Dog owners know that when a dog becomes too comfortable in a situation, they may turn to undesirable or domineering behaviors that can disturb the balance between owner and pet. It is not always a matter of dominance or aggression that is at play here, but rather a subtle behavior that makes you or other dogs uncomfortable when around a pushy dog. As a pet owner, you want to watch out for these behaviors that may lead to problems with socializing or training. If you live in an apartment community you want to make sure your dog is not troublesome to other pets or people.
Signs of a pushy dog
Learn to notice when you dog shows dominance issues. Try to avoid harshness. Ignoring the behavior can be helpful, but do not reward your pet with attention if they try to continue the dominance. Learn how to diffuse aggression and disobedience. Praise him when he obeys commands and shows appropriate behaviors. Dogs become pushy when they are allowed to get away with behaviors. If they can eat off the table in your apartment once, they will try it again. If your pooch has gotten away with this for a while, they grow accustomed to it and will want to continue to do these things. Don’t worry, you can “un-teach” your dog too.
Start by Not Reinforcing Bad Behaviors
Dogs are smart, the bad behaviors will only get stronger if you let them be. Some behaviors to work on include discouraging begging, jumping up on you or other people, thrusting toys at you and demand barking. Ignoring these behaviors takes patience on your part. Don’t be surprised if you see your dog trying harder when you do this. Teach your dog to sit without a cue. Reinforce this at meal time. Offer them a little food and then take his food and wait for him to sit. Then offer it again and remove it after a few bites. Do this over and over until your dog can sit whenever you remove the food. This is a lot of reinforcement for this sit behavior. Try it with other behaviors too. A dog who is well behaved will be joyous to you and to your apartment neighbors.
Exercise your Apartment Dwelling Dogs
Dogs that are getting lots of exercise tend to be well behaved. They can get out their aggressions and energy in a productive manner. Walks are a way for you to give your dog lots of attention. This way you can be at home at dinner time and they will not crave as much attention. When you are in a situation with other dogs keep your pet leashed if they cannot control their impulses or are too aggressive. You could search for an apartment that has a dog park. This is a great way to get an apartment dwelling dog exercise off leash.
Apartments in New Hampshire That Welcome Dogs
We know that finding the perfect apartment that welcomes your dog can be a challenge to find. At Red Oak Apartment Homes, we love your furry friends. We welcome dogs at 70% of our apartment homes. There are breed restrictions that insurance demands that we adhere to. We welcome small dogs at several properties and large dogs at others. Check out our website for information about Red Oak dog breed restrictions and pet policies. Red Oak has dog friendly apartments in Manchester, Milford and Boscawen NH.