1)  Your dog barks as a form of warning.  This type of bark is usually started with a low, menacing growl followed by a loud series of sharp bark.  Usually, this is heard when your dog senses that someone is approaching.  To fully understand this bark, see if you have a friend who’s got a dog that has just given birth, ask if you could visit.  Try to walk near while the dog is nursing and you will hear that distinct bark.

1. Solution: try to see what’s eating your dog.  This type of barking is the one that should not be ignored for it may signify an intruder.  But once you notice that the dog is barking at a person you know but he’s not familiar with, hold the dog by the collar and say “STOP” in a firm voice.  Don’t tug at the collar for you may injure your dog’s wind pipe.  Maybe your neighbor’s dog or cat is at your yard and it’s making your dog irritated for your dog’s territory is being invaded.  Scoot the invader away and then tell your dog to “STOP!”  The moment your dog stops barking, praise him and tell him he’s a good dog for knowing how to stop barking.

2)  Your dog is trying on alert.  This form of barking is characterized by low, staccato-like barks.  This behavior is observed whenever the door bell or telephone would ring, or when someone you know is approaching.

1. Solution: see what’s captured your dog’s interest.  If it’s the doorbell, tell your dog “STOP” and when he does, say he’s a good dog for telling you about the door bell.  The same goes for the telephone.  Now, if you still cannot order your dog to stop barking have friend over and ask her to help train your dog.  What your friend can do is ring the doorbell every now and then.  Every time your friend would ring the bell, command your dog to STOP and SIT.  Wait a couple of seconds, and praise your dog or give him a treat.  Tell your dog that one bark is enough when the doorbell rings, then repeat the process again.  The same procedure can be done with the telephone.

3)  Your dog is longing for company, or bored.  When dogs are having separation anxiety issues, they can incessantly bark and howl while you’re gone.  Dogs are pack animals.  This means that your family is not treated as an individual, but a group in which he sees himself as a leader, or the one being led.  If you are gone, as a leader he would worry about your safety.  As the one being led, your dog will feel lost when left alone. This bark is also observed when you put your dog in a kennel, crate, or leash for the first time.

1. Solution: of all the types of barking problems, this is the hardest to correct for it happens during your absence. Behavioral modification can be the only solution to this problem.  You have to train your dog to wait for you while you’re gone.  Address your dog’s separation anxiety issues by leaving the house for a couple of minutes and coming back in just before your dog starts to bark.  Whenever you leave and arrive home, don’t make a fuss.  Tell your dog firmly and as short as possible that you’ll be gone and be back after a couple of hours, then leave.  When you get back, painful as it may seem, ignore your dog for 15 minutes, or until he’s calmed down.  Rub his neck and don’t say you miss him, that you’re glad to see him.  Just rub him and say he’s a good dog for not barking too much while you’re gone.  As for the kennel, crate, and leash issue, you have to introduce him to it slowly.  Don’t just dump your dog in or tie him.  An abrupt curtail in freedom is not what every dog would like, especially if the dog grew up being free to roam around the house.

4)  Your dog is in pain. A dog in pain will give a series of yelps.  It may be because his paw or tail got stuck on something, someone threw a stone or a stick at him, or he may be having some medical condition that needs attention… or your dog may be in labor.

1. Solution: immediately see what caused your dog to yelp.  Unstuck his paw or tail, and sooth him by rubbing him and giving comforting words.  You may want to put ice on the affected part to lessen the pain.  If there is no obvious cause and your dog is yelping, not eating, has labored breathing, bring him to the vet to see if there is a medical condition is causing a problem.  If your dog is recovering from a major operation, make sure you stick to the pain medication regimen to lessen his pain.

5)  Your dog wants to play. Low, short, repetitive barks will come from your dog whenever he has the desire to play with you.  Usually, your dog will bark this way when you get his leash, favorite toy, or Frisbee.

