Why do pets show destructive behaviours?

Destructive behaviour in pets always has a root cause, and understanding it will help prevent and manage it. A pet will often need to be taught how to utilise the replacement outlet you provide, showing them how to use it and continually re-directing them to it will dictate its success. 

Managing destructive behaviours in cats

Cats’ two main destructive behaviours are scratching and chewing both with various root causes. They can be trickier to deter or train than dogs, as cats can be known for their stubborn and self-serving nature. Like any animal, it’s best to raise them with these boundaries and habits but it’s never too late to stop destructive behaviour.  

Why do cats scratch?

Cats often scratch at furniture (specifically couches) and it occurs when they don’t have a reasonable alternative such as a scratching post. Scratching has a much higher chance of occurring when the cat moves environments because it’s a marking behaviour. Hosting cats creates increased risks because they’re much less habituated to the outside environment than dogs, so it’ll likely be more stressful and disorientating for them. 

To ‘stop’ scratching doesn’t mean to stop the cat from scratching altogether, it simply means stopping them from scratching anything they like and re-directing the behaviour to an appropriate outlet like a scratching post…instead of your couch! Re-directing the behaviour requires more than sticking a scratching post in the corner of the room. You must understand their preferences and teach them to use the replacement. To start, interrupt their scratching when it’s on the furniture and move them to the alternative. Follow up by rewarding them when they use the alternative. Keep this consistent, and in time they’ll learn to only use the alternative and the furniture will be safe. To prevent damage during the process you can place scratch guards or use a deterrent spray (such as citronella) on the areas to deter the cat from scratching there. 

Scratching can sometimes be a display of emotion, especially excitement, or to remove dead parts off their nails. These will be much shorter bursts of scratching and the excitement shouldn’t be deterred so ensure you’re extremely positive about it and continue to re-direct them.

Unwanted chewing behaviour in cats

Chewing is another destructive behaviour in cats. Like all animals, it’s very prevalent during the teething stages. They also chew to use their back teeth at all ages or to entertain themselves, which is why you should always provide safe opportunities for chewing. In addition to providing safe options, you should protect electrical cords, remove toxic plants, and keep valuables out of reach. Alternatives for cats to chew include soft toys, chewy treats, dental chews and cat-specific chew toys. To replace the behaviour, it’s the same as scratching, interrupting the inappropriate behaviour, providing the alternative and rewarding the use of the alternative. 

Excessive chewing in cats can be an indicator of poor dental health or gum disease. Other symptoms such as bad breath, bleeding gums, decreased appetite, poor grooming and not chewing meals, in addition to excessive chewing, should be checked by a vet. 

Play is an important component in preventing destructive behaviour in cats. Because they’re ‘hunting’ animals, interactive play is great at preventing boredom. Flirt poles, moving toys or hanging toys are great to keep them engaged and allow an outlet for energy and hunting desires. 

Managing destructive behaviour in dogs

Dogs’ destructive behaviours are more complex than cats, and due to size, can often be much more impactful. The top 6 destructive behaviours are: digging, barking, marking, jumping, chewing and escaping. Often destructive behaviour indicates that their needs are not being met and they’re trying to self-serve because their environment isn’t sufficient. Stopping these behaviours completely isn’t always the goal, though. Sometimes re-directing them is all that’s needed.

It’s important to remember that these persistent behaviours can be a dog’s way of trying to raise a red flag that something’s wrong, or at times just seeking information in an uncertain or new environment. Another reason dogs might do any of these behaviours is referred to as displacement behaviour, where a dog is overwhelmed with emotion and chooses that in an attempt to self-soothe in the way they grab a toy when people enter the home. 

Managing digging behaviours in dogs

Digging is an intrinsic behaviour for plenty of breeds – burrowing and hunting breeds especially. It also serves as entertainment and resource-seeking. Dogs can sometimes even ‘dig’ when there is nothing to dig (like on a bed or the carpet) and even think they can bury a bone in the couch. This is to make their bed more comfortable, scent mark or attempt to bury food, normal behaviours for all kinds of dogs. 

Digging is in a way a tool for dogs, who might dig to escape, seek resources and self-soothe. Re-directing the behaviour starts with understanding why they’re digging. Majority of the time it will be for entertainment and to fulfil those intrinsic behaviours. The most common solution is teaching them how to use the appropriate alternative, it’s a simple process. Start by interrupting when they dig in an inappropriate area, re-direct them to an appropriate area to dig and reward them when they use the replacement. Repeat this process until their first choice is the appropriate option. 

Alternative options include a kiddie pool full of sand or dirt, a snuffle mat, a sandpit, a designated digging spot in the garden or a DIY digging pit. Depending on the dog’s likes you can fill it with soft scraps, dirt, sand, balls, towels or whatever takes their fancy.

Unwanted or excessive barking in dogs

A very common behaviour that’s thought to be destructive in pets is barking. Barking is a very common self-soothing exercise for dogs which only re-inforces them to bark more since it makes them feel better. Barking is also a form of communication so they use it to express themselves or seek information. Unfortunately, dogs do not get tired of barking so waiting it out rarely ever works. 

Barking is often caused by stress and or boredom. The best way to avoid consistent barking is to keep the pet occupied, stimulated, well rested and fulfilled. Ensuring their basic needs, food, water, exercise and mental stimulation is a great start. Always having plenty of opportunities for play, rest and company is the next level to keeping them satisfied. 

If barking is caused by stress, the first step is to comfort them and help them settle. Whether you should reach for a toy, a treat or a cuddle is dependent on the dog and their preference. Dogs that are prone to stress or response barking benefit greatly from having music or noise on in the background to help fade the noises that are causing the barking. If a dog is barking at you consistently, they’re most likely information seeking, trying to make sense of what’s happening. This is common when a dog’s owner leaves for the first time or with strangers. Comforting them and providing calming stimulation activities should help them settle. 

When your dog is marking their territory

Marking is primarily common in male dogs, often exacerbated when there are existing urine smells around or in un-desexed dogs. Getting rid of urine odour is the key to avoiding future markings from other dogs, or repeats. Strong odour removal products and vinegar are the most effective. Believe it or not, household cleaning products won’t do a good enough job. A dog’s sense of smell is much stronger than ours so they’ll be able to pick up any hint of scent. 

