Photo by One Inch Punch.
This article is the next in Dr. Palazzolo’s series about behavior training. This section concerns anxiety-related behaviors, such as fear and aggression.
The reasons dogs become aggressive toward people are many, but in many cases, it is because of an underlying fear based upon poor early socialization. The best way to ensure that your dog is safe around people of all types is to religiously practice a socialization program from a very young age.
If you have a dog that appears extremely fearful of people (demonstrating such behaviors as avoidance, tail between the legs, ears flattened), obtain the services of a positive reinforcement trainer or behavior specialist. A desensitization/counterconditioning behavior modification program may be necessary.
The reason dogs become aggressive toward other dogs is primarily because of poor early dog-to-dog socialization. Aggression can also result from a traumatic incident such as being attacked by another dog. The best way to ensure that your dog gets along with others of its own species is to religiously practice a socialization program from a very young age. Lifelong exposure to a variety of different dogs is important to avoiding this all-too-common problem.
Separation anxiety is one of the most common behavior problems presented to veterinarians. It is a complex behavior problem that can have its root in many causes. However, to ensure that your puppy doesn’t suffer from anxiety when left alone, make sure that you avoid having the puppy become overly dependent upon your physical presence. When your dog is very young, accustom him or her to being alone for a few hours. Start by having your pup stay in another room of the house where he or she can see and hear you but is not physically in your presence—for instance, behind a screened area or a puppy gate.
Build up to longer periods of separation time, which should eventually lead up to your pup staying in a room of the house where he or she can’t see you but can hear you. Next, the dog should learn to tolerate time alone during which time you’re in the house but he or she can’t hear or see you. From there, you should not have a problem with being out of the house for short periods of time and, eventually, increasingly longer periods of time.
Many puppies suffer separation anxiety after being brought into the home during a holiday or summer vacation. The pup is surrounded by people 100 percent of the time for several days, weeks or months. Then, when everyone goes back to work or school, the dog is suddenly left all alone. Avoid this scenario by implementing the steps above on a regular basis—at minimum, several days or weeks—before you return to work after a long period of absence.
You can learn much more about preventing these behavior problems by visiting our website. LBAH has a page specifically dedicated to socializing puppies and one for behavior problems in general.