1. Solution: Always give your dog playtime, even for just 15-30 minutes a day.  Each dog, especially a puppy, would always want to have some physical activity to release some pent up energy.  Play time can be very good for dogs, especially when your dog has separation anxiety issues.  This can prevent your dog from getting bored and keep him from distracting you and your neighbors.

If your dog is still barking non-stop you can buy either a spray bottle or a citronella dog collar.  Whenever your barks spray him with the spray bottle set on squirt mode.  Don’t use a squirt gun, the point here is to get your dog’s attention and not play with or traumatize him.

Tell him why you had to use the squirt gun and tell him that one bark should be enough.  A citronella dog collar works on the same principle.  The collar has a sensor attached that monitors the vibration in your dog’s throat. Whenever your dog barks, the vibration will set off the collar and would spray a dose of citronella.  The odor is quite strong for your dog’s sensitive nose, and most dogs do not like the scent.

Try to line your garden with citronella plants and you’ll notice that your dog will not approach the side that has citronella in it.  Most dog owners prefer a citronella dog collar to other collars that deliver an electric shock to a dog.  Just remember that if your dog has separation anxiety, giving a dog collar while you’re away will not help his condition, but only make it worse.  Address your dog’s separation anxiety first before utilizing a dog collar for behavioral modification.

It can be very hard to train a dog to stop excessive barking.  But in time, coupled with patience and practice, your dog will become a well-behaved canine that is adored by your neighbors.

One particular instance when your dog would pee uncontrollably is during an exciting event such as you arriving home, having visitors over, a sudden loud noise, or whenever you and your dog are just having a good time.  This is called excited peeing.  Here are the steps that you can do to help lessen its occurrence.

1)  Whenever you get home, do not make such a fuss when you arrive.  Greet your dog with a pleasant “hello” and then keep your interaction low-key as much as possible.  Try ignoring your dog for 15 minutes then give him your full attention.

2)  If you’re having visitors over, you can pre-warn your dog by saying that some of your friends will arrive shortly.  You can also lessen your dog’s intake of water before your friends arrive.  The keyword here is lessen, not eliminate.  Dogs need water as much as you do, so make sure that you just limit the intake and not deprive him of it.

3)  Take your dog out for a walk before your friends come over.  Encourage him to urinate while outside, and do not go in while he hasn’t.

4)  Greet your friends outside with your dog.  When your dog urinates outside, tell him he’s a good dog for he urinated outside the house.  This way, your dog will get the idea that he should be doing the deed outside, and not inside the house.

5)  If your dog is small, then by all means hold him when your friends arrive.  This way, your dog will be reassured and be calm whenever strangers are around.

Submissive peeing, on the other hand, occurs when your dog is feeling threatened or dominated.  It is also due to your dog’s belief that he must be submissive enough to gain your approval.  To lessen this problem, the following tips can be employed.

1)  Whenever you arrive home, greet your dog pleasantly but without looking at him straight in the eye.  This is a show of dominance, and your dog will react by showing submissive behavior.

2)  Wait for him to be the one to approach.  When he does so, do not pat him on the head.  Rub him behind his ears or give him a little scratch beneath his chin.  You would be in a less-dominating position and your dog will get the idea that he does not need to become submissive to gain your affection.

3)  You can also greet him this way:  when he comes near, command him to sit, and shake.  When he performs the command correctly, praise him appropriately and also tell him he’s been a good dog for not peeing.

4)  Expose your dog to a lot of children or dogs.  Tell children not to pat or touch your dog when she rolls over.  Tell them to touch your dog only when she’s standing on all fours, or sitting down calmly.  This can also be told to your friends whenever they come over.

5)  If ever your dog pees whenever he is given attention, tell him softly and calmly in a normal tone of voice that you and he are going out for a walk.  When he pees outside, tell him that he’s being good and peeing is best done outside the house and not inside.

Do take into mind that excited and submissive peeing are not problems due to improper training, or because of lack or too much attention.  If you suspect a medical condition, consult a vet.