The most common solution is teaching them it’s not okay to toilet inside – but don’t worry, it’s a simple process. Start by interrupting when you catch them they’re urinating (or about to urinate) inside, and re-direct them to an outside area to do or finish their business. Make sure you reward them when they do. Repeat this process until their first choice is outside. 

If the pet doesn’t correct their behaviour, you can utilise tools like belly bands or dog nappies with the owner’s permission. 

Unwanted jumping behaviour in dogs

Jumping can quickly become dangerous – knocking over children, furniture, or other pets – and is usually trained out of puppies thankfully. Unfortunately though, when a dog becomes overstimulated it can become jumpy and without regulating their emotions can get nippy. Jumping can also be a seeking behaviour, jumping for a toy or treat which isn’t a reflection of good manners. 

Jumping can be difficult to combat when caused by overstimulation. To start, the aim is to replace the destructive behaviours. Try to snap the pet out of that mindset by asking them to do something simple they’re familiar with, like sit. Ignoring the behaviour can also be useful. If they’re jumping, refrain from screaming, jumping back or reacting. Reacting to the behaviour can worsen the situation because if their intention is to seek attention, this teaches them that it works. 

If jumping is situational – like walking through the door when coming home – you need to implement a routine where the dog is calm before you greet them. Do this by asking them to sit when you walk through the door, rewarding the sit and then greeting them. Or waiting for them to stop jumping and then greeting them. There are multiple ways but which is most effective depends on the dog and the scenario.

Problematic chewing in dogs

Chewing is a very important behaviour for dogs. Like babies, it soothes them through painful teething phases and is crucial to their mental and physical health. Chewing is an intrinsic behaviour for dogs – great to help mentally stimulate them. Chewing releases endorphins for dogs and helps avoid boredom. This can become problematic, however, when they chew the wrong things such as furniture, toxic plants, clothes or valuables. Providing appropriate chewing outlets stops them from searching to fulfil their need on their own. Constant chewing on appropriate items helps maintain teeth and gum health for dogs too. 

Teething phases in dogs are present until 7-8 months old, so any puppy under the age of 1 has a higher probability of destructive chewing behaviours. Constant chewing and teething behaviour is often present until 18 months old when the dogs begin to enter adolescence. Nipping, biting and chewing can be signs of teething pain, so providing lots of chewing options and soothing chewing options (like frozen chews) can ease their pain. 

Opportunities to chew should be available for dogs at all stages of development, even older dogs need it. There are plenty of options, some need supervision and some don’t. Goat horns, pig ears, raw bones, dental chews, chew toys, frozen meat, frozen vegetables, long-lasting chews, chicken wings, chicken necks etc.  Supervising dogs when they have chews like a goat’s horn or a chicken wing is crucial to ensure they don’t swallow too big of a chunk that can damage their intestines or swallow it whole and choke.

Managing pets who are known for escaping

Escaping pets cause extremely dangerous situations. They run the risk of being hit by a car, being stolen, getting trapped, or getting lost too far from home. It’s common for pets to try to find their way home when they escape, but it can be extremely disorientating if in a new environment like a sitter’s home. If the dog has separation anxiety or an extreme bond to their owner, they might try to escape any new environment. 

Pet proofing the home is the best way to prevent escapees, ensuring you can supply secure fencing and keep doors and windows locked etc. Always use caution when entering or leaving the home – often pets slip through the door unsuspectingly! If a pet is prone to escaping, ensure they have a name tag with a number and or address. Having a handful of temporary ones to place on pets in your care with your details is always helpful. There are also more extreme options like trackers or air tags to be able to find them in the unfortunate event they do escape.

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All the research that’s gone into human mental health over recent years has shown how significantly pets can benefit people – including all the great reasons why we should utilise them in therapies. The more we grow to love and value our pets, the more research gets invested into them and now we have a comprehensive understanding of intrinsic behaviours in pets to help care for them. 

The proof is undeniable that pets can improve our mental health. Sometimes all a pet has to do is walk by to spark a smile. However, it’s a symbiotic relationship and often not acknowledged enough just how much of an impact humans can have on pets’ mental health. 

How people’s mood and behaviour impacts a pet’s mental health

We know that our actions, training and daily routine can majorly impact our pet’s mental health – a simple example is how severe the repercussions of punishment training can be. Because our pets become so bonded to us and depend on us, our mood, behaviour and body language often impacts theirs. This is referred to as ‘synchronised emotions’, where our pets sense our emotions and mirror them. They’re able to do this by picking up on a change in scent coming from body odour, hormone changes, or physical attributes like; increased heart rate, heavy breathing, tone of voice or yawning. They do this because they trust us. If they sense we’re stressed, they assume there’s something to be stressed about. Or, if we’re calm, they’ll feel at ease in their environment. This isn’t always the case though. Some cats and dogs are more confident or less reliant and therefore our emotions won’t have such a significant impact.

Our impact can go beyond synchronised emotions, because pets mirror us often without understanding the root of the emotion. A consistent sad, stressful or overwhelming environment can cause long-lasting issues like anxiety, depression and even OCD in pets. With that said, however, environment and people are not the only factors that can cause mental health issues in pets. 

How our actions can impact a pet

As their carers, it’s our responsibility to manage our pet’s mental health (or those in our care). Whilst our mood and emotions have a huge impact, our actions and treatment of animals can also have a huge impact. Creating a sense of fear in our pets can be detrimental to their mental health and dangerous. Fear can create unpredictable, dangerous and undesirable behaviour such as biting, stress urination and reactivity. This is why it’s crucial to only use positive training techniques and manage our emotions to ensure we don’t take out anger, stress or emotions on our pets.

Pets have developed well past the point of simply providing companionship for humans. They’re capable of providing therapy, assistance, medical assistance, security and much more. It’s hard to ignore the impact when you see how well equine therapy works for inmates, the sniffer dogs at airports, feline therapy or guide dogs. Various studies have proven pets’ ability to improve our mental health. Johns Hopkins Medicine speaks to one study where 84% of patients with PTSD paired with a service dog reported a significant reduction in symptoms and 40% were able to decrease their medications.

