1. You鈥檙e not giving him enough exercise:
If you鈥檙e gone 12 hours a day, and your dog鈥檚 walk consists of a quick dash into the backyard, you鈥檙e not providing your pet with adequate opportunities to use up all his energy. Instead, the聽excess will go into chewing your shoes, stealing your food, or scratching your walls. As the old saying goes, 鈥淎 tired dog is a good dog.鈥�
2. You haven鈥檛 trained him enough:
It sounds like a no-brainer, but if your dog鈥檚 training stopped after he learned to sit, lie down, and go to the bathroom outside, you need to up your game. And don鈥檛 believe what they say: You聽can聽teach an old dog new tricks. Try to introduce聽a new command a week, and practice old ones with him. Besides being able to understand what you want him to do, the mental work involved in him聽learning commands will tire him out as well.
3. You鈥檙e reinforcing his bad behavior:
If your dog is barking for attention, how do you respond? Do you yell at him to stop? Guess what? You just gave him what he wanted. Or if he steals a hot dog roll off the counter, do you yell at him then watch, defeated, as he eats it? Again, you鈥檙e letting him know his bad behavior paid off. Think about what your dog is trying to accomplish when he鈥檚 misbehaving and don鈥檛 allow him to be聽rewarded for it. Instead, give him an opportunity to succeed (for example, tell the begging dog to go to his place and lie down, and give him a treat when he does).
4. You don鈥檛 know your dog鈥檚 breed:
This goes hand-in-hand with #1. If you have a聽Border Collie聽who is terrorizing your home, but you give him a walk each morning and night, you might think you鈥檝e fulfilled the exercise requirement, right? Wrong. While a twice-daily walk might suffice for a breed like a聽Greyhound聽or a Labrador Retriever, Border Collies were bred to work and need opportunities to run and 鈥渄o a job.鈥� A fast-paced game of fetch should do the trick, but聽sports like agility聽offer the kind of structure and exercise this breed needs (and you can earn titles and ribbons in the process!).
5. You鈥檙e dealing with an adolescent:
OK鈥攖his one isn鈥檛 necessarily your fault, but the way you respond to it can make a difference in your dog鈥檚 behavior. Like humans, dogs go through a rebellious 鈥渢eenager鈥� phase (around 5 months to 18 months). During this time, they鈥檒l often test their owners, seeing what they can get away with. Being firm and consistent with your training will help establish boundaries. And be patient! They鈥檒l grow out of it.
One great way to introduce your dog to better behavior is getting him involved in Canine Good Citizen, which will make him a more well-mannered dog聽and you a more responsible dog owner!