Certain Behaviors Your Dog May Exhibit

Certain Behaviors Your Dog May Exhibit

Your dog may start to exhibit several types of common behaviors after moving into your new home. In order to understand and to resolve the condition, ask yourself these questions, which may help to narrow down the cause of the problem.

1. Are these behaviors new or pre-existing? 

2. If they are new, did the problems start due to the stress of moving into a new environment? 

3. If they were pre-existing, did the confinement and restrictions of the apartment intensify the problem?

Your dog is happy to be with you and not outside in a yard.

Dogs are very social animals. All dogs want to be with their pack, which, in this case, is you. If your dog is isolated from his or her pack, then a variety of behavior problems can start. These behaviors can range in severity, from barking to destructive behavior to self mutilation. One of the benefits of apartment living is that when you are home your dog can only be inside with you, which makes the dog happiest. 

What Kinds of Behaviors to Look For.

Separation anxiety

Separation anxiety occurs when an animal is left alone, and the dog experiences anxiety and panic from the isolation. Many training techniques are available to help you help your dog deal with separation anxiety. There are also a number of different types of toys that can be used to help reduce separation anxiety in dogs.  

For more information on separation anxiety:
“Separation Anxiety” 

And 

“Types of Dog Toys Available”

Housetraining and housetraining problems 

For more information on housetraining:

“Housetrain Your Dog in One Month”

Barking, whining, and howling

Barking, whining or howling are usually symptoms of another problem. Other than its effect in attracting neighbor complaints, these behaviors are not the problem. In reality, your dog is having another problem in another area, and is expressing this problem by vocalizing to express his or her need. A common problem the dog could be expressing is boredom. Another common problem to which your dog might alert you to is an excess of energy. Although they may be related problems and appear similar, they are not the same. Boredom stems from a lack of mental exercise, while an excess of energy arises from a lack of physical exercise. When your dog is left alone for long periods of time without the opportunity to play or to exercise, vocalization is one method of expressing the resulting frustration. 

It is possible to resolve this problem in several ways. Prior to leaving your apartment for long stretches of time, take your dog out for a long walk. You may want to play with him or her by throwing a ball or a toy for a little while. Use caution when engaging in active play, however, and allow your dog a “cool down” period before leaving the house. Activity that releases energy is a positive thing. It will get your dog tired, so your dog will sleep, hopefully, for a few hours until you get home. You can also use this time to work on some obedience exercises to work your dog’s mind, which can also make them tired. However, too much activity immediately before your leaving will leave the dog in an excited state, potentially leading to an increase in anxiety.

Another option is to hire a dog walker to come in during the day to take your dog out for a walk. The dog walker can walk them in your neighborhood, or some will take the dog to a dog park for play or to a local park for a long walk. 

Doggie daycare is becoming a popular option to bring your dog to during the day so your dog has the ability to play with other dogs and humans. Your dog should be relaxed at the end of the day, exhausted from a full day of running and playing (and an occasional nap). Doggie day care is best for highly social or highly active dogs who have no other pet at home with them.

Ongoing barking is also a symptom of being separated from their pack for long periods of time. If your dog is very social and thrives on the company of other pack members, then many times, having another pack member with him or her to spend the long hours with can help reduce frustration at being alone. Providing another pack member would mean bringing another dog into your home as a companion for your dog. Check your rental agreement and with your landlord prior to bringing a new pet home. Finding the right fit between your dog and a new companion for your dog requires some thought about your dog’s individual personality. Has your dog had experience socializing with other dogs? Are they generally friendly when they meet other dogs? Does your dog play rough or easy with other dogs? Although some households are successful in blending groups of dogs that are of completely different sizes, like a Chihuahua and a Great Dane, matching dogs that are compatible in age, size, personality and temperament is usually best.

Self Mutilation:

Self mutilation is an extremely serious problem that, in many cases, requires the attention of an animal behaviorist. Dogs that self mutilate chew on themselves instead of an object or lick themselves until they develop bleeding or weeping sores. Self mutilation occurs in response to many different stressors. Your dog may have developed a sore or hot spot, started to clean it by licking it and then was not able to stop if the behavior becomes obsessive. Some dogs chew on their paws if they have allergies or sometimes out of boredom. Some dogs also self mutilate as part of separation anxiety. Once your dog develops the habit of chewing on themselves it can develop into an obsessive habit, which can be difficult to stop. 