The relationship between people and pets is good for our health!

How pets have such a significant impact is no mystery. It’s primarily linked to oxytocin, the hormone known for the feelings of love and trust. Many studies over the years have revealed that something as simple as looking into a pet’s eyes or petting them can increase the release of oxytocin. And, it goes both ways, interacting with humans can have the same hormonal impact for pets. Similarly, interacting with a pet can reduce cortisol levels, the stress hormone. The benefits of lower cortisol levels can also lead to improvements in physical health, such as lower blood pressure and increased cardiovascular health. The long-term impacts of lower cortisol levels and increased oxytocin are what help combat conditions such as; anxiety and/or depression, or manage symptoms for disorders like PTSD and OCD. 

The medical world has taken advantage of this knowledge and implemented it in the following ways: resident therapy dogs, visiting therapy pets, and out-patient programs at hospitals. Organisations like Delta Therapy Dogs are instrumental in aiding these opportunities and making them accessible to as many people as possible. 

Mental health extends beyond labelled issues; social skills, confidence, management of emotions and much more can benefit from pets. A great example is therapy or assistance pets sitting with children while they read, helping them build confidence and feel comfortable reading out loud. Some progressive shelters have even implemented reading programs where children come and read to the pets, helping the children build confidence while providing enrichment time for the pets. Prisons all over the world have pet rehabilitation programs. Some programs help the inmates learn skills and benefit from spending time with pets, while others rehabilitate them both – pairing rescue or retired animals like dogs and horses with inmates. 

Understanding how people impact pets’ mental health, and vice versa

Understanding this symbiotic relationship is key to managing peoples’ and pets’ mental health. Understanding the impact one another can have means your actions and emotions should be managed accordingly. 

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As a pet parent, curating their ideal environment and meeting their physical and mental needs is more important than ever.

How environment impacts a pet’s behaviour

Dogs are highly influenced by their environment. Their sensitivity to environmental changes is dependent on their upbringing and previous experiences. Every component of an environment can impact a dog’s behaviour, and understanding how each component can impact a dog is crucial for their carer to create the ideal environment for them and or help them manage challenges in their environment. Dogs thrive off routine so the more consistent and calm their environment is, the better. 

Why is consistency and calmness so important? 

Dogs rely on routine – if they don’t have routine or consistency their behaviour can be as unpredictable as their environment. A consistent baseline is ideal. Feeding, walking, sleeping and the other basics happening at the same time each day can help a dog adapt to changes. If these essentials are inconsistent, however, it can be problematic.

When a dog doesn’t feel secure in their environment and feels like their needs aren’t being met, their behaviour will reflect this and they will seek to fulfil them themselves. This can manifest in unfavourable ways such as confusion, frustration, resource guarding or destructive behaviour. It can also manifest in the pet shutting down or refusing to do simple things like drinking water.

How important is socialisation?

How well a dog is socialised will influence their behaviour. Early exposure to diverse environments, people, animals, and stimuli helps dogs develop social skills, confidence, and resilience. Socialisation can be done at an older age if necessary, but is optimal in the critical learning stage of 0-20 weeks old. A lack of proper socialisation can lead to fear, anxiety, and aggression later in life. Socialisation and habituation go hand in hand. When done correctly, they will teach a dog how to confidently deal with the human world and have healthy boundaries for things like play and food.

How changes in environment can impact a pet’s behaviour

As each dog is an individual so is their response to their environment. This is where the responsibility falls on the carer to know the dog and cater to them. As a Pet Sitter, knowing their routine, regular environment and how well they cope with change is key to avoiding any behavioural issues.

With any change in environment – moving home temporarily, Owners leaving, living with other pets – a behaviour change should be expected. 

The top 3 major changes for a Pet Owner, Pet Sitter or carer to consider are home changes, living with other pets and carer changeover. Proactive measures are the best way to minimise a negative reaction to the changes. 

Tips for helping a pet adjust to a changing environment

Here are our top tips to understand how environment impacts a pet’s behaviour and how to help them adjust to change.

Change in a home:

• Bring their bed, food & water bowl, favourite toy or any other daily items that can bring them comfort and a sense of normality.
• Conduct a pre-visit so they can have a positive experience and create a sense of familiarity when they return.
• Go slowly – come in and spend some time settling the pet with you and ensuring they’re okay.
• Keep their same routine. Try to keep feeding, walking and bedtime at the same time so there is some consistency for them.
• Maintain boundaries and mimic what rules they know and understand. For example, not letting them on the couch if they’re not allowed usually.

Living with other pets: 

• Do a slow introduction for each new pet entering the home. 
• Ideally, allow the pets to meet in a neutral environment beforehand.
• Ensure each pet has a place they can go to rest or sleep where the others can’t disturb them. This is particularly important, as having a sanctuary that theirs will create a sense of safety and security. 
• Keep the pets separated when feeding them. 
• Monitor the pets to ensure they’re getting along.
• Ensure the space is adequate for the amount and size of pets living/staying there.

Carer changeover: 

• If it’s a Pet Sitting booking, organise a Meet & Greet before the booking. If you’ve got time, do regular dog walks or occasional visits to build a bond before the booking starts.
• Be super positive – you want to create a ‘Santa Claus’ persona in the eyes of the dog! Making them feel that you are someone who is comforting, gives treats and cuddles, and looks forward to spending time with them.
• Maintain consistency – attempt to keep the same habits the Owner or previous carer has, such as sleeping in the bed or playing tug which strengthens your bond.
• Respect their boundaries. A dog might not be as comfortable with you as they are their Owner or a previous Carer so don’t rush into things like putting their harness on or picking them up. Listen to their body language and only engage in affection when they ask for it.