However, whenever you observe your dog doing such an act, do not scold or punish him.   Doing so will only make the condition worse and not resolve the issue.  All he needs is proper encouragement and a boost in self-confidence to overcome this behavior.

• Your dog may need to have a bath.  How many times a week do you bathe your dog?  If your dog is itchy or hot, he would relieve himself by licking his fur or skin.   This is the normal way dogs groom themselves, and the instinct will not disappear no matter how domesticated your dog would be.

• Your dog may be irritated by an allergen in the food, or something else in the environment.  You may have fed him a food that has eggs or seafood in it that did not go well with your dog’s skin.  Fleas between your dog’s paws may also be irritating your dog, as well as leaving some itchy marks on his body.

• Your dog is anxious.  This can be seen after a major relocation, or whenever you or a favorite person leaves the house.

• If your dog is excessively licking you or other people, this is a behavioral problem that comes from different reasons:
  • Your dog has been trained during puppyhood that excessive licking is acceptable.  Your child may be playing with your dog as a puppy and can be constantly delighted with the excessive licking the puppy is showering her.  When the dog grows old, that “learned” behavior is carried on and manifested when you come home from work, or when visitors drop by.
  • It is your dog’s way of showing affection.  Dogs are not able to communicate properly, so this behavior is their way of saying that he likes you, is delighted to see you, and he wants to play with you.

To stop the dog from licking, you have to address the issue.  Ensure that your dog is given proper hygiene.  See if your dog has some flea issues you have to take care of.  If your dog is licking himself and you or a favorite person after a period of lack of contact, you may want to do some separation anxiety management.

Make sure that you don’t make a big issue about coming and going the house.  Leave the house for 5 minutes and come back again without saying anything to your dog.  This would take some time, but it will do its trick once your dog gets used to it.

You can also correct his behavior by not noticing him when he licks you.  Train him that he will still get the attention that he wants without having to resort to heavy licking.  When he finally stops licking you, ignore him for a short while and then praise him for not licking you.

Train him to do some tricks, and give him rewards and praise when doing so.  Tell him firmly “NO!” when he jumps at you starts licking you.  Do not punish him for doing so.  Punishing will only cause more behavioral problems.  Remember that dogs respond better through positive encouragement, and as a responsible pet owner, you are in charge of producing a dog that has acceptable behavior.

There are two ways of praising a dog: giving treats and positive words of reinforcement.  These two when properly given will produce wonders in your dog’s behavior.  You will be able to uncover hidden talents and produce a dog that is disciplined and eager to please.

Each time you want a dog to perform a trick, speak the command clearly and distinctly.  Once your dog is able to do the trick, offer him a piece of treat like a piece of dog biscuit.  But there is a downside to constantly using this method.

Every time you give your dog a treat each time he would do as you command, he would be conditioned to expect a biscuit as a reward.  Once you stop giving him treats, he would also soon realize that it would be pointless to do as you command.

In order to maintain acceptable dog behavior, alternate between verbal encouragement and treats.  Each time he does something that you tell him to, go down to his level and say “You’re a good dog, Buddy.”  It’s important that you state your dog’s name as would foster good master-dog relationship and encourage self-worth for your dog.  Bear in mind that dogs are pack animals.

You’re seen as a leader of the pack, and he looks up to you and hangs on to your every word and gesture.   There is not a single thing that you do that is not important to him.  Give him a good pat on his back, or scratch behind his ears each time he exhibits good behavior.

You can also reward your dog by letting him do his favorite activity whenever he behaves favorably.  Say for example he did his best in behaving like the perfect dog even with a room full of rowdy people.

When the guests have gone, go down on all fours and say “Good job, Buddy, you did not bark the whole time my friends were here.” Then go out and have a round of Frisbee or for a walk around the block.  You can also go at the backyard and play with him for 10 minutes or more.