For more information on self mutilation:

“Self Mutilation”

Chewing on undesirable objects

This habit usually starts when the dog is a puppy and needs to chew because they are teething or growing in new teeth. Once they develop the habit of chewing, then the chewing becomes self rewarding: they have a desire to chew, they chew on the leg of the chair, they relieve some tension and they feel good. The intention is to predict that the puppy will need to chew, have the proper chew toys when this need arises, rather than having the dog find the nearest object to chew on like a piece of furniture or your new $100 shoes. From the beginning, teach the dog the proper toys to chew on, don’t let the habit develop of chewing on the wrong things by leaving the dog unattended, and you will be on the way to raising a dog that knows the proper things to chew on when their need arises. 

For more information on ways to stop chewing:
“Types of Dog Toys Available.”

Your dog’s problem seems to occur when left alone. 

Here are some basic steps to follow to begin to acclimate your dog to feeling secure when you leave.

Your dog might need a crate when left alone to help them feel more comfortable and secure and safe.

For more information about crate training: 

“Training Your Dog to a Crate/Kennel”

If you don’t need a crate, is there a room where the dog feels most comfortable like a bedroom, kitchen, hallway or bathroom?

Another helpful suggestion to ease your dog’s tension about being left alone would be to leave the TV or radio on with calming music, which could simulate your presence and comfort your dog. I have also heard of people recording a tape of the sounds when they are home, and playing this tape on a continuous loop player. This also can help to drown out outside noise from the street, which can cause your dog to bark or feel frustrated and reactive to all the new sounds. 

Your dog’s anxiety may stem from a lack of having their own private space. I would recommend using this “private space” as part of the area where the dog is left when you are not at home. For example, if the dog’s safe place is in your bedroom or another bedroom, you have the ability to secure the room with a door or baby gate, and the ability to dog-proof the room, I would use this spot in the place to leave your dog when you are away. 

For more information on giving your dog their own space:

“Dogs Needs to Have Their Own Space”

This area would need to be able to be “dog-proofed” easily and on a regular basis. Dog proofing would include removing all access to garbage cans, food, laundry, loose plastic bags, drapery or blind cords and the ability to open and close dresser drawers. I have heard of stories of dogs swallowing whole socks they pulled from the drawers. 

It would be best if this room could be made to be dark, like closing any blinds or drapes, but still be able to have the ability to open and close windows for fresh air, without allowing the dog access to jump out. Also, if the windows could be high enough so the dog cannot see out, this would prevent him from being able to see traffic outside and barking. 

I would recommend that this area be as small as possible to offer the dog a sense of comfort and security. Many times if a dog has a larger area to wander around in, they tend to find more situations to get into trouble.

I would choose a spot that can be used consistently every time you are away. This would help to create a routine and habit of being successful for the dog. It would also help when you are in a hurry to leave. You need to always be sure that the room is dog-proof without having to take the chance some food wrapper is left under the bed or on a piece of furniture, and the dog finds it later. 

Author’s note: 

I will retell two tragic stories told to me by their owners about how their dogs died when left alone inside the house. Both owners came home to find their dogs dead. The first story is about a young Rottweiler that must have been barking at something outside the living room window, and the dog became entangled in the drapery cords and strangled. 

A second story is of a small dog who had suffocated when a plastic shopping bag got stuck around its head, probably when it went into the bag to look for something. 

Both owners told me they never would have thought that either of these items commonly found in a home could ever cause any harm to their pets. 

I have a story of my own dog, Scout, when I forgot about something I had left on the desk. Usually, I don’t buy gum, but this one time I did, and I left the packages up on my desk in a storage bid. Well, sometime during the day Scout found those four packages, climbed onto the desk (quite a feat for a 10 year old dog) pulled the gum packages out of the storage trays and began to pop out each piece one by one until each package was empty. I found the remains of the packages later that day when I came home from work. If that gum had contained xylitol then Scout’s escapade could have been deadly, since that chemical has been known to be lethal to dogs.

I have another story of when I failed to leave my dogs in a dog-proof room, and did not double check the surrounding area for anything potentially dangerous. Usually, the dogs are left in my bedroom with the doors closed. This night I was in a rush to go to the movies on a Saturday night. Scout was asleep in her favorite chair in the living room, and I didn’t want to bother to move her into the bedroom. I walked out forgetting about the two packages of chocolate M&Ms on the kitchen table. When I came back later than night I found just the wrappings of the two M&Ms packages on the hallway floor. I found Scout under the bed, supposedly OK. I called the animal emergency right away, and they suggested inducing vomiting immediately with Hydrogen Peroxide. After three attempts, I could not get Scout to vomit up the chocolate, and the vet said to bring her to their hospital to get her stomach pumped. After sitting in the waiting room at the hospital for over an hour waiting to see the vet, Scout vomited up all the chocolate right onto the floor.

How much exercise does my dog need?

For more information about exercising your dog:

“Exercise is Important for Your Dog’s Health” 

What kind of training does my dog need?

For more information on dog training:

“Choosing a Trainer and Classes for Your Dog”