Consistency is key when managing a pets behaviour

Eating, drinking, sleeping and exercise habits are what you should prioritise keeping consistent. With any environmental change, if a dog is stressed, one of the first things that will change is their appetite. Like when a dog is nervous around someone new and won’t take treats. When a dog moves environments, they might not know where the water bowl is so it’s important to show them where it is and to keep an eye on how much they’re drinking. If a dog is too unsure to drink, you can always add water to their meals to ensure they’re not dehydrated.

When introducing change, make sure you recognise how environment impacts a pet’s behaviour and ensure you take an accommodating approach. Never just assume that the dog will act exactly as they do at home or as their Owner said, and cater the environment to suit and fill their needs. 

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Here’s a little bit of advice to help them cope through wild winter weather.

What dogs understand about thunderstorms

A dog’s point of view of a thunderstorm is very different to ours, for them, it’s loud noises and flashing lights that have no meaning or source. They don’t understand the concept of weather and how it works or that it’s not harmful like we can which is why some of them have such adverse reactions.

When they’re young we’re able to use habituation to help them become comfortable with storms so they’re not fearful as they grow up, if they develop fear as they get older the good news is we can still help them. Whilst comforting them we can make an effort to create a positive experience and teach them storms aren’t scary regardless of their age.

What to do when they react to thunder

The most important thing to understand when a dog struggles through a thunderstorm is that it’s okay to comfort them.

When a dog is struggling and displaying undesirable behaviour such as barking or being destructive, it is common not to want to ‘reward it’ however, there is a difference between rewarding and comforting. The goal of comforting the dog is to help them get past the fear and stress where they’re not displaying displacement or undesirable behaviours to cope. 

How to comfort a dog during a thunderstorm

• Provide a safe space for them

One key step to comforting them during a thunderstorm is creating a safe space for them, making it cosy and providing a quiet spot where they won’t be disturbed. This can range from their crate, their own bed, or a spot nearby you. Add lots of blankets, preferably with a familiar scent, adding pheromone sprays can also be a great calming tool. The goal is to create a spot that they can curl up into and avoid other disturbances. Avoiding high traffic or noisy areas will help the dog stay calm, if they don’t have to perk up and check every little noise they’ll settle much faster. 

Australian company SASH Beds have a Calming Dog Bed that’s specifically designed to help dogs through any form of anxiety. A deep, donut-shaped bed like this will help them to find a place of sanctuary, where they can curl up and find shelter and safety.

• Distract them with entertainment

Providing them with entertainment will allow them to keep busy or distracted and at times can be calming. Each dog will seek comfort in different activities but long-lasting chews, enrichment snacks, enrichment games, or their favourite toy is a great start. If they’re too stressed to interact with enrichment or toys on their own, spend some time trying to get them engaged and work up to leaving them with the entertainment on their own. 

• Drown out the thunder with a more familiar noise

Competing with the thunder can be very helpful, putting on other noises that drown out or distract the dog from the thunder. Dog TV, children’s movies or music are great ways to settle dogs, there are lots of studies suggesting that classical music can be very effective in calming and helping dogs sleep. 

Encouraging and rewarding calm

When all these efforts to calm the dog are in place, it’s important to reward calm behaviour to teach the dog that it’s okay and create a positive experience with the thunderstorm. Any calm or positive behaviour can be rewarded with treats, praise, cuddles or anything of high value to the dog. Repeating this will help the dog to learn that storms aren’t a fully negative experience. 

Your mood has a huge impact on the dogs in your care, so it’s important that you remain calm and don’t over-arouse them. If you act calm and keep the household relaxed, this will be beneficial for the dog. The same goes for other people or pets in the household – keeping everyone as calm as possible will be very beneficial. 

Lastly, if none of these efforts work after a few tries it might be time to discuss with your local Vet if anxiety medication is an option that may help them cope during these weather occurrences.

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This is one example of the importance of knowing your pet in every situation, and understanding their body language and triggers.

The biggest responsibility of a pet owner or carer is to be their advocate. Pets can’t speak for themselves and often people struggle to read their body language, leaving the pet’s guardian with the responsibility to speak and stand up for them to ensure they can live their happiest and safest life.

To help be the best advocate you can for your pet, evaluating characteristics like arousal levels in dogs will help give a clearer picture when it comes to knowing what to do in any given situation.

Understanding arousal levels in dogs:

Arousal levels are a dog’s level of excitement and mental control, it can completely control their behaviour, if a dog’s arousal level is too high their reasoning can go out the window. The goal is always to avoid hyper-arousal (the red zone) – this is the point at which a dog can not calm itself down and create a logical thought. 

Managing a dog’s arousal level is about more than avoiding a negative reaction from them but it’s also about creating a positive experience for them. As pet guardians, it should be our top priority to make their life as stress-free and positive as possible. Arousal levels in dogs needs to be front of mind in every aspect of our pet’s lives, not just training or when out of the house. The aim is for dogs to be in the green zone as much as possible, this will enable them to get proper rest in the home, enjoy their walks and cope with the everyday human lifestyle. 

A big component that affects arousal levels is our mood, body language and interactions with the dog. Dogs often appear to mimic our mood, this is because they can sense our mood through body language and even scent. This is not the dog mirroring us, this is them trusting our tone so if they sense you are stressed they will be on high alert and vice versa if they sense you are relaxed they are more likely to be relaxed.

This is why it is so important to manage our mood and body language in stressful situations so as not to aggravate the dog’s stress levels in an unideal circumstance. A great example of this is setting the tone for a walk, if you over-excite the dog whilst getting ready for a walk it will start the walk over-stimulated or in the yellow to orange arousal zone and this means the next trigger on the walk good or bad can send them into hyper-arousal. 

Maintaining arousal levels in dogs throughout the day looks different for every dog, it starts with the basics of making sure they’re fed, have water, and get adequate mental and physical stimulation and then it gets more specific to their daily routine. Making sure the basic needs are met creates a great base level to work on for the rest of the day. To be proactive, start by looking at the day ahead and consider the potential or unavoidable triggers for the dog, as simple as vacuuming the house or that it’s bin pick-up day. Then put an action plan into place, occupying them with enrichment or other comforting activities to keep them calm and happy whilst the trigger is occurring. This might take a few goes for them to learn so it helps to work on the proactive behaviour before you need it! 

