Finding Solutions for Your Out-of-Control Dog

Sometimes you find your dog’s behavior frustrating and uncontrollable. What should you do about it?

There is hope, even when the situation looks hopeless. 

I have a great friend and neighbor who is a dedicated dog lover. After the dog he had for many years died, my friend adopted another dog. 

For the first six months, the new dog was extremely reactive to all other dogs. He would bark, growl, and lunge in every direction. In a neighborhood with many dogs, it seemed like this dog was always going nuts.

After a few months, my friend considered giving up the struggle and returning the dog. But then he changed his mind and worked with a trainer. Soon the dog’s behavior was almost normal, and after a few more months, he became the delightful canine companion he is today. I see him everyday, and it’s always a pleasure.

Approach the problem quickly, but move forward slowly.

Get started immediately. Problem behavior puts an emotional burden on everyone. There’s always a risk of personal injury or property damage. So you need to act quickly.

Every act of bad behavior is self-reinforcing. When the reactive dog barks or chases, this bad behavior reinforces itself. This makes it harder to correct. Correction is not something you can keep putting off. You need to stop the reinforcement of bad behavior as soon as you can.

But don’t rush the process. You limit your chances for success. You stress the dog. And you risk getting discouraged. This results in bad decisions. While you’re in the training process, there are steps you can take to avoid problems.

For example, suppose your dog is reactive to walking near other dogs. Until you can do the desensitizing and counter conditioning described below, keep your distance by crossing the street to walk on the other side. Give your dog some distance from everything that triggers him.

You can make a U turn or cross to the other side of the street to create some distance and reduce the stress on your dog. This avoids the bad behavior instead of allowing it to reinforce itself. Then as you make progress, allow your dog to get closer to other dogs. 

Many internet articles say fixing a reactive dog is quick and easy. It is neither. So keep goals and expectations realistic.

First try to find out what the problem is.

Bad behavior in dogs comes in a variety of flavors. They might have different causes and different remedies. So you need to figure out what’s going on with your particular dog.

If you can find a trainer with experience in that type of behavior, he can help. But if you have to do it on your own, you’ll find a wealth of useful knowledge out there. 

YouTube videos from many different trainers show the approaches those trainers use. There are articles and books that show you how to deal with any type of problem. 

You’ll find alternative solutions proposed by experienced trainers. They offer different points-of-view and different approaches to choose from. Some work better than others in my experience.

If the dog is dangerous and aggressive, which is not that common, the standard advice is to find a trainer experienced with this behavior. Don’t try to fix it on your own.

What are the signs your dog is out of control?

“All well-behaved dogs behave alike; each out-of-control dog is out of control in its own way.”

Typical problem behaviors are: 

• Biting and mouthing 

• Excessive barking or growling

• Pulling or biting the leash

• Jumping up

• Humping

• Lunging at dogs or people

• Over excited about eating or going out 

• Chewing and destructive behavior.

The list is endless.

Common causes of bad behavior

My main point for all pet parents is to get knowledge of your dog’s background. If you are not sure about the breed, do a breed test. Embark and Wisdom Panel are two tests respected by experts.

Then read about the characteristics of that breed. That knowledge can be critical to his healthcare and training. Embark gives you a summary of what behaviors to expect from each of the breeds that compose your dog’s genetic background.

When it comes to a dog’s training, that knowledge gives you a baseline of normal behavior. Many of the actions some owners describe as “psycho” might be standard behavior for that breed.

Some Background Issues

Lack of socialization – This is a big one. Ideally a puppy’s socialization begins during his first four months. Experts have minor disagreements on the exact time period, which probably varies somewhat from one dog to another. 

Estimates of the critical period range from 3-12 weeks to 4-16 weeks. During this period you would expose the dog to a range of different kinds of people and dogs. 

The socialization should be a gentle and a pleasant experience for the dog. When socialization is missing, it leads to stress from everyday experience. Wild behavior may follow, because the dog doesn’t know how to relate to some people or other dogs.

Patricia McConnell is a Professor of Animal Behavior at University of Wisconsin. She has a private practice as a behaviorist specializing in Collies with behavior problems. In her spare time, she operates a sheep ranch with three Collies as herders and a Great Pyrenees as a guard dog.

Many of the problems she encounters in her practice result from poor early socialization.

Common causes of bad behavior

 My main point for all pet parents is to get knowledge of your dog’s background. If you are not sure about the breed, do a breed test. Embark and Wisdom Panel are two tests respected by experts.

