The Psychological Approach to Behavior Problems

Copyright © 2003 by Karyn Garvin

The psychological approach to any and all problem behaviors is to first realize that these behaviors occur excessively when an animal is frustrated. When people are upset, they vent their frustrations various ways. It is the same with a dog!

I was first introduced to a list of frustrating factors for dogs in a book titled, Behavior Problems in Dogs, written by William E. Campbell. The following is based on the list of factors William Campbell identified, along with some additions and modifications made by myself. Permission was granted by Mosby Year Book, Inc. for the use of this material originally published by American Veterinary Publications, Inc., Santa Barbara, CA, Copyright, 1975.

Frustrating Factors for Dogs
1.) Owner's leadership not established
2.) Emotional homecomings and/or departures
3.) Separation anxiety
4.) Isolation, especially during the critical socialization period from five to 12 weeks of age
5.) Isolation as a form of punishment
6.) Restrictions of freedom
7.) Psychological trauma associated with a place or situation
8.) Physical abuse as a means of punishment
9.) Scolding in the aftermath
10.) Emotional stress of owner, even when stress is unrelated to the dog
11.) Owner's dislike of dog
12.) Change of routine habit factors
13.) Any big change of environment such as relocating or owners leaving on a vacation
14.) Boredom
15.) Physiological problems and/or illness
16.) Extreme weather conditions
17.) Lack of proper exercise

Is Your Dog As Frustrated As You Are?
I would like you to go through the following list and circle all the frustrating factors that you think accurately describe your situation. Typically, the more numbers you circle, the more frustrated your dog is and vice versa. As you go through the list, I will give you my interpretation of what each factor means, as well as solutions or remedies.

1.) Owner's Leadership Not Established
The absence of owner leadership is frequently a reason why a dog misbehaves. Acting out can be a way of establishing dominance. If he lacks direction, he is more likely to take charge.

Solution: Obedience training

When you train your dog, you strengthen your role as a leader. Your dog learns that he can look up to you for direction, that you have something to show him, that you expect something from him and that you expect him to be good. When you are a good teacher, you become a good leader. This is very reassuring to a dog.

Obedience commands are the tools you use to tell your dog what to do instead of doing it for him. You can tell him to STAY rather than holding him back from running out the door. You can tell him to COME and SIT instead of grabbing him so he can't jump on someone. Remember, all the NO's in the world won't tell a dog what you want. Your directions acknowledge his intelligence and establish your leadership.

An owner may say, "We don't need obedience training, he does everything I ask; the dog is perfect except for this one problem." Obedience training will make the difference even in this case, because the dog may have learned to take your praise and affection for granted. You're so pleased with him that he doesn't have to try to please you anymore. We could compare it with the uneasy feeling of being unemployed and needing a job. This makes your reaction to his misbehaving more rewarding. Obedience training emphasizes the fact that he does have a job and responsibilities. He does have to be a good dog for your praise. If this sounds like your situation, you may start by having him do things such as sitting before you pet him.

Another owner may reveal that there are other problems besides marking which initiated their call for help. They seem to be constantly correcting their dog for one thing or another. These owners really "need" to put their dog into obedience training to give them opportunities to praise their dog.

There are dogs that are so accustomed to an owner's negative attention they are desensitized to it and find it rewarding. Wesley C. Becker, in Parents are Teachers, refers to this as "The Criticism Trap". It works this way (Becker used the grumpy old school teacher as an example): The grumpy old school teacher turns her back on the class to write on the chalkboard, and instantly the kids are standing up or acting up. The teacher turns around and yells, "Sit down!" The kids sit down and so the teacher is rewarded for yelling, "Sit down" - but as soon as she turns her back again, everyone is standing up again. Why? This is to get her to yell: "Sit down!" That's the trap. We yell "NO!", the dog quits, and we're rewarded, but then he does it again to get us to yell "NO!" Negative attention can be very rewarding. Obedience training is an opportunity for you to reward your dog for being good and to motivate him to want to be good. I've always said that a dog that knows he's good usually doesn't want to do bad things. Yes, I am saying that dogs have a sense of self-esteem. A person who values honesty wouldn't tell a lie because he or she values the goodness of honesty. A dog that values being praised is more correctable because he values being good.