Managing arousal levels is the best plan of action, however, it’s unrealistic to expect nothing will go wrong so to be able to bring arousal levels down explore what decompression activities work for that pet and keep them handy. Sometimes it might mean not going for a walk and just staying home to play to avoid external factors escalating the situation or it may mean going for a sniff walk for decompression it is purely dependant on the dog and their habits. 

Advocating for your dog

The biggest responsibility of a pet owner or carer is to be their advocate. Dogs can’t speak for themselves and often people struggle to read their body language, this leaves their pet guardian with the responsibility to speak and stand up for them to ensure they can live their happiest and safest life.

Often this can seem confronting, asking strangers in public not to approach or having to say no to that excited little kid who wants to play but it’s crucial to our pet’s wellbeing. The key to being able to advocate properly is knowing the pet well, knowing their regular routine, what they don’t like, their subtle body language cues and much more. A proactive approach to avoid negative experiences is going to be extremely beneficial for the pet short and long term. 

This goes for all pets not just dogs, nowadays people walk all kinds of pets, and everyone has to go to the vet once in a while so getting comfortable speaking up for any pet in your care is important.

Advocating for your dog or pet means putting their needs first, there is no obligation to put them in a situation for the benefit of someone else. This means you do not have to stop on a walk to let people pet them, let other dogs approach or allow anything to happen that might trigger, upset or overstimulate the dog.

The top tips for advocating above detail the easiest ways to ensure you can safely and proactively advocate for them, gaining the confidence to speak up can be difficult so proactivity helps avoid confrontation for you and the dog. 

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Dealing with aggressive behaviour can be confronting if you’re inexperienced or unfamiliar with the dog so it’s important to never put yourself in a situation where you’re not comfortable or don’t feel safe. Often being put in a situation where the dog is displaying aggressive behaviour is out of your control so we’ll provide some of the top tips and tools to get through it safely in the unfortunate event it happens.

Understanding why the aggressive behaviour is occurring is step one to managing the aggression, it’s important to rule out internal and external causes that are causing the dog to be sensitive and creating the reaction. Unknown injuries or illnesses are often an underlying cause for aggressive behaviour because their threshold is much lower when they’re in pain. Another common trigger is fear of losing resources which might not inherently appear as resource guarding due to situational factors like children or other pets being in the home. 

Two most common types of aggression in dogs

Approaching aggression needs to be specific to the scenario, the two most common are unpredictable aggression such as a strange dog rushing up to you at the park trying to bite or predicted aggression where the aggressive behaviour has previously been displayed and you’re approaching the pet cautiously knowing there is potential for aggressive behaviour.

1. Previously displayed aggressive behaviour: 

Working with a dog who has previously shown aggression is much harder, it requires a lot more dedication and caution. Getting to know the dog is crucial, building a bond with them and showing them you know and respect their boundaries is key. Ideally, the owners will be managing the cause of the aggression and can guide you on how to approach trust building and avoid the triggers. 

To begin you need to create a safe space for both you and the dog that enables them to make their own choices. The priority when doing these steps is to ensure the dog is feeling safe and you’re respecting their boundaries. There are a few simple ways to do this: 

– Restrict yourself and not them

Restricting a dog with a lead or barrier is only going to build their frustration and make the aggressive behaviour more likely to occur. When interacting with them to keep yourself safe, put yourself behind a barrier where they are able to freely move about their normal environment and able to sniff near you if they’re curious. Alternatively, if barriers are creating stress you can tether them using a long line where they have space to move around but are restricted without adding to their frustration. 

– Create space

Don’t pressure them in any way to enter your space or force them to move out of it unless you’re in danger. You can guide them to create space with tricks like throwing treats behind them to get them to back up. 

– Give them the choice

Unless there is danger it’s crucial to allow the dog to make their own choices at their pace, let them come up to you and don’t interact with them until they’re asking for attention. 

Once the dog begins to feel safe with you in their environment this is when you can begin working with them to become comfortable with you. This requires a lot of positive reinforcement, starting super simply with rewarding them with treats when they interact with you in a positive way – sniffing you, sitting near you etc. During this stage it’s important to still not interact with them trying to pat them or cuddle them, the goal is to teach them you respect their boundaries which means only physically interacting with them when they ask for it. 

The next stage is extremely dependent on the individual dog so you’ll need to converse with the dog’s owners and or trainer to move forward. Once you know the cause of the aggression it can often be easy to avoid.  Throughout the whole process it’s crucial to remember that your mood and energy greatly impact the dog, so ensure you’re giving off normal and calm body language to put their mind at ease. 

2. Unpredictable aggression in dogs: 

Unfortunately, unpredictable aggression is a scary reality but the good news is there are plenty of techniques to diffuse or avoid the situation safely. The two more common scenarios are a pet in your care or a pet not in your care and they are dealt with similarly. 

The most important thing you can do is remain calm, dealing with aggressive dogs there isn’t much room for error so don’t panic and remember that being prepared can’t hurt. Running away from a dog is only going to escalate the situation, and you won’t be able to outrun them so don’t try. Dealing with a dog not in your care can often be more difficult because more than likely you’ll have 0 control of them. Dealing with a dog in your care means you’re more likely to have control of them by a leash or have access to an immediate barrier to put in like closing a door.

Defensive handling is a great skill to have when caring for a dog who has the potential to act aggressively, it’s all about proactivity. Learning skills such as how to do a leash lock, can be a lifesaver. If you’re using defensive tactics it’s important to implement them in a way that doesn’t add pressure or stress, such as creating leash tension or overstimulating reactions. Apply this logic to any aggressive behaviour, if the behaviour get’s a dramatic response the dog is only going to panic more and it will worsen the behaviour. Often unpredictable behaviour occurs after subtle cues from the dog weren’t noticed, to avoid this it’s safest to only interact with the dog when they’re asking for attention.

Sensitive dogs can often get overstimulated very quickly which is when aggressive behaviour can pop up even if they’ve asked for attention.  The appropriate reaction is to calmly but quickly remove yourself from their space and address the situation accordingly. Removing yourself shows the dog that you understood the warning and that you respect their boundaries. More often than not, a dog’s first snap will not have the intention of reaching you it’s just a warning so it’s your opportunity to let them know you heard them loud and clear. 

