Ways To Help Your Pet Dog Overcome Behavioral Problems

Most common behavioral problems of dogs are caused by boredom; the dog tries to entertain itself by inappropriate behavior as chewing, excessive barking, and digging. There are many ways to overcome boredom and inappropriate behavioral patterns in dogs.

Your pet dog can overcome behavioral problems by:

• Most destructive dogs are searching for ways to burn off calories and bust boredom; it would be great to exercise them on a day to day basis. Exercise for dogs could be as simple as a walk around the neighborhood or playing a game of fetch; however high energy dogs like Border Collies and pit bulls would need exercises like jogging or some dog sport like Agility.

• Spending time to train your dog gives his brain a workout and busts boredom; a few short training sessions of 10 minutes each daily would help. Keep the training both fun and offbeat; clicker training and other positive enforcement training would prove rewarding to your pet.

• It would be great if you plan a play date for your dog; find out if other dog owners are interested and arrange it in a nearby dog park. Your dog and the other dogs would love playing and socializing along with the getting exercise and being relieved of boredom. It is however best to ensure that your dog and the other dogs have been up-to-date vaccinated.

• All dogs love to play with toys; toys that are interesting and appealing.  Removing destructive behavior means giving them toys that are both fun as well as mental challenging. The use of food dispensing toys like Kongs or Buster Cubes help; Kong is stuffed with some of your dog's favorite treats or food that the dog works to get, while the dog pushes the Buster Cubes toy around to dispense the food. It is best to rotate toys every few days to remove boredom.

• Dogs that chew can be entertained with dog bones; however it is best to consult veterinarian about the safest bones as some bones could be linked with problems of health like tooth fractures, stomach irritation and intestinal blockages.

• Some dogs portray destructive behavior out of separation anxiety or boredom; you could consider a reputed doggie daycare. It is a safe place for dogs where they get a lot of attention, playtime and an opportunity to socialize with other pet dogs.

• A dog walker is another good option; someone comes daily to your house to give the dog some exercise or some playtime. This is a very good option especially when you are at work for a long time; a dog walker cuts down the time the dog is alone at home and also prevents boredom and destructive tendencies.

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