2.) Emotional Homecomings and/or Departures
The owner who lectures his dog before leaving the house may be making the situation worse. There is the self-fulfilling prophecy that what you expect is what you get. "You be a good boy now and don't chew anything!" We who believe in a dog's sixth sense will tell you that he may actually receive the visualization you're sending of his chewing and take it as a command. I recommend, for the same reason, that you also not "think" about the things your dog may be doing wrong in your absence. The owner who is sad about leaving and shares these feelings leaves the dog depressed. A depressed dog may act out as a way to express his frustration.

Solution: Your leaving and returning should not be a big deal. You should not lecture your dog before going out, or upon returning home. (See also #9: "Scolding in the Aftermath")

3.) Separation Anxiety
Many social animals are distressed when separated from their companions or loved ones. Feelings of loss are a result of love and attachment. It is not uncommon for a child to throw a tantrum when left with a baby-sitter, or an adult to feel depressed when his/her spouse takes a trip. Dogs are, by nature, social, so they are more likely to show distress when left alone. Emotional attachment is especially important for animals whose survival is dependent on group living.

We've all heard the phrase, "dogs are pack animals." While many dogs feel some level of frustration when left alone, certain dogs express it by various behaviors such as chewing, soiling in the house, barking etc. Why is it that some dogs tend to exhibit separation distress more than others? It is not related to sex or breed but mostly to personality types and a history of seldom being left alone.

Solution: You can't always change what frustrates your dog, but you can anticipate it and control the environment. If your dog follows you everywhere when you are home, you could try to create some ways to distance yourself when you are there so that he won't be so upset when you leave. You could, for example, have your dog lay and stay while you go out of sight for brief periods. You can teach him to be more independent by not allowing him to be constantly in your lap or at your feet. Your dog may have learned that your picking up keys or your putting on shoes are signals that you are leaving. If you have noticed that your dog is showing signs of distress at these times, you may want to do some counter-conditioning. Counter-conditioning means that you make new associations by giving the same signals and pairing them with a wonderful dog treat. You could begin practicing this several times each day but, of course, not go anywhere.

Most dogs become frustrated and express their frustrations in the first 30 minutes after the owner leaves. Retraining would involve leaving for brief periods of time, such as 5 minutes, 10 minutes, then 5 minutes, then 8 minutes, then 15 minutes and so on, working your way up to 45 minutes and one hour without incident. Your dog will become accustomed to these short trips and will realize you are coming back. When you can leave for 45 minutes and one hour without a problem, you have made substantial progress.
None of these suggestions by themselves is a cure all. I would suggest you work at this from every direction and consult with a trainer.

4.) Isolation, Especially During Critical Socialization Periods From 5 to 12
Weeks of Age
When a puppy is removed from its littermates before the age of seven weeks, isolated from learning critical socialization skills it suffers frustration. Another example is a puppy that was raised in a kennel situation where it was isolated from everything including people. This puppy, as a result may grow up to be fearful of everyone and everything - an unhappy way to live.

Solution: If your dog is fearful, it is never too late to help him build confidence. A true leader and teacher will help him to face his fears and overcome them. Unfortunately, many people want to avoid any conflicts because they believe it is the kind thing to do. This only compounds the problem. You can either choose to support your dog so that he becomes more confident or you can avoid conflicts and have your dog continue to be fearful. If you choose to help him become more confident, you can start by making a list of all the things that frighten him and begin your counter-conditioning. You may want to enroll the services of a dog trainer. This type of healing will produce a happier dog and a better behaved one.