Then read about the characteristics of that breed. That knowledge can be critical to his healthcare and training. Embark gives you a summary of what behaviors to expect from each of the breeds that compose your dog’s genetic background.

When it comes to a dog’s training, that knowledge gives you a baseline of normal behavior. Many of the actions some owners describe as “psycho” might be standard behavior for that breed.

Some Background Issues

Lack of socialization – This is a big one. Ideally a puppy’s socialization begins during his first four months. Experts have minor disagreements on the exact time period, which probably varies somewhat from one dog to another. 

Estimates of the critical period range from 3-12 weeks to 4-16 weeks. During this period you would expose the dog to a range of different kinds of people and dogs. 

The socialization should be agentle and pleasant experience for the dog. When socialization is missing, it leads to stress from everyday experience. Wild behavior may follow, because the dog doesn’t know how to relate to some people or other dogs.

Patricia McConnell is a Professor of Animal Behavior at University of Wisconsin. She has a private practice as a behaviorist specializing in collies with behavior problems. In her spare time, she operates a sheep ranch with three Collies as herders and a Great Pyrenees as a guard dog.

Many of the problems she encounters in her practice result from poor early socialization.

“Both breeders and puppy buyers will have happier dogs if they are mindful of the importance of socialization. I mention breeders because we know that the primary “sensitive period” of socialization begins as early as three weeks of age, and is over as early as twelve weeks.  

 

“Effective socialization creates positive experiences that enable your pup to feel comfortable with a variety of people and dogs, and to learn that strangers, no matter how many paws they have, are a good thing.”

FOR THE LOVE OF A DOG–Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend, Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D., BALLANTINE BOOKS • NEW YORK ©2005.

Buy on Amazon

You can also find this book in many used bookstores. I’ve read the whole book and some parts of it several times.

Most dogs need socialization to continue throughout their lives. But it’s the early period of socialization that’s the foundation for a well-adjusted life.

It’s not impossible to make up for being poorly socialized as a puppy, but it’s certainly more challenging. McConnell has a story in the book about a country priest with a Border Collie that was not socialized. 

She was able to reverse the problem behavior, but it was a long, tedious process. She describes it in detail in the book. I am using her methods with my current dog. They are magically effective.

Selective breeding. Many breeds, especially working dogs, have been bred for specific behaviors. My dog is an Australian Cattle Dog mix. Australian ranchers bred these dogs to herd cattle. They started with the herding dogs they brought from Scotland. Then they mixed them with wild dingoes to make them tougher.

Chasing and biting moving animals is part of their DNA. These traits are useful on a cattle ranch, but they can be a big problem on neighborhood streets.

When they are trying to chase bike riders, runners, and especially small children it is terrifying. More terrifying if you didn’t know to expect this.

Doing a breed test would reveal the source of this problem. It would make your dog’s behavior much more understandable to you and the trainer. 

Read the problem that pertains to your dog, so you can develop a training plan.

Lack of stimulation. Border Collies, German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Cattle Dogs, and other herding breeds were bred for intelligence and hard work. The couch potato lifestyle doesn’t cut it for these dogs.

If they don’t get enough physical and mental challenge in their daily lives, you can expect problems. Many say that the mental part is even more important than the physical part. Just look at some Blue Heeler or Border Collie videos and you’ll see what I mean.

So if they’re not herding cattle all day, that void needs to be filled. Destructive behavior around the house is one of the more common results if it’s not filled.

Trauma Sometimes physical or mental trauma can have a long-term effect on a dog’s behavior, just like PTSD in people. Many adopted dogs suffered abuse in their previous lives, but it’s almost impossible to find out what happened, making it even harder to deal with.

Extreme panting when it’s not hot and the dog is not tired is often a sign of a dog suffering from trauma. Pacing the floor and hiding are common. The body might be trembling all over with the ears pulled back and tail tucked tight between the legs. I saw this kind of behavior when I adopted my last dog.

Physical Trauma

Illness, accidents, or abuse might cause physical trauma. The physical signs are usually obvious: Pain, trouble walking, injuries.

The behaviors that result from physical trauma are: 

• Depression  

• Fear and anxiety 

• Avoidance

• Aggression.

Mental Trauma

Neglect, severe stress, and abandonment can lead to symptoms of mental trauma, such as:

• Separation Anxiety

• Compulsive behavior

• Hypervigilance

• Phobias.

Singleton puppies. The “only child” puppy has some advantages. He has full access to his mother’s feeding, love, and attention. No need to compete with littermates.

