PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR LIST

How to... Change Dog Behaviour

A comprehensive guide to solving dog behavioural problems in three parts by Peter Lewis

Part 1. Essential theoretical knowledge

1.  INTRODUCTION

2.  KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING

A dog’s mind and thoughts - How a dog learns– Good & bad results – Habitual learning – Association of ideas – Circumstantial learning - Triggers - Never let mistakes occur

Senses – Smell, Sight, Hearing, Touch, Taste

Nature

Instincts – Intensity of instinct, Pack instinct, Territorial instinct, Guarding instinct, Barking instinct, Sex instinct, Cocking leg, Predatory instinct, Killing instinct, Fear instinct, Leading instinct, Eating and drinking, Sleep, Investigative instinct, Play instinct,  Circling down

 4. UNDERSTANDING RANK

Natural born rank

Describing rank

Table of ranking values

Ranking complications

Being seen as the leader

Rank and pecking order

 5. DRIVEN AND APPLIED MOTIVATION

Applied motivation

Driven motivation

Motivational influences

Thinking like a human

Rewards

 6. FEAR AND INSECURITY

Sound sensitivity

Security & insecurity

Fear

Stress

Panic

7. CONTROLLED SOCIALISATION

Socialisation examples

Socialisation to other dogs

Socialisation to people

Socialisation to other animals

Socialisation to traffic & trains

Socialisation to plant, machinery and domestic appliances

Principles of all socialisation

Flooding

8. AVERSION THERAPY AND CORRECTION

Appropriate levels

Danger with dominance

Snubbing and time out

Application and habit

A true story

What is noise aversion therapy?

Remote aversion therapies

Other aversion therapies

Incitement to misbehave

Dog training clubs

Part 2. Solving non aggressive problems

1.  DOMESTIC PROBLEMS

3.  BARKING

4.  DOG WALKING

Nipping at legs – Pulling on lead – Returning when called – Predatory chasing – *Fear of strangers or dogs

6  INSECURITY AND SEPARATION ANXIETY

Scale of insecurity levels – The problem and its solution

7.  VEHICLE TRAVEL

Fear of car – Travel sickness - Lack of control - Getting in and Out – Noise and Unruly behaviour - Noisy or destructive when left  - Territorially threatening.

8.  PHOBIAS & OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE BEHAVIOUR

Agoraphobia – Fear of places or areas – Fear of noises – Fear of a domestic appliance – Object phobia – Chasing shadows – Obsessive digging – Self mutilation – Tail chasing

Part 3. Solving aggressive problems

1.   AGGRESSIVE TALK

PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR LIST

The above book was based upon the following list of dog problems

Possible cross reference in brackets i.e. [B2,3 F7]

1. Owner taught disobedience – Inadvertent reinforcement of disobedience

[A1,2,39,18 B20]

2. Attention seeking - Mild – Average – Severe

[A3 F1]

3. Over stimulation to play - For self pleasure, attention etc 

 [A1,2,11]

4. Play biting – Mild – Average – Severe – Breaking skin

  [A5 C7]

5. Biting legs/shoes while walking – Usually only puppy

  [A1]

6. Jumping up – To owners/strangers/all - While people are standing and/or when sitting

 [A11]

7. Household destruction – While family present – When left without family members

[ B2,3,19 E5]

8. Climbing on furniture – In sight of owners – Out of sight of owner

[A 1]

9. Perception of superior rank – Assumes pack superiority – Territorially (non)

[A1 B5,8,9,10,12,13,14,21 C2,3 G3,5]

10. Bite/mouths lead – When being walked 

[A16,17 B23]

11. Excited visitor behaviour – Will not leave them alone

[A6,13 B20,22 C6 i1]

12. Fear of strangers - Mild – Average – Severe

[A12 B4,11,C4]

13. Sexual mounting – To family members – Visitors – Articles

[A11 C3,5]

