online for savings.

dog behavior management meds can turn your bad dog into a calm best friend. Buy pet meds from a practicing veterinarian to calm your anxious canine and stop bad dog behavior at Pet Scripts Direct.

Are you frustrated with dog chewing problems?  Why do canines engage in destructive dog behavior like this?  How can you stop destructive chewing?  Here are tips you can use to stop dogs from chewing.

Why Does My Dog Chew On Everything?

Puppies chew on things for one reason; they’re cutting teeth.  If you’ve ever been around a human baby who’s teething, you know how chewing on a teething ring helps soothe those sore gums.  It’s like this for puppies too.  They’re in the process of losing baby teeth while adult teeth are coming in.  Sore gums are the result, but chewing on things helps soothe the pain.

An older dog may chew for many reasons.  One of the most common is that it helps to relieve stress and anxiety.  When a dog chews, endorphins are released.  These are chemicals that soothe and calm your dog.  You dog doesn’t know about endorphins, but he does know that chewing on things makes him feel better.

Chewing also helps to keep your dog’s teeth clean and strong.  Remember, if your dog is chewing, he’s not digging holes or barking, so there is an upside to this.

So chewing isn’t all bad.  But chewing becomes destructive chewing when your dog chews on things other than his toys.  How do you stop dogs from chewing on your toys?

How Do I Train My Dog Not To Chew?

You may be surprised to learn that your dog doesn’t know the difference between your stuff and his.  Even if he has lots of toys to chew on, he’ll still chew on a chair leg because he thinks everything in the house is a toy.  It’s up to you to teach him two things; that everything is not a toy, and that he’s not allowed to chew on things that belong to you.

Start by teaching him which toys are his.  Play with your dog, using one of his toys.  He’ll associate the toy with having fun, both with you, and by playing with the toy.  Another way to teach your dog that his toys are wonderful is to get a toy you can stuff with peanut butter or another treat.  He gets an instant food reward when he licks it out while playing with it.

If your dog picks up something that belongs to you, use the “drop-it” command, or clap your hands and make a noise to startle him into dropping it.  As soon as he does, immediately give him one of his toys to replace what he just dropped.  When he starts playing with it, reward him.  This is how you teach him that it’s good for him to chew on his own toys, but not good when he chews on yours.

Dog-proofing your home is still a good idea; put anything you really don’t want destroyed in a safe place until you know you can trust him.  Or else confine him to one room in your home where he can’t destroy anything when you have to leave the house.

Shouldn’t I Punish Him For Destructive Dog Behavior?

No.  If you don’t catch your dog in the act, he won’t have a clue why you’re mad at him.  You’ll teach him to wait until you’ve left the scene to start destructive chewing.

Dogs operate on rewards.  If you reward your dog with attention (good or bad) for doing something, he’ll continue to do it, even if it’s something you don’t want him to do.  It’s best to ignore bad dog behavior as much as possible, while praising and rewarding him being a good dog.  A dog won’t continue doing something if he doesn’t get a reward for doing it.

Training your dog is an ongoing process that never really ends.  You’ll find that investing in a good dog training course will repay itself many times over in building a great relationship with your dog, while avoiding dog chewing problems.  Click on any link in this article to learn more about dog training courses.