But there’s a price he pays for this privilege. It’s similar to the puppy who was denied early socialization. The singleton puppy, with no brothers and sisters, doesn’t have the same chance to live with and learn from other dogs.

Some of these puppies struggle throughout their lives to deal with this disadvantage. To prevent this, some breeders “borrow” a newborn from a friend’s litter, so the puppy doesn’t have to grow up alone.

Not getting the right amount of exercise – Too much or too little stand in the way of healthy development. One of my dogs enjoyed very long walks at least twice a day, sometimes as much as three hours of fast walking. 

During periods of extreme weather, when we couldn’t take those walks, my dog’s personality was a little down and his mood  a little antsy.

But I knew many dogs who didn’t want more than 15-20 minutes of exercise. The amount needs to fit the breed or you can expect problems.

Overstimulating environment – Some dogs haven’t learned to stay calm when around other dogs and children. This can put a dog in a prolonged state of excitement.

Not enough quality rest and sleep —  Being overtired makes dogs irritable. Most need 12-14 hours throughout the day. Sometimes more. A tired dog is a cranky dog.

Stressful events – It’s obvious that some events are stressful for the dog, sometimes even pleasant events. And there are times when you’re not even aware that he finds an event or situation to be stressful. You need to tune in to changes in behavior for clues. 

During thunderstorms Lola, my current dog, gets super stressed. Her entire body trembles. She can’t stand still. She hunts for places to hide. 

This anxiety starts before I even know there’s a storm and continues long after it’s over. She senses the storm as it approaches and again when it recedes. 

So the stress continues longer than you might think. Some dogs get so stressed from thunder or fireworks they jump out of windows or chew through walls.

So I put a Thundershirt on her as tightly as possible and let her lie down next to me. Works great. But don’t be too consoling and make a bigger deal out of the distress than it already is. Avoid reinforcing bad behavior.

Old fashioned training methods – Jerking the leash hard for “corrections”, choke, prong, shock collars, alpha rolls, scruff shakes can lead to aggressive and other unsociable behaviors. If used at all, they should be used with caution.

Even excessive yelling can have detrimental effects on a dog’s behavior. They can break his spirt. They might also hurt your relationship and make him even harder to control. I remind myself of this after every time I yell.

Your attitude and temperament -The dog picks up on your negative energy. Trainers point out that your lack of calm during difficult moments usually makes dogs worse. 

Suppose every time your dog lunges at another dog, you get excited or irritated. You might do it out of fear or frustration. I find it hard to not get excited. But it will only add to the dog’s arousal. Control yourself, if you want to control him.

Paying too much attention during bad behavior becomes a reward for that behavior.

If an out-of-control dog gets too much attention during periods of bad behavior, he can see that as a reward. You’re now reinforcing bad behavior and insuring you get more of it. 

Poor diets are often the culprit.

Low energy levels can results from inadequate nutrition. This makes it hard to respond to training and promotes a lack of well being. Deficiencies in some nutrients, like alpha-omega-3s, affect brain function.

Too much sugar and carbs cause blood sugar spikes followed by blood sugar drops. Hyperactivity and restlessness follow. 

Digestive problems can bring on constipation, diarrhea, and bloating. These conditions can make your pet irritable and even aggressive. Food additives, like preservatives, artificial coloring and flavor make some dogs hyperactive. Read labels and be careful. Ask the vet if in doubt.

Dogs also get ulcers and suffer from other gastrointestinal irritations. If he has food allergies or sensitivities, he could experience chronic pain and skin problems. These could cause anxiety and aggression or make them worse.

Overall nutrition is a key ingredient to your dog’s well-being and good behavior. It’s not surprising that something as important as nutrition would affect behavior and every other aspect of his life. 

First step to fixing out-of-control behavior

Take your pup to the vet for a thorough exam. Explain to the vet the behavior problems you’re having. See if she can find any physical conditions that might explain the problems. If no definite results turn up, it’s time to meet with an experienced trainer.

Good training is your best resource.

All dogs benefit from training. And with out-of-control dogs, training is crucial.

A certain trainer might not be very effective helping you solve a particular problem. They each have their own methods and philosophies of how to work. Some will be more successful with a particular problem and a particular dog.

Find out what you can about a trainer you’re considering. Do you know any of his other clients? Are there sample videos online? 

And you have to ask yourself if you approve of his approach. For example, some trainers use “corrections” and punishment to extinguish bad actions. 