14. Sucking bedding or comforter – Usually puppy /adolescent behaviour

15. Escaping from house/garden - Occasionally – Whenever possible

[A9,E6]

16. Excessive pre-walking excitement - Average – Severe

[A10,17]

17. Pulls on lead - Mild – Average – Severe

[A16]

18. No return when called – Territorially – Non territorially - Mild – Average – Severe…[A1 E6]

19. Lack of socialisation – Backing off – Aggressive - Mild – Average – Severe

[A12 B4,B11 C4 i3,8]

20. Unclean in the house

[D1,2,3,4,5,6]

All problems above, plus

1. Room or area restriction – Dog does not stop at boundary

[A1]

2. Wrecking garden – Digging – Wrecking plants shrubs – Grass area

[A7,19]

3. Attacks post etc - Destruction of post/anything through letterbox

[B11 C1]

4. Aggression to visitors - Mild – Average – Severe

[A19 C1,4 B11 H5]

5. Aggression to family - One or more family members

[A9 C3,4 H5]

6. Aggression to strangers – Territorially – Non territorially

[B11,16 C1,4,6 H5]

7. Aggression to unknown/ not trusted dogs – Usually non territorially

[C4 H5]

8. Aggression over food – Dropped human food – Feeding dish – Bones chews etc

[A9, C3,6 H5]

9. Aggression when disturbed while resting – Asleep – Dozing – Awake

[B8,10 C3,6 H5]

10. Aggression when attempting to take articles from dog – Some/all articles 

[A9 B22 C3,7 H5]

11. Aggression to delivery/utility people/tradesmen – Uniformed/all callers

[A12,19 B3,16 C4,6 ]

12. Aggression to neighboring dog – Instigated by one – Instigated by both

[C1,3 H5]

13. Aggression, when groomed toweled, bathed etc – Parts of body – All body - Mild – Average – Severe[A9 C3]

14. Aggression to an area the dog deems his own – Garden – Household rooms etc

[A9 C1,3,6]

15. Aggression as a result of chasing – Bite or nip at the end

[C2,4 F4,6,7]

16. Nipping but not real aggression – Usually fear based

[ B4,6,11,18 C4]

17. Dog refuses to walk – See agoraphobia

[C4, i3 i3,8]

18. Chasing animals/birds/people/vehicles – Territorially – Non territorially

[B16 C2 F4,6,7,8]

19. Digging – In the garden – In the house

[A7 B2 E5]

20. Hyper activity – Rarely settles – Continually active

[A1,11 i2,4]

21. Submissive behaviour Average – Severe

[C4 D5 E1,2,3,4,5,6]

22. Barging people or dogs – Occasionally – Always

[A9 C3]

23. Obsession with games of possession – Tug and other games

[B10 C3]

24. Scavenging – Territorially – Non territorially

[D7 H6]

25. Aggression territorially in car – Likely to bite

[F3 G6,7 C1]

C - AGGRESSION

1. Territorial – Animals – People – Letterbox – In car

[B3,6,11,12,14,25 F2,3 G4,6,7]

2. Predatory – Small animals/birds – Larger animals – Joggers – Bikes – Vehicles

[A9 B15,18 C2,5,6,7 D3 E6 F4,6 i4]

3. Dominant – All family – Baby – Children – Adult male/female – Visitors

[A9,17 B5,8,9,10,12,13,15 22,23,,14 F8 H5]

4. Fear – Dog/Animal – Adult/Female/ Male/ Child – Clothes – Transport –Tools/Plant.

[A12 B5,6,11,15,16,21,F4,5 G1,2 i5 i3,5,6,7,8]  

5. Sexual – To objects – Dogs and bitches - People

[A,11,13 C3]

6. Rage syndrome – First diagnosed in Spaniels

[B5,6,8,9,11,14 C3]

7. Play – Various but often games of possession such as tug

[A4 B10 C5] 

D - ELIMINATION PROBLEMS

1. Urinating in the house - Puppy – Adult – After walk - Adult previously clean 

[A20 E5]