Always be prompt when giving praise or reward to your dog.  A dog that adores his master will always be willing to do everything to gain approval.  Remember to keep a pleasant tone of voice, smile, and be sincere with your praises.  Each time you praise your dog, you will condition him to always be at his best, and still be happy with what he does.

Shoes, bags, toys and furniture are chewed to pieces.  Not only that, your dog constantly jumps on the dinner table, either begging for scraps or taking the food from your plate.  Your dog definitely needs to be disciplined.

It would be best to discipline your dog whenever you caught him in the act of doing something unpleasant.  If you see your dog stalking your favorite pair of shoes, tell him right there and then “NO.”  Not that soft, sweet, mellow tone of voice.  He will not respond to it in a way that you want him to be. A firm, louder and slightly harder than normal tone must be used for him to know that you mean business.

If it has been done, you must reprimand your dog, and you must also explain why he should have not done so.  You will say you’re treating the dog like an errant kid; well that’s precisely the idea.  A dog is just like a kid who does not know his boundaries and you must be authoritative enough to set him straight.

If your canine is into the habit of rummaging your garbage whenever you’re gone, that may mean two things: boredom and hunger.  There are several ways to address this.  You can buy a dog food dispenser that you can train your dog to access food whenever he wants it.  Or, before leaving, give him a hearty meal that can last for a whole day.

To address boredom, give him toys that he can gnaw and chew to his heart’s content.  If that still does not solve the issue, then get into the habit of taking out the trash before you leave, or buy a container that can seal your trash securely until you come home.

If you cannot afford such a container, pet stores have something that you can spray on your trash.  The spray is non toxic but with a taste that is absolutely detested by dogs.  Once your dog gets a taste of it, he will always associate garbage to that taste and will leave your garbage alone.

If your dog has a habit of jumping on the table for food you can start training him by telling all your family members (and yes, that includes you) not to encourage the behavior.  Avoid giving him table scraps whenever he’s near the table.

If it’s time for dinner, give him his plate outside.  Close the kitchen door when you’re preparing dinner and say clearly to your dog that he’s not allowed inside the kitchen and he should behave.

You can produce a learned behavior by placing a delicious piece of morsel at the center of the table and lining the table with a loose cloth filled with a lot of lightweight, safe, yet noisy items.  When your dog leaps on the table, he can cause the cloth to slide off along with the noisy items.

This can startle the dog and he would definitely not want to experience that event again.  If you don’t have a table-lining, have the family hide behind the kitchen door with pots and lids as well as ladles.

When he pounces, create such a racket that would surprise your dog.  Just make sure you won’t be seen.  And do not go after your dog to console him.  That would totally eradicate the whole point of the procedure and your dog will do it again.

However, this type of situation is only fit for confident and self-assured dogs.  If your dog is not behaving the way a normal dog should (i.e. being very submissive or very aggressive), ask a dog trainer what controlled situation would be appropriate to produce a learned behavior.

Whenever you correct your dog’s behavior, you must not use physical violence.  Beating or hitting a dog can turn your loving, trusting, and loyal companion into a dog that is mistrustful, frightened, and at worse, aggressive.

Your confident and exuberant canine will become a dog that does not interact, has low self-esteem, and avoid any human contact in any way it can.  And that means biting and attacking the very person that he used to love and adore.  Whenever you physically hurt a dog, he will be conditioned into thinking that a raised hand and a raised voice would equate to getting hurt.

In turn, whenever your children or anybody else walk towards him and play, an innocent gesture will be perceived as a threat.  This would instinctively command your dog to protect himself and act out aggressively to the nearest target.

Consistency and patience is the key to properly disciplining your dog.  And just like children, dogs respond more to positive reinforcements like rewards or praise whenever they are doing something right.

If your dog responded appropriately to your command, keep it in mind to lavish him with praise and give him a doggie treat.  Doing the same thing over and over again whenever your dog misbehaves will eventually train your dog to behave and cease wreaking havoc on your home.