Other trainers hate this approach, saying it’s cruel and ineffective. They use a rewards based approach. You might have to choose–it’s your dog.

Begin training with basic obedience. It’s the foundation of good behavior.

Teach basic commands: Sit, Stay, Down, Come, etc. Try to show the behavior to the dog. As he tries, he’ll miss it in the beginning. But once he gets it right, mark that behavior and give a reward. Mark it with a clicker or by saying ‘yes’ as soon as he does the requested behavior. 

Reward it by praise (“Good boy!”) and a treat within a couple of seconds. Repeat it several times and continue for several days. You’re reinforcing the good behavior.

Strengthen those commands. You do that by working on the three D’s: Distance, Duration, Distraction. When you first start teaching your dog, you might be doing it in a quiet living room while standing right next to him. No distance, no duration, and no distraction. This is as easy as it gets.

Now try those same commands in your backyard. Walk a few feet away and try them again. This time it will be much harder. But as you make progress, you strengthen the command and build your relationship.

It’s a step-by-step process of retraining the commands while increasing each of the three D’s. At first, a stay might be a few seconds. Then it will be few minutes or longer. Then stand further away. Don’t rush it. Once it’s done well, it stays done. It will be happy day for you and your furry friend.

Trainer Ethan Steinberg shows his methods for teaching this kind of obedience. In this video, he takes a large, formerly  reactive dog shopping with him in a Lowe’s store. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI8CCqhQsyA

You might need more advanced training to deal with specific problems.

Bring a decent amount of patience to the party, and you’ll realize that training isn’t as a hard as you thought it would be. I found that most training problems came from me rather than my dog, who is usually eager to please and eager to get rewards.

But for most people there comes a point where you need help. Locate a trainer in your area who assures you he can provide the kind of training assistance you need.

Finding professional help: Certified dog trainers and behaviorists

You may have dog owning friends and neighbors. 

They can make recommendations based on their experience of trainers near you. You can also get names of local trainers and behaviorists from your vet. 

Another source of recommendations would be large multi-department animal hospitals. They would also be able to provide the names of certified behaviorists. 

Patricia McConnell, mentioned above, is an example of such an animal behaviorist. In her case she specializes in Collies. If you’re having issues with a Collie, such a recommendation would be great news.

You might need to consult a certified behaviorist if your dog has severe behavior problems. Some might need more intervention than training alone. And some might need pharmaceutical therapy that makes use of Prozac or other meditations.

How do behaviorists solve specific problems? I recommend the book, “The Dog Who Loved Too Much,” by Dr. Nicholas Dodman. He’s a veterinarian and director of an animal behavior clinic. He gives examples of problem behaviors. He shows each dog’s problem in detail. Then he discusses how he treats them, and gives an outline of treatments for each disorder.

Buy it on Amazon

What if you can’t afford a trainer or behaviorist?

In my experience, many trainers in my area charge about $75/hr. Most behaviorists charge hundreds of dollars per consultation. And you’re going to need more than one.

The budgets of many pet owners can’t afford this kind of expense. But there are other options. There are home training courses that are affordable, like the one from Susan Garrett.  Susan is one of the nation’s top dog trainers and a specialist in agility training.

She has an online course called “Home School the Dog.” The course uses non-aversive methods and training games.  It’s is very complete and much more affordable than private training.

https://dogsthat.com/home-school/

Then there are books, like the one I mentioned at the beginning of this article. You can buy the eBook from Amazon or you can buy a hard copy at a used bookstore like I did.

Or you can watch training videos

There’s an abundance of useful training videos on TikTok and YouTube. I prefer the YouTube videos, because they are longer and can go into more detail. They’re free to watch, so you can study them in detail and compare methods between trainers. 

By going through a range of training videos, you benefit from the experience of several talented guides. Then choose the methods that seem to work best for you. Ignore the methods you don’t like, e.g. shock collars and other aversive methods.

Changing a dog’s out-of-control behavior

A dog’s behavior can be changed. You need to take the right steps and add generous helpings of patience and consistency. In cases of changing problem behavior, it’s never an overnight recovery. Don’t be too optimistic. Some dog owners expect immediate results, become disappointed, and quit too soon.

I know, because until recently I was one of them. Soon after adopting Lola, I saw she had strong urges to chase bicycles, runners, skaters, and even cars. I didn’t think we would ever be able to break that habit and gave up on my training.

But as I mentioned earlier, within two weeks after I resumed the training, I got those urges almost under control. Now she is a “recovering chaser.” 

