| What does my dog do all day when I'm not
home? The majority of dogs treat your leaving the house as a ritual. Dogs live in the moment. You leave, they assess what's available to meet their needs, they get bored. You'll notice, however, that I said "most" dogs. There are a small percentage who have separation anxiety, destructive tendencies, and/or incredible energy. These dogs don't do well when left alone for long periods, and if you have one, I'm guessing you already know what they do when you're out, because you've had to replace the bedroom carpet and the kitchen baseboards (twice). If your dog has separation anxiety and/or destructive tendencies, find a dog behaviorist who can solve the problem. If he has high energy, invest in a dog walker or doggie day care. Remember, his needs are his needs. If you don't give him a channel for his energy, he'll find a way to meet his needs that I promise will be something you'd prefer not to have happen. |
I want to train my dog to stay off my bed,
but he keeps jumping back on. Usually at 5 AM! Why does he do
this? Because he can. Most dogs who jump on the bed while you're sleeping have been allowed to do so at other points during the day. You will have to first train him to not jump on the bed at any time--day or night. Confining him to a crate or another room works well. Provide a dog bed or blanket that fills his need for a comfortable night's sleep. If his issue is that he misses your companionship, give him a few extra-special toys to distract him. The final step is teaching your dog where he should sleep at night. When you remove a behavior from your dog's repertoire--whether it's digging, or jumping on the bed--you're creating a hole in his routine. If you don't fill the hole with something you want him to do, he'll replace it with something else. Prevention is the key here. |
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