5 reasons my dog might misbehave

LIFESTYLE NEWS - Many people complain about their dogs digging up the garden, chewing shoes, stealing food, barking nonstop etc. Why does this happen?

You might not be giving your dog enough exercise.
A ten-minute ball throwing session in the back yard might not be enough. You should provide your dog with enough opportunities to use up all his energy.

Dogs should be getting mental as well as physical stimulation. Throwing a ball might get rid of some of the energy, but allowing him to sniff on a walk or search for something hidden away, or even feeding him out of a chew toy like a Kong, will tire him out mentally.

Remember the saying, "a tired dog is a good dog".

You haven't trained him enough.
If you have taught your dog to sit, stand and lie down, you have done well, but training should be an ongoing activity.

Use his breakfast and dinner kibble as reward for wanted behaviours.

You are unintentionally rewarding bad behaviours.
When your dog is barking for attention, what do you do? Do you yell at him to stop? Guess what? You have just given him what he wanted, so you have actually reinforced the behaviour and it will happen more frequently.

What you should do is to teach your dog an alternative behaviour of your choice and reward him for that wanted behaviour.

You have not researched your dog's breed.
If you have a labrador retriever or a greyhound, a twice-a-day 20-minute walk would be enough, but if, for instance, you have a border collie, this may not be enough.

Dogs such as border collies were designed to work and they might become destructive if they do not get enough mental and physical exercise.

Your dog is an adolescent.
This is not your fault, but your very obedient puppy may one day start to misbehave, leaving you puzzled about his sudden disobedience.

Like humans, dogs go through an adolescent rebellious "teenager" phase. This lasts from around 5 months to 18 months of age.

They will test the owner and see what they can get away with.