Animal Talk with Tammy Ven Dange |February 28

It’s not uncommon for dogs around the six-month mark to be surrendered to us when the cute things they did as a puppy start causing problems now that they’re older. We’ve all made the mistake before. A puppy jumping on people is inundated with infatuated people clamouring to give him attention. They’re small and adorable – what’s the harm?

A few months later, that puppy has spent his entire life jumping on people. He’s never been shown that it’s not appropriate and has only had positive experiences from doing so. He was small and cute and relatively harmless? Unfortunately he now weighs 25kg and his full length is the height of some adults.

That same dog that we mentioned earlier – he may also have enjoyed nibbling on your fingers and clothing as a puppy. Well….his teeth are bigger, and now he’s hurting you and putting holes in your clothing. His behaviour hasn’t changed – just his size and the consequences of his actions.

So what behaviour should you reinforce?

Keep introducing your pet to new people and other dogs. An animal’s behaviour can change and deteriorate over time. So it’s important to maintain training.

Vary your walking routes! Keep things interesting! Let your dog experience different locations.

Teach your dog that it’s okay to be alone. Help them deal with separation anxiety by scheduling alone time. If your dog doesn’t practice being away from you, he’ll never learn.

Never punish a scared/anxious/nervous dog. Remember that most displays of aggression such as growling are the result of fear. Around the adolescent age, dogs may start interpreting the unfamiliar as a threat and be frightened. Punishing this reaction will only confirm their fear. So simply remove the dog from the situation and ask for a different behaviour (like “sit”).