I’ll continue to work on it until those urges are extinguished and no longer need to be under control. I’m now applying the same approach to her other bad habits like reacting to unfamiliar dogs and people. We’re starting to see good results there too.

The three main tactics to fix most problems are: 

• Desensitizing Triggers 

If the trigger is thunder, you can make a recording of loud, scary thunder on YouTube. Play it for your dog at a volume loud enough to hear, but low enough that it’s not scary. 

Then gradually increase the volume over time, until it fails to trigger a response even when it’s loud. You have lowered the dog’s sensitivity to thunder.

If unfamiliar dogs scare your dog, you can get him to walk by unfamiliar dogs. Just keep a distance that he doesn’t find so threatening. Soon he’ll be able to get closer without being triggered. 

I’ve been pulling Lola off the sidewalk as the dog approaches, getting her to sit with a treat in my hand, and giving her the treat and praise once the dog passes. 

As the dog approaches, she’s focusing on the treat in my hand instead of the scary dog. Works great.

• Counter Conditioning

When your dog encounters one of his triggers, he is overcome by certain feelings, e.g. fear. He feels compelled to certain actions, e.g. lunging out at another dog that is triggering him. Those negative feelings and actions are the problem we’re trying to fix.

So we work to replace negative feelings and actions with positive feelings and actions. 

I mentioned that my dog Lola was triggered by bicycles, skaters, motorcycles, etc. Her feelings would be excitement and her actions were barking, growling, and lunging wildly. 

During the two weeks of counter conditioning, her previous reactions have been replaced by coming up to me and then sitting quietly until I give her a treat. She nows sees the bicycles as a chance to get treats rather than to chase. She has been counter conditioned.

• Reinforcing the Good Behavior

The desensitization and counter conditioning fix the bad behavior. The reinforcement makes the behavior change stick. 

You encourage the good behavior and reward it. You try to prevent all instances of the bad behavior and withhold any reward if it occurs. (Some trainers do punishments or “corrections” for relapses into previous bad behavior habits.)

Reinforcement should continue until all signs of the previous bad behavior are gone.

There are many videos on how to fix reactivity, with differet approaches. Here’s a YouTube video that might help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYQNQDN3VKg

Last Resort–Rehoming or Adoption

What if the advice offered above doesn’t work for your family? Suppose you don’t have the time to go through the process of rehabbing the dog’s out-of-control behavior. Or maybe your family is facing too many other problems at the same time.

Sometimes re-homing your pup might be your only option. And you have an obligation to see that your pup has a chance at finding a decent home. Abandoning him without regard for his future well- being is a barbarian practice. Decent people won’t consider this option.

If you adopted him from a shelter, there might be a provision in the contract, that you should return the dog to them if the adoption doesn’t work out. They will help put him into a new home responsibly. 

If you can find a suitable home on your own and it doesn’t violate your contract with the shelter, that might be even better.

There are agencies all over the country willing to assist with re-homing. You might have to pay a small fee to help with expenses. Adopt-a-Pet charges $15. (www.adoptapet.com ) Some shelters might ask you if you’re willing to be a foster parent until they can find the new home.

If you decide to post an ad to find a new owner, you should check references and ask for a small fee for adoption. This will eliminate people who are recruiting dogs for fighting.

Planning for a successful transition

Bring some of your pet’s toys and prepare a list of medical info. Include info on vets, immunizations, etc. Be as detailed as possible.  Describe good and bad behaviors, food, feeding schedules, etc.

Key Takeaways 

Generally an uncontrollable dog has more than one type of problem behavior. It might be easier to separate them and work on one at a time.

• Look into your dog’s breed make-up by a DNA test and consider the behavior traits of each breed in the mix.

• If you can, work with a trainer who is knowledgeable in solving the problem your dog has. For more serious problems, you might need to consult a veterinary behaviorist.

• You have the option of working on this yourself. There are books by trainers and behaviorists you can consult for problem solving methods. And there are many YouTube videos that show you how to fix behavior problems step by step.

• Desensitization and counter conditioning are two very effective techniques.  Together they form the basis for most behavior modification. Desensitization reduces the power that triggers have over your dog’s behavior. Counter conditioning replaces certain feelings and behaviors with ones that lead to better behaviors.

References: 

Introduction to Desensitization and Counter-Conditioning https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/introduction-to-desensitization-and-counterconditioning

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6826973/Effect of a Standardized Four-Week Desensitization and Counter-Conditioning Training Program on Pre-Existing Veterinary Fear in Companion Dogs National Library of