Fixing Fido's bad behaviour comes down to understanding what's causing it

If you're a dog person, there's nothing better than taking your faithful companion for a walk in the park — unless those walks are filled with barking, lunging, pulling or other misbehaviours.

According to Jill Dextrase, a certified professional dog trainer with Calgary's Sit Happens dog training, it isn't always easy to figure out what our four-legged friends are trying to tell us with their antics.

But the first step toward correcting their behaviour is understanding what's behind it.

Dextrase spoke to The Homestretch's Doug Dirks and Jenny Howe on Friday to tackle some common canine problems reported by listeners ahead of her appearance at the Calgary Pet Expo this weekend.

The problem: pulling, lunging and chasing  

Especially for herding dogs, the urge to chase anything that moves can be overpowering.

"Certain breeds, particularly herding breeds, are sensitive to motion," Dextrase said. "Dogs do dog-type things, chasing is one of them and some breeds do them more than others.

"Number 1, you don't want to let them practice the behaviour you don't like."

For dogs that like to chase, keeping them on a close leash is crucial to discouraged the behaviour.

"The second thing you want to think about is he's going to deal with it a lot better if he's farther away from the thing that is a problem for him," she said.

So while humans might think it's totally normal to share pathways with cyclists and runners, or walk along busy streets with passing cars, your dog may have a different opinion. Keeping some distance between your dog and the activity it finds so compelling will help it deal with distractions down the line, Dextrase said, as will consistent and structured practice at acquiring coping skills.

"Dealing with distractions and novelty and things are just not something a dog is naturally good at. So they do need structured practice."

The problem: barking

There's nothing worse than a yappy dog. But it's important to understand what's causing Bowser to bark, and what circumstances bring the behaviour on, Dextrase said.

"Especially with puppies, they do need a lot of time to acclimatize, and they do easily get overstimulated with their environment," said Dextrase.

"Sometimes what can happen is we don't give them enough time to actually acclimatize, because we're like, 'I'm not standing here, I'm not looking at clouds, I'm not looking at this bush, we are walking around the block.'"

Barking at other dogs or passers by on walks can often be a signal of fear. Giving your pup more time to do puppy things, like sniff, can help ease fear or anxiety about a new environment, Dextrase said. But barking can also be a sign of frustration.

"Super friendly dogs also can lunge and bark on leash because they're like 'I want to get over there and you're not letting me,'" she said.

It can be hard for owners to determine the exact cause of a dog's barking behaviour, so consulting with a professional can help.

The problem: slow eating

While many dogs are motivated to scarf their food in seconds, some have the opposite approach. A dog that doesn't eat its food in a timely manner may not seem like a problem, until there are other pets around in competition for the chow, or in situations like travel, where time for feeding is limited.

Dextrase recommends not overthinking feeding time. Ten minutes is plenty of time to allow Fido to feed, if he doesn't eat, remove the remaining food until the next meal time.

It won't take long until your pup is prepared to eat at a healthier pace when food is presented.

The problem: sudden onset anxiety

From haircuts to car rides to thunderstorms, dogs can be extremely sensitive to changes in their environment, and on their bodies, Dextrase said. If your dog develops anxiety after a medical procedure, like surgery, or even something as benign as a trip to the groomer, they may be feeling quite insecure.

"Truthfully, it may just be that the dog is like 'where the heck did all my hair go?'" Dextrase said. "I know again it sounds a little weird, but it could potentially be like 'OK today you're coming to work naked, and how do you feel about that?'"

Fortunately the fix may be found in something relatively simple: slipping on a T-shirt.

"T-shirts in general help dogs feel more secure," she said.

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With files from The Homestretch