5.) Isolation as a Form of Punishment
I know that "time out" works with children, but as a form of punishment it is not effective with dogs. It may actually backfire by contributing to even worse behavior when he is out of isolation. While isolation can be a preventive measure, it does not teach the dog how to behave which means that at some point he will have to be isolated again.
Solution: If you are tempted to isolate your dog because he is misbehaving, you should stop and ask yourself what you want him to do instead. Then, teach him how to do that.

6.) Restrictions of Freedom
This is about animals that are confined too much.
It could be that the owner has overused the crate or other confinement techniques. It also could be that the owner thinks a yard is all the freedom a dog needs. If you live on a property of several acres or on a farm or ranch your dog probably has a wonderful life outdoors. However in urban areas most yards just aren't big enough. (A scale for comparison would be the wolf in the wild that is estimated to travel as much as 90 miles per day.)

Solution: Dogs need change. They need to be in the house as well as outside, go for walks and rides, and have freedom and variety.

7.) Psychological Trauma Associated with a Place or Situation
Solution: When you can help your dog get over his fears in these areas, you will have a more confident and secure animal. You may want to enlist a dog trainer to help you safely overcome these fears in your dog.

8.) Physical Abuse as a Means of Punishment
Physical punishment, such as hitting a dog should be avoided, not because it won't work but because it can cause problems you do not want.

Some dogs become submissive from being hit. A submissive dog may have problem behaviors such as cowering, submissive wetting, excessive barking etc. These are not behaviors you want in your dog.

Physical abuse as a means of punishment may make another dog aggressive. Again, this is not the result you want. We know what the aggressive dog is capable of doing. Excessive punishment or abuse will make the situation worse by frustrating your dog further, and a frustrated dog will exhibit behaviors, which will continue to create problems for you.

Physical abuse also will have the opposite effect of establishing a healthy rewarding relationship. He will only want to escape and avoid the person who abuses him as opposed to being open and receptive to learning.

Solution: If you catch your dog in the act of doing something wrong, there is certainly nothing wrong with a good scolding. The punishment should only be enough to upset your dog. A good scolding may help the dog change his mind about the pleasures of misbehaving. It is important that an effective correction be followed with redirection, showing the dog what he should do instead. It is also important to reassure your dog within 10 or 15 minutes that you love him. He has to know that it was the behavior, not him that you disliked.

9.) Scolding in the Aftermath
The "aftermath" means that more than three minutes have elapsed since the incident and you're finding it. It's now too late for a scolding. Your searching the house as soon as you get home and scolding him if he did urinate, or giving him a cookie if he didn't, may make sense to you; however, it doesn't to your dog.

Scolding in the aftermath can actually create the circumstances you're trying to eliminate. Dogs have a biological clock that tells them when you get home. If you frequently come home and get angry, that's the pattern your dog will expect. The anticipation of your angry arrival may trigger the problem behavior as a way of venting. Dogs learn differently and make different associations from you or me. I have heard people say, "I know he knows because when I come home and he has urinated, he's cowering or hiding." Haven't there been times when you have come home, and he's acted as if he had done something, yet you can't find it anywhere?

I have also heard, "I know he knows because I just point to it and he takes off." That's because he has learned that that's what you do before you get angry.

Did you hear the story about the man who decided he was going to teach his dog a thing or two? He came home one day and found that his dog had done his business right there on the kitchen floor. So he shook the dog and threw him out the window. The next day he came home to the same mess, so again he took him and shook him and threw him out the window. The third day he came home - and the dog jumped out the window.

Scolding in the aftermath does not work for the majority of dogs. The only association a dog makes in the aftermath is that a mess in your presence means trouble. He still doesn't associate punishment with the act unless you actually catch him in the act.
Solution: It is only effective to scold your dog when you catch him in the act or when it has been no longer than three minutes since the incident occurred.

