Dog Training and Dog Behaviour Problems Solved by Qualified Master Dog Trainer


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All dog behaviour and dog training from puppy to adult in Kent Essex London and throughout East Anglia

Common Dog Behaviour and Dog Training Problems Explained


dog jumping up  dog nipping-biting-teething  dog separation anxiety  dog pulling on the lead copraphagia eating it’s stools

Dog nipping-teething To a dog it’s mouth is a useful tool for picking up items. It would have learnt from a few weeks old it’s mouth can be used to grip litter mates during play time. When a puppy arrives into it’s new home it is likely to continue with the behaviour. Most people have told me that they thought this was not serious and the dog should grow out of it. The dog may go on to nip when it gets excited or to get attention. It may also be a way for the dog to control situations to it’s advantage. Some dogs will have noticed they can cause pain by the persons reaction to being nipped. It has now learned what to do to get it’s own way. Growling or snapping can become the precursor  to the dog biting. So now we may have a dog that at best will growl to show it’s disapproval or worse bite, often without perceived warning. Children and the aged have soft tender skin which is easily broken so prevention from nipping at an early age is the best solution.

jumping up It is a common dog problem when one first gets a dog, especially a puppy, to lift it up


to our chest (nurturing) or by wrapping our arms around it (cuddling). The dog quickly learns our


upper body is a reward or feel good area. This often becomes the ‘attention area’ . After all, when


ever the dog jumps up it is rewarded by our attention. Soon the dog is jumping up everyone it greets


to get attention. This dog behaviour can develop into the way the dog greets all people even


strangers in the street or park. This dog problem is usually acceptable until the dog has grown, then


becomes a nuisance. By this time the dog problem is established as the dog’s ‘normal behaviour’.


A more dominant dog will use jumping up as an assertive behaviour to control situations to the


dogs approval.

Dog separation anxiety is often complex to deal with as there are many causes for the problem.


Symptoms are signs of the dog in distress or that it is destructive if left alone. It may also self mutilate


to the point of needing veterinary attention. The dog may also howl or bark, pace up and down or


withdraw completely. A common cause is when a dog becomes over reliant of it’s owner. It may think the owner provides all the dog’s needs, requirements and security to the extent it cannot bare to be left alone, even if the owner goes into the next room. It may also defecate in the home. Other signs are when the dog becomes hyper when the owner returns to it,  especially with prolonged absence. There are several possible causes. The most common dog problem is when the dog arrives into it’s new home and gets too much attention. Should the owner respond every time to the dog’s whimpering or worse take it into the bedroom at night the dog will not learn or accept being alone.


Other causes are genetics, lack of socialisation, over bonding, mistreatment, too long in


confinement, lack of confidence and lack of communication and training.   

dog separation anxiety

pulling on the lead is one of the most common dog problems. Most owners accept their dog pulls


but wished it didn’t. It can certainly spoil what should be a pleasant dog walk. There are various


aids that profess to help the situation such as the Halti head collar and it’s variations. A dog


harness is sometimes chosen used in the hope of alleviating the problem but it only enables the dog to pull more.


Let’s look at who else wears a harness; sled dogs and competitors in strongman competitions. A harness


provides the means to use the whole body to take the strain of pulling and not just the neck as with a regular


collar. A dog pulls on the lead mostly because pulling it’s exciting and/or that the dog perceives itself as leader


and must get in front (to lead). I have achieved huge success as a dog trainer in eliminating this common


dog problem usually in just one session.

copraphagia eating faeces) is one of the dog problems that most upsets owners.  The dog may eat it’s own faeces or that of other dogs. Dog owners are mostly baffled why their dog should exhibit such a disgusting habit. There are several reasons for this.


     .     (a) The dog has watched it’s mother clean up in the litter and thinks it should do the  same (a learned behaviour).



     .     (b)The dog instinctively knows it is lacking in it’s diet and is recycling the waste which may contain nutrients and other benefits for the dog’s well-being (instinct).



     .     (c)The dog has been severely reprimanded previously, usually as a puppy and is disposing of the evidence. (learned experience).



     .     (d)The dog enjoys it. This may appear shocking but



      animals are not conditioned as humans are and


      see no wrong in this behaviour.

Dog Behaviour and Dog Training 


Maidstone Kent