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Scratching Doors
Dogs do what works for them! If the dog learns he can get your attention by scratching on the door, then that behavior will continue. For many unwanted behaviors, simply ignoring the behavior until it ‘extinguishes’ is the answer, but this wouldn’t be a good time for that strategy (unless you want a hole scratched in your door!). The first step would be to try to understand why your dog is scratching on the door, and take measures to address that. Is the dog getting outdoors for potty breaks frequently enough? Is the dog left outside alone too long? Think about re-arranging things so the condition that’s causing the scratching is reduced or eliminated.

Once you know what the situation is and have taken steps to alleviate it, you may still have some scratching going on; old habits are hard to break! You can discourage further scratching by temporarily modifying the environment to make scratching less attractive. For instance, attaching some double-side sticky tape on the door usually is effective; the dogs seem to dislike the feeling of the sticky stuff on their paws. Or get some carpet runner from your local home improvement store (the kind that comes in long plastic sheets, smooth on one side and with pointy little bumps on the other side). Attach that to the door where the dog scratches, pointy-side up. The dog won’t care for the feel of the bumps on his paws, and usually quit. Installing a plexiglass panel can also discourage scratching; if the dog’s toenails don’t have anything to ‘catch onto’, scratching becomes less interesting (and knowing your door’s not being destroyed can help you ignore the behavior until it goes away on its own).

Jumping on People
Discourage “going vertical” by heavily reinforcing ‘sits’ and ‘downs’. Jumping up on people is a ‘self-reinforcing’ behavior (that means it feels good enough just doing it to justify continuing to do it). Dogs jump up to get some ‘face time’ with people they want to greet; this is similar to the greeting style of many dogs with other dogs, but doesn’t make it in the realm of human etiquette. But if you teach the dog it feels just as good or better to ‘sit’ when approaching a human, that new behavior will quickly replace the old one. NEVER push a dog off you (this makes jumping up worse!) OR ‘knee’ the dog; it’s not effective and someone’s going to get hurt. And hollering as the dog will only add to the excitement level and probably make the jumping more vigorous.

Jumping on Furniture
Again, heavily reinforce ‘sits’ and ‘downs’. If you have a problem with the dog jumping on the furniture while you’re sitting on it, have your dog wear a leash or drag line indoors until you can get the behavior under control. If the dog jumps up on the sofa while you’re there, grab the dog’s leash (not his collar!) and gently guide (not yank!) him to the floor while saying (not hollering) “Off!”. If the dog tries again, repeat the exercise. If the dog tries again, just guide him back to the floor, say “Off!” and put your foot on his leash so that he’s not able to climb back up. While he’s on the floor, reinforce the sits and downs, and before long, the attempts to jump up will cease.

If the dog jumps on the furniture while you’re not around, make it impossible for him to do so by placing empty cardboard boxes on the sofa and chairs so that there’s no room for him to get up. If you size your boxes properly, you can nest them one inside the other for storage while you’re not using them. Or you can get some more carpet runner and lay that bumpy side up on the chairs and sofa cushions; I haven’t found a dog yet who wanted to take a nap on that stuff. Once your dog has gotten out of the habit of jumping on the furniture (usually 3-4) weeks, you can put the carpet runner away for another day.

Bolting out of Doors
The best solution for this is to teach your dog a simple ‘stay’. Start in a low distraction environment in the house (some quiet room where not much is going on), and then gradually move from room to room until you’re in proximity to the door. When working around open doors, make sure the dog is wearing a leash and is under control; having a helper for this is safest. A good trainer should be able to help you teach this behavior solidly in just a couple of sessions.

Barking and Howling
Try to understand the reason for barking. If the dog is being over-stimulated by people walking by the yard, make some changes to the fence or yard to block the dog’s visual access; most dogs won’t bark at things they can’t see. The dog could also be reacting out of fear or anxiety; it’s always a good idea to consult a behavior specialist to determine the cause and proper solution for this.

Chewing Shoes and Other Objects
Chewing is a natural behavior for dogs; they NEED to chew. So give your dog plenty of things to chew that HE likes (the cute dog toys you like aren’t necessarily his first choice!). The stuffed Kong toy is a big favorite, as are most other natural chew products (bully sticks, cow ears, raw natural bones). Be a good housekeeper and make sure the dog does NOT have access to things he shouldn’t be chewing on. If you find your dog chewing on something inappropriate, then substitute a better choice. Do NOT chase or holler at the dog, since getting into a confrontation over an object is a great way to make your relationship with your dog go south fast!

Begging for Food
If you don’t feed the dog from your plate or the table, you won’t teach him to beg. If your dog is obnoxious about asking for a handout, then tether or crate him away from where people are eating so he can’t develop the habit of begging; make sure you give him something good to chew while he’s confined away from you, so it’s a positive experience.