Need a helping hand to manage an aggressive dog? Enlist the help of one of the Mad Paws Dog Trainers >

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Having attended a seminar where Moira was a guest speaker, this article highlights some of the key learnings about separation anxiety in dogs and how to manage it.

Separation anxiety will continue regardless of how many times they’ve been exposed and are okay, it needs to be managed and will never fully go away. Showing distress when separated from people who are in sight is not necessarily separation anxiety, often it is just frustration. 

Understanding the severity of your dog’s separation anxiety

Separation anxiety management is different from case to case, to understand the dog’s individual needs you need to conduct an alone time assessment in their most comfortable environment (their own home) which is best done with a trainer to ensure you can get an accurate assessment of their body language and behaviour. 

Once you’ve conducted the alone time assessment you should have an understanding of how severe the separation anxiety is and what tools your dog already uses to help themselves that you can build on. The body language and behaviour that your dog displays will help you understand the length of time it takes them to reach the threshold, their coping strategies, what negative behaviour they display and much more. This insight is what will help a specialised plan to help manage their behaviour.

Separation anxiety can be triggered by a small change, which is why often separation anxiety will appear when a pet stays in a foreign environment like a pet sitter’s home. Confinement, environment, education, energy, health, adaptation skills, and frustration all play a role in how separation anxiety manifests which is why it’s key to understand the cause before starting management techniques.

Training and management are different, whilst some separation anxiety will require training some cases will be able to get by with only management. The severity of the separation anxiety will determine if training is required, if the dog has no capability of trying to calm itself down it is more likely to need training. 

The biggest tool for separation anxiety in dogs? Management.

Management is your biggest tool to combat separation anxiety. Implementing a training and or management plan is the responsibility of the Owner however, because separation anxiety can appear circumstantially – if the separation anxiety presents only in a particular setting, for example – it will need to be a joint effort to combat it. 

So, how do we start managing separation anxiety? A gradual introduction of controlled absences.

Gradual introduction of controlled absences:

Controlled absences will look different for each dog based on their arousal levels, coping mechanisms etc so reflect on the alone time assessment to create a starting point. For some dogs the closing of the door could be the trigger so combatting this might be a huge help, for others it might be a fear of noise so leaving on music or doggie tv can be helpful, this is why each plan needs to be specialised and there isn’t a single approach. 

Attachment to people plays a role in separation anxiety, hyper-attachment to their owner, fear of new people, and abandonment issues, can all trigger separation anxiety. Providing dogs with plenty of safe opportunities to bond with different people is a great way to avoid separation anxiety manifesting when they’re put into different environments with different people.

Separation anxiety is one of the most common behavioural hurdles dogs face in a post-covid world so it’s important to know the what, why, how and who in order to help reduce the occurrence and severity.

For more information on this topic, read this previously published article on how to calm an anxious dog >

The post How to identify and manage separation anxiety in dogs appeared first on Mad Paws.

The good news is there are always opportunities for them to learn. Whilst there are optimal times for training and we want to ensure that a dog is in the ideal mindset, it’s important to remember that our dogs are always learning, even when we’re not teaching them so we need to optimise learning opportunities. 

Training during the optimum arousal levels

There is no right time of day for every dog, but there is a mindset and time frame that we can optimise and this is what the ‘right time’ means. The most important factor in creating the right time is the dog’s arousal levels; referring to the image below, the green zone is ideal and the yellow is still functional. Environmental factors largely contribute to creating the right time, taking into consideration things that might influence the dog’s mood such as other dogs or loud noises like construction, music or yelling. Environmental factors are primarily influential at the time they’re present, but it’s important to consider the after-effects of them and that a dog will need time to decompress to get back to a stable arousal level. For example, if a dog is afraid of thunderstorms and there is a nasty storm it’s best to wait several hours or a day before focusing on training and instead prioritise a positive environment and comforting them back to an ideal mindset. 

External factors influencing training

External factors are easy to spot and often avoid, internal factors that contribute to the dog’s mindset can be more difficult to interpret or understand as they can’t simply tell us how they feel. Sleep, diet, hunger, health, pain, and mood are very impactful on how a dog can respond and learn. It won’t always be easy to tell something isn’t right until you try and the dog shows they’re not able to focus or listen.

When a dog’s internal balance is off if they’re tired, too full or not feeling well it inhibits their ability to focus and therefore their ability to learn. Whilst these factors are not completely controllable, we can make an environment that enables them to make the right decisions and optimise their internal environment. Simple things like putting their bed in low-traffic areas so they can get un-interrupted rest and sticking to a routine for eating, exercise and social interactions.

As a Sitter, it can be increasingly difficult to control this when the dog is moving environments or undergoing change like having the owners away so, it’s important to make an extra effort to nurture factors like this that impact their internal well-being.

How to determine the ‘right time’ for dog training

The real question is, how do we know it’s the right time? There are a few ways to help determine if the ideal training window is open but the easiest way to tell is by knowing a dog and understanding their body language. Dogs thrive off of routine, as carers, a routine helps us gauge their mood throughout the day and other important factors like when they’re hungry, normally rest or toilet.

Putting these two components together, you can gauge a good prediction of a dog’s headspace. Body language is such a powerful tool because it’s how dogs communicate with us, for example, if a dog was yawning lots, itching and hyper-aware of their surroundings they’re most likely stressed and it would be an awful time to do some training. A great example of a ‘right time’ to train would be after a dog has had their morning nap post brekkie and it’s not too hot. They’ll be well-fed and rested and looking for something to do until their next nap.

It’s all about context, if a dog is super food motivated it’s okay to use their meal to train so starting a session hungry is a positive. It’s useful to do some decompression before a training session to help bring the dog to a stable arousal level, for example letting them sniff around the park for a while before starting a training session. 