10.) Emotional Stress of Owner, Even When Stress is Unrelated to The Dog
Dogs are sensitive to their owner, and I can think of many examples of how amazingly sensitive they are. One of my favorites is the service dog who can actually notify his owner who is about to have an epileptic seizure, which gives the owner time to lay down in a safe position. Is there any doubt that dogs are sensitive to our moods? I have gone to homes on numerous occasions where the owner was totally puzzled as to why his/her adult dog, that had never been a problem, was suddenly doing terrible things. They would exclaim, "As if life isn't bad enough! Frank died a month ago, I lost my job and now this - even the dog has gone sour." The owner doesn't realize that the dog is misbehaving solely because it is stressed because his/her owner is under so much stress.
Solution: Do you remember the routine you had with your dog when life wasn't so stressful? It will be good therapy for both of you to resume that routine. Let your dog do his job of cheering you up.

11.) Owner's Dislike of Dog
Dogs are sensitive and not easily fooled. They can feel when the owner dislikes them.
Many people begin to dislike their dog because they believe that their dog is spiteful. The owner will say, "I know he's just being spiteful; he was mad when I left." Dogs are not spiteful creatures. If I have learned anything from dogs, it's the true meaning of unconditional love. I'm sure you have heard, DOG spelled forwards or backwards is unconditional love. Yes, your dog was upset and yes, that's what contributed to the behavior, but no, he did not do it to get back at you.

Solution: It is important to understand the difference between not liking a dog as opposed to not liking his behavior. For example, you catch your dog in the act of chewing. You should scold him and let him know in no uncertain terms that the behavior is bad. After five or ten minutes have passed, it is very important to act like all is forgotten. You should let him know in some way that you're still buddies. It's important to communicate that it's not him you dislike but rather his behavior. It is fruitless to stay angry for long periods of time. If you feel your relationship has been damaged, obedience training can help.

12.) Change of Routine Habit Factors
Routine in our lives gives us a sense of stability. It is frustrating when you suddenly can't do something that you routinely do each day. How would you feel if you woke up one morning and realized that there was no toothpaste in the house! Most dogs find comfort in, and rely on, a routine.

Solution: First, it is important to avoid breaking the routine as much as possible. Secondly, you can compensate for a break in routine by substituting. For example, you can't go for that 20-minute walk before work but you could play ball for five minutes. Thirdly, if you have to change the routine and you know your dog will act up, you can perhaps avoid trouble by controlling the environment and reducing the opportunity for misbehavior.

13.) Any Big Change in The Environment, Such as Relocating or Owners Leaving
for Vacation
This can be very upsetting to a dog.

Solution: It is important to soften the blow any way you can. If you anticipate trouble, try to avoid giving him the opportunity. I believe more dogs start new bad habits when their owners go on vacation than at any other time. Maybe the house sitter shouldn't give him the liberties or opportunities he has when you're at home.

14.) Boredom
The more intelligent the dog, the more easily bored he can become. It is usually the very intelligent dog that gets into trouble.

Solution: It is important to have routine rituals such as regular feeding times and walks or indoor versus outdoor times. Obedience training also can resolve some of the frustration of boredom that dogs feel. It gives you more ways to interact when you are together.

15.) Physiological Problems and/or Illness
A physical illness, infection or disorder of some type can certainly influence behavior.
Solution: It is always a good idea to consult with your veterinarian and rule out the possibility of any physical problems that could be contributing to behavior problems.

16.) Extreme Weather Conditions
The weather can affect the behavior of a dog. Thunderstorms can be traumatic emotionally for some dogs just as humidity can be physically painful to the arthritic dog.
Solution: It would be a good idea to consult with your veterinarian. You can't change the weather, but you can take preventive measures to make your dog as comfortable as possible so that he doesn't have the opportunity to regress.

17.) Lack of Proper Exercise
All dogs require some exercise, and the requirements will vary according to the breed and age of the dog. When these requirements are not fulfilled, problems with behavior may be the result.

Solution: Exercise is an excellent preventative; it generally produces an overall happier dog. There is a wise saying that a tired dog is a good dog. Exercise doesn't always mean going for a walk. It could mean playing a game such as throwing a ball. If for some reason you can't personally exercise your dog, you can perhaps find someone to help.