Dogs are pretty awesome. But sometimes, they can develop behavior issues that make life challenging. This section will help with that.
Read this first
How to Solve Practically Any Annoying Behavior Problem — The strategy for dealing with most of the irritating issues, from begging to pulling on leash to peeing on the carpet.
And check out our free online course: Dog Speak 101
Being able to read canine body language is an important skill when you want to solve your dog’s behavior problems, especially if you’re dealing with fear or aggression. This course from the 3 Lost Dogs Academy will give you a basic, yet detailed, introduction to the wonderful world of canine body language and communication. Did I mention it’s free? Click here to sign up.
Fear, aggression, and reactivity
Fear/aggression basics
Aggression and fear-based issues require a different approach than “annoying” problems like chewing or begging.
- Training a Behavior vs. Changing an Emotion: What All Dog Owners Need to Know
- The Right Way to Use Desensitization and Counter-Conditioning to Help a Fearful or Aggressive Dog
- What to Do When Your New Dog is Afraid of You
Leash aggression/reactivity
We have a series of articles on how to handle aggression and reactivity safely, effectively, and compassionately – and without losing your mind:
- Why Does My Dog Bark and Lunge on Leash? (Intro to Reactivity)
- A Beginner’s Guide to Helping Your Reactive Dog Get Better
- Leave the Light On: A Real-Life Reactive Dog Adoption Story
- The Uncensored Story of How I Helped My Reactive Dog Get Better
General problem solving
Why You Can’t Get Your Dog to Listen to You – “I trained my dog, but he only listens in the kitchen when I have food.” Sound familiar?
What to do When Your Dog is Being a Pain in the Ass and You Feel Like Crap – For those days when you feel like trading your dog in for a goldfish.
Oh, Just Kill Me Now! Surviving Your Dog’s Teen Months – If your dog is between the ages of 6 – 18 months, he’s a teenager. Adolescence is a… challenging time for human children, and the same is true of canine children.
From Leash Puller to Urban Musher: When Dog “Behavior Problems” Are Opportunities in Disguise – The story of how my dog made me feel like an idiot, by showing me a better way of looking at behavior problems.
Mischief Managed – Half of solving problems is preventing them from happening.
How You Might Accidentally Be Training Your Dog to Misbehave – You know the worst part about behavior problems? In many cases, we, the dogs owners, cause them ourselves.
51 Ways to Have a Better-Behaved Dog By Next Week – A cheat-sheet for when your dog is driving you nuts.
Solutions for specific behavior problems
Got a hyper, out-of-control dog? There’s a whole other section on that.
Pulling on Leash
The Loose Leash Roadmap: a video series all about getting your dog to stop pulling
Destructive Chewing
How to Stop Your Dog’s Destructive Chewing in 9 Easy(-ish?) Steps
Food Aggression/Resource Guarding
The Real Solution to Resource Guarding and Food Aggression
Begging
Four Easy Ways to Get Your Dog to Stop Begging at the Table
Excessive barking
Ask 3LD: How do I get my dog to calm down and stop barking when I’m watching TV?