This time can be tricky to catch when you’re not with the dog 24/7, as a dog walker or trainer schedules a time to see the dog they can’t just wait until the dog is ready. This is where it’s important to be proactive and communicate with the Owner to create an ideal environment and time. You can run through the routine with the Owner to figure out an ideal time to try, then encourage the Owner to make an effort to maintain a good arousal level. 

Tips for Owners:

• Avoid the ‘walkies’ hype, this can be done by staying calm whilst preparing for a walk or training session and making efforts to keep the dog calm like getting them to sit while putting on the harness. Ideally, maintain a calm environment for a minimum of an hour before the session. 
• Ensure the dog has had an opportunity to get ample rest before the session. 
• Practice, practice, practice. The more Owners can reinforce the training and good behaviour at home the smoother and faster training will progress.
• Advocate for the dog. It’s not the job of the dog or Owner to please others so tell them it’s okay for them to say no if it’s going to make the dog uncomfortable or impact their training. 
• Never stop. Training is never ‘done’ especially when it’s with behaviour like reactivity, so remind the Owners they need to work and maintain the training even when you’re not working with the dog.

What to do if it’s not the right time for dog training?

Unfortunately, there will always be times when you start a session and the dog’s not in the right frame of mind, or an incident will happen and derail the session and it’s important to quit while you’re ahead. It’s crucial to keep training and working with a dog as positive and fun for them as possible, so when the dog shows us they’re not having a good time or able to focus it’s time to switch to decompression mode and provide them with an appropriate outlet to decompress and rest. 

If you’re unsure or still learning the dog’s specific body language you can always test out the waters by asking for some simple tasks like sit or anything they already know and gauge their current attention span. Capturing that ‘right time’ where their arousal levels are steady and there are minimal distractions is going to optimise any training you do.

Once you’ve got any training down pat you can start increasing the difficulty, by increasing the distance or distractions depending on the specific training. Remember, there is a lot of work that goes into nurturing a dog for the ‘right time’ so have realistic expectations and work to their strengths for an optimal outcome. 

Need a helping hand to train your dog?
Search for a Mad Paws Dog Trainer >

The post When is the ‘right time’ to do training? appeared first on Mad Paws.

The benefits of crate training a dog

Crate training also benefits the dog’s well-being when they go to a vet or groomer where they’re kept in a cage throughout the day as they will be significantly less stressed. It’s important to consult a force-free/positive reinforcement trainer on crate training a dog to ensure their other quirks/training regime is aligned.

Where a Pet Sitter is assisting with crate training a dog, always consult the Owner before commencing.

What not to do when crate training a dog

This guide is a general flow of how to crate train a dog but ensure to tailor it to each individual dog for success. At no point should a dog be left in a crate crying, barking or howling in distress. “Letting them cry it out” is not an appropriate training method. An un-crate trained dog can cause serious harm or injury to themselves if left unattended in a crate.

The steps work best for a dog with no previous training, a dog who was improperly crate trained or has a negative experience with a crate will need much more training to de-sensitise them.

10 steps to crate training a dog

Step 1: Get a crate suitable to the size of the dog. The crate must be at least big enough for them to stand up and turn around, ideally not too much space that they can run around.

Step 2: Ensure the crate is secure and sturdy. If it’s a pull-up, secure it with zip ties or alternatives to avoid any chance of the crate collapsing or busting open while the dog is left unattended. 

Step 3: Make the crate welcoming and comfy, adding in a pet bed, blanket or other items. Ensure the items are not a choking or strangling hazard if the dog is going to be left alone or unsupervised. 

Step 4: Introduce the dog to the crate, letting them sniff around and explore it – rewarding them for being close or in it. DO NOT close the door at this stage if they go in. Once they’re comfortable doing this a few times you can move to the next step. 

Step 5: Begin introducing the dog to entering the crate, throwing treats in there for them to get and rewarding them again when they go in. Just make sure you know how to properly use treats to train your dog – DO NOT close the door at this stage if they go in. Create the association that entering the crate = reward! Rewards can be treats, cuddles, praise, play or anything of value to the dog. Do this multiple times until the dog is very comfortable. 

Step 6: Once the dog is comfortable going in the crate, a good indication is if they’re choosing to go in there by choice to ask for a treat rather than being coaxed in, then you can start working on getting them to sit, stay and lay down in the crate. This should be one step at a time and with lots of rewards! 

Step 7: Hopefully by this point, the dog will be choosing to go into the crate on their own accord and spend some time in there with the door open. This is when you can look to start closing the door. When they’re extremely comfortable in the crate, you can start closing the door and re-opening it immediately. If the dog stays calm you can reward them. If they react negatively, continue step 6 and try again at a later date. If they’re comfortable, close the door (re-opening it straight away) multiple times each time they’re in the crate, rewarding them each time. 

Step 8: Once the dog is very comfortable with the door being closed, you can start keeping the door closed for short periods. If the dog begins to whine, bark or stress they are not ready for this step! Depending on how comfortable the dog is with the crate and your motivations for crate training,  you can start by leaving them in the crate with the door closed and something to do like a kong, licking mat or snuffle toy while you supervise. Repeat this many times building up from a few minutes until the time you require, until you’re confident the dog will not be stressed if left unsupervised in the crate. 

Step 9: The next step is to leave them unsupervised in the crate for the first time. Start with very small increments (minutes) of time and work your way up until they’re ready. This will be very different for every dog, do not leave them in there if they’re barking, crying or stressed in any way. Repeat this many times building up from a few minutes until the time you require, until you’re confident the dog will not be stressed if left unsupervised in the crate. 

Step 10: Remember to never leave the dog in the crate with any hazards, ensure they have an easy-release collar that will unclip if caught or remove their collar altogether. Don’t leave any toys, treats or chews that are a choking hazard or risk of getting stuck. Most importantly never leave them if they will be stressed and attempt to get out this can cause serious injury. 

How dog crates can be useful:

• To separate dogs. Whether it be they don’t know when to stop playing or for feeding time it helps keep them safe and provides an opportunity to rest. 
• To secure them whilst opening doors, cleaning up a dangerous mess, having a tradie or guest over, or keeping them out of any negative situation. 
• To keep them secure if leaving them alone or unsupervised.

Would prefer some expert help?