Stealing Food
Counter counter-surfing with good housekeeping. Remember, dogs are scavengers, so if you leave food out unattended, their ‘factory settings’ DEMAND that they take it. So we have to work with that. Keep edibles off the counter completely is the best strategy. If your dog has already developed something of a counter-surfing habit, attach some two-sided tape to the edge of the counter where the dog’s paws would land; that should discourage the behavior. Or get the carpet runner you used to discourage the dog from getting on the sofa out of the closet or garage, and attach strips of that to the edge of your counters. Works just the same way!
Pulling on the Leash
This is just another basic dogs-being-dogs behavior. If your dog pulls, he’s not attempting to assert leadership or dominate you; he’s just trying to get where he wants to go. If you’re interested in training, take a good dog class to learn some simple techniques to help you head off pulling. If you’re not interested in training, get a Gentle Leader head collar or Easy Walk harness (www.premier.com <http://www.premier.com/>). Both devices are simple and humane ways to reduce or eliminate leash-pulling without damaging you, your dog or your relationship!

Refusing Commands
Ha! Dogs don’t ‘refuse’ to behave or have selective hearing. If your dog really knew what you wanted, he’d do it every time. Dogs that don’t ‘sit’ every time you ask them to are just not well-trained enough. So get thee to a good dog class and learn a few things about your dog and dog-training. Or buy a great DVD such as “Train Your Dog”, featuring Nicole Wilde and Laura Bourhenne.

Eating Poop
Some dogs eat their own poop, or the poop of other dogs (or both!). There can be lots of reasons for this including:

If Rover's chewing through your shoe collection or raiding the trash, don’t take it personally; he’s not trying to get on your nerves, he’s just being a dog. Unless you teach your dog the behavior you want, pup will just do what comes naturally.

Most humans have unrealistic expectations of their dogs; they want them to act more human! The stuff that most gets dogs in trouble in the human world is mostly those unique qualities that make them dogs. So unless you can figure out how to change your pooch’s DNA, it’s probably helpful to understand something about how a dog works, so you can develop a successful plan for teaching your dog to behave the way you want, and head off problem habits before they start!

Here are some of the most common canine behavior complaints we hear from human. Many can be addressed just by making simple changes in the environment, others require some training, while still others suggest that professional help is needed:

Raiding the Trash
Simply, put a lid on it! Dogs are natural scavengers. If your dog’s destiny had taken a different turn, he’d be out there in the big world fending for himself, so dogs are built with a natural tendency to forage and search for ‘good stuff.’ So get a trash can with a secure cover, and keep the trash can closed. For more tantalizing tidbits, use your sink’s garbage disposal to get rid of temptation, or bag it and carry it out to the big bin to avoid all temptation. Give your dog other activities that satisfy his urge to forage. You can do this by throwing a handful of kibble out on the back lawn for him to find, or getting a treat dispensing toy you can fill with kibble. Most dogs will ultimately find these activities more rewarding that tipping over the trash.

Digging
Digging is another natural behavior for dogs, and can have a variety of motivations. Terriers are programmed to dig to find or chase prey. Some dogs dig down a few inches to find some cooler earth on a hot day. Some dogs just dig out of boredom if they’re left alone too long with nothing else to do! You can reduce or eliminate destructive digging in a number of ways:

	If you have to leave your dog outside for extended periods of time, give him something to do to relieve the boredom. Try leaving him with a super meaty raw bone to work on, or perhaps a Kong toy stuffed with delicious stuff (visit www.KongCompany.com for ideas and recipes!).
	Make sure your dog is getting plenty of exercise! The vast majority of house dogs are very under-exercised. Exercise ‘frustration’ can lead to a dog’s developing all kinds of unwanted behaviors.
	If you think your dog is making a ‘sleeping pit’ for himself, make sure he has plenty of shade in the yard. You can also get a raised bed, or self-cooling dog mattress for use outdoors; either of these options will provide a much cooler napping place than the ground, and should eliminate the problem.
	Designate a place where the dog has permission to dig. This may be a sandbox or an out-of-the-way section of yard. Teach your dog to dig there by burying a toy or treat, then encourage and praise your dog for digging only in that area.

If you’ve instituted the proper changes in the environment to discourage or eliminate the poop-eating, but still have the behavior going on, you may just have a bad habit. Many dogs will cease eating feces if you add some crushed pineapple to each meal; apparently something about the character of the pineapple renders the poop less attractive to the canine palate! There are commercial deterrents available, such as Forbid! and Deter; these are products you add to the dog’s food, but I haven’t found them to be effective.

Barbara Davis, CPDT, CDBC
BADDogsInc LLC

	A nutritional deficit. You can have your dog checked by a vet to determine if this is a problem.
	Cheap-o dog food. Many brands of inexpensive dog food have ingredients the dogs will eat readily, but can’t digest. So the dog poop comes out full of interesting food stuff your dog is happy to eat again. Get a better brand of dog food!
	Over-feeding. Dogs feed too much at each meal will pass stools containing a larger proportion of undigested nutrients then dogs who are fed appropriate amounts for their size. Quit overfeeding.
	Feeding too infrequently. Dogs should get their daily ration served up twice a day to optimize the digestive process and get the most nutrition from each meal. Dogs fed once a day may pass stools with lots of undigested nutrients that they’ll happily consume for their own ‘second meal’.
	Boredom! Remember, dogs that are bored and/or under-exercised will figure out lots of activities on their own to stay busy with, and they’re almost never anything you’d choose! Poop-eating can be one of them. Always make sure the yard or area where your dog is confined is clean and droppings are picked up as soon as possible. Make sure your dog gets plenty of exercise, and has lots of things to do to help stave off boredom.