2. Defecating in the house - Puppy – Adult – Adult previously clean - After walk

[A20 E5]

3. Male patch marking in the house – In sight of owners – out of sight – Both

[A20 C3]

4. Elimination in inappropriate garden areas – Certain areas – All the garden

[C1]

5. Submissive urination – Mild – Average – Severe

[A20 B21 C4]

6. Excited urination – Mild – Average – Severe

[A11,20]

7. Coprophagia – Eating faces – Own – Others – Animals – Birds

[B24 D8]

8. Loose stools as a result of scavenging – Mild – Very poor…[A24 D7 H6]

E – INSECURITY OR HIGHLY SECURE

1. Territorially following owner(s) Closely – Quite closely - Strategic Rest positioning

[E2,3,4,5]

2. Non territorially - Unwilling to move from owner – Extreme reliance upon pack back-up

[E1,3,4,5]

3. Excessively seeking touch – Certain family members – All family members - Anyone 

[E1, 2,4,5]

4. Separation anxiety - Symptoms of possible future development

[E1,2,3,5]

5. Separation anxiety – Existing condition - Mild – Average - Acute - Only at night – In car

[D1,2 E1,2,3,4]

6. Highly secure – Prepared to leave owners at great distance

[A15,18 C3]

F - BARKING OR OTHER NOISE

1. Barking for attention -– Mild – Average – Severe

[A2]

 

2. Barking – Certain noises – All noises

[C1 i7]

 

3. Barking territorially – Mild – Average – Severe

C1]

 

4. Barking at birds/animals – Occasionally – Incessantly

[B15,18 C2,4 F6]

        5. Bark/howl/whine when separated from owners/family – Mild – Average Sever 

              [C4 E1,2,3 G4]

6. Barking at moving traffic – Mild – Average – Severe

[B15,18 C2,4 F6]

 

7. Barking at quicker moving people or vehicles – Mild – Average – Severe

[B15,18 C2,4 F6]

        8. Barking in the car – Mild – Average – Severe

              [B18 C2 G4]

        9. Barking at objects – Mild – Average – Severe …[C2,4 i5]

G - TRAVEL BEHAVIOUR

1. Fear of car – On approach or when asked to enter

[C4 G2]

2. Travel sick - Mild – Average – Acute

[G1]

3. Lack of control - Getting in - Getting out

[A9]

4. Barking/whining/howling – While stationary – While moving – Both – When left

[C1,4,5 F8]

5. Will not settle – Constantly moving about  

[A9]

6. Lunging - At passing vehicles – People – Animal

[A9 C2 G7]

7. Car territorially aggressive – Attempting to bite strangers

[B25 C1 G6]

H - EATING/DRINKING PROBLEMS

1. Tips up food dish – Usually puppies

[H2]

2. Paddling in/or tipping up water bowl – Usually puppies

[H1]

3. Eating disorders – Reluctant eater – Choosy eater 

[H4]

4. Anorexia – Refuses to eat when well

[H3]

5. Food aggressive – All/or bones/chews etc - Mild – Average – Severe

[B5,6,7,8,9,10,12,13,14 C3]

6. Pica behaviour - Picking up and ingesting non food items both puppy and adult

[B24 D8]

I - PHOBIAS

1. Tail chasing – Occasionally – Incessantly

[A11 B20]

2. Self mutilation – Occasionally – Incessantly

[Ai1 B20]

3. Agoraphobia - At night - At any time

[A19 B17 C4 i8]

4. Chasing shadows – Mild – Average – Severe

[A3 B20 C2]

5. Article phobia – Fear of certain articles

[C4 F9]

6. Domestic appliances – Fear of – Aggression to

[C4]

7. Fear of Noises - Fireworks – Thunder – Other noises – Mild - Average – Severe

[C4 F2]

8. Fear of places or areas – Mild – Average

[A19, B17,C3,4,]