Find a Dog Trainer near you to help get started with crate training your dog. 

The post 10 steps to crate training your dog appeared first on Mad Paws.

What is reactivity in dogs?

Reactivity refers to when a dog overreacts to a certain stimulus. Reactivity is commonly mistaken for aggression, and there is a big misconception when a dog is reactive this only refers to reacting to other dogs. The reality is that a dog can be reactive to anything, cars, strangers, cats and dogs are just the most common trigger.

Reactivity is much more complicated than it seems, understanding the triggers or causes for the reactivity is the first step to managing it. Reactivity can be caused by almost anything; genetics, training, previous experiences, lack of socialisation, or a combination of things.

Whilst reactivity is not something that can be ‘cured’ it can be managed, and we can help our dogs feel safe and decrease their likelihood of reacting. A crucial thing to remember is that dogs show aggression when they reach their threshold, and just because a dog shows signs of aggression this does not mean they’re aggressive. 

Trigger stacking: what it means

Each dog has their own threshold, some dogs are much less likely to react for the same reasons that another dog is likely to react. For example, if one dog was raised being very well socialised and taught how to be comfortable in new environments they are less likely to react when visiting a new park as opposed to a dog who was not socialised or had a traumatic adolescence.

We can measure a dog’s threshold with triggers, trigger stacking is often what will cause a reaction. Trigger stacking is when several separate events happen at different times or one after the other and the dog does not have time to calm down or return to base-level arousal causing a reaction that likely wouldn’t have happened if the events occurred individually.

In the example above you can see a prime example of how trigger stacking on a walk occurs, whilst the initial visit from a postie would have triggered them it wouldn’t have caused a reaction, but in the next 20 minutes they have to cope with the stress of getting ready for a walk, walking past a cat and then having a dog bark at them and it all becomes too much so they react. A reaction is an act of desperation, they have reached a point where any fiddle or freeze signals were missed or ignored or their brain switched to danger mode and they felt they had no other choice.

Another component of reactivity to consider is what can be referred to as ‘sensitivity’. A lot of dogs can be labelled as reactive when the root of their problem is sensitivity – some dogs simply just don’t like stuff; whether it be other dogs, raised voices or cars. Sensitivity creates a reaction that is milder like cowering, attention seeking, shaking or whimpering. Often when sensitivity is ignored it can create reactivity, especially considering many of the potential causes are the same. 

Reactivity management is individual to the dog and needs to be treated as such. This is why for any dog experiencing issues with sensitivity or reactivity their management plan needs to be different and should be structured by a certified force-free/positive reinforcement trainer. The goal is to make our dogs feel safe and comfortable so they don’t feel the need to react or get passed their threshold. 

How to reduce reactivity in dogs:

Tips when meeting or approaching an anxious dog

1. Communicate with the owner about what makes them anxious and determine what steps you can take to minimise this.
   – Do they not like when people wear hats or sunglasses?
   – What behaviour do they display? E.g. Aggression, shyness?
   – Do they take treats when they’re nervous?
2. Let them come to you. Give the dog time to get comfortable before approaching or communicating with them. 
3. Have plenty of treats!
4. Maintain calmness, from you and the Owner. 
5. Choose a suitable environment. Ask the Owner where they are most comfortable and relaxed and meet there if suitable 

Bonding with triggered or anxious dogs

Anxiety in dogs is at an all-time high thanks to the covid lifestyle, and as Sitters, it can often be hard to win over a dog who is attached at the hip to its owner. Often dogs who are extremely attached to their owner can be less comfortable around new people. 

The endless reasons that cause anxiety in dogs mean that each requires an individual approach to bond with the dog. The basic rule of thumb when it comes to anxious dogs is to do it at their pace, which is often going to be extremely slow. It is crucial to not be overbearing and force any affection or situation on them, that will only increase their anxiety. You need to let them come to you.

What does ‘let them come to you’ mean?

Take it as an extreme, take no action until the dog has invited you to do so. When a dog is anxious before they get comfortable it will go through a phase of curiosity where they are still making up its mind about you. It is crucial to apply this mentality to the entire relationship with the dog, not just the initial greeting. You need to be able to understand and identify the difference between seeking information and seeking attention.

When a dog is seeking information it might be in your personal space, sniffing, licking and watching you but this is not a signal they’re comfortable just yet. During this time it’s important to not react, just stay calm, still and quiet allowing them to check you out. If they’re doing well you can throw some treats their way or if they’re willing offer them in your hand – this helps create a positive association.

When a dog seeks attention or affection they will display very different behaviour, and with anxious dogs, this might not always occur so there are two ways to measure if they’re comfortable. The first is when they seek attention, they will be nudging you, possibly whining, pawing at you, sitting on your lap or trying to initiate play. These are all signs they’re inviting you to make contact so it’s okay to initiate contact, but important to keep rewarding them and taking breaks making sure they come back for more before you give it to them! The second way to tell is if they return to their routine or activities, this indicates that they’re comfortable with you being there, but they don’t want attention or cuddles and this is perfectly normal for lots of dogs.

The initial meeting is crucial as it can set the tone for your relationship, so starting off on the right paw needs to be a top priority. Moving forward from the initial meeting, you need to continue to build trust, it’s very rare that after one positive interaction an anxious dog will be won over. This can be done by continuing to go at their pace, only giving them affection with them when invited and beginning to initiate some of their favourite activities. This can mean playing fetch, feeding them treats, playing in the yard or even as simple as going on a walk. Keep in mind their arousal levels at all times to keep them calm and happy.

To continue building the bond it is important to keep every interaction as positive as possible and on their terms when safe to do so. Whilst earning trust is the first step is only the beginning of building a relationship it takes time for a dog to let their guard down. When considering taking on a new client with anxiety, discuss with the Owner the best course of action to build their trust.

The best course of action to suggest is multiple Meet & Greets, make the effort to spend time with the Owner and pet several times before the booking starts – especially for long-term stays. If the booking is for day care or dog walks encourage the Owner to book times when they’re available so you can work together to earn the dogs trust and work up to do the walk or daycare on your own when the dog is comfortable.

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