Pets add so much to our lives \u2014 companionship, happiness, laughter, even purpose. But dogs and cats can also increase our stress and frustration, especially when it seems their \u201cbad\u201d behaviors are out of control. The good news is that many annoying cat and dog behaviors can be curbed or eliminated without you having to give up your furry companion. If one of your New Year\u2019s resolutions is to improve your pet\u2019s manners, here are a few things to consider before you start.<\/p>\n
According to Amy L. Pike, a veterinarian and board-certified veterinary behaviorist at the Veterinary Referral Center of Northern Virginia, behavior problems are the number one reason pets are surrendered<\/a> to animal shelters. Urinating (peeing) outside of the litter box is the most common reason cat owners provide for giving up their cats, while aggression is the most frequently cited complaint about dogs.<\/p>\n Dogs and cats with behavioral problems are often considered and labeled as \u201cnaughty,\u201d \u201cspiteful,\u201d \u201cstubborn,\u201d \u201cstupid\u201d or \u201cbad.\u201d In reality, however, there is no such thing as a \u201cbad dog\u201d or \u201cbad cat.\u201d Behavior problems are typically more complicated and can have a variety of underlying causes. Understanding the reasons why your pet behaves the way they do\u00a0is the first, and most important, step to curbing whichever nuisance behavior has you frustrated. Here are the five most common reasons behind your pet\u2019s behavior.<\/p>\n Medical issues lead to nuisance behaviors more frequently than pet owners realize. For example, arthritis pain in dogs can cause a senior dog to display aggression, while kidney disease in cats may be the underlying reason for house soiling. If your pet suddenly develops a behavior problem, they\u00a0should be examined by a veterinarian to rule out potential medical issues.<\/p>\n Some health problems \u2014 such as idiopathic cystitis, environmental allergies, flatulence (gas), arthritis and stomach upset \u2014 that contribute to nuisance behaviors may benefit from medication or supplements as prescribed by your veterinarian. However, a change in pet food, treats or feeding practices may also be beneficial. Make sure you\u2019re feeding a complete and balanced dog or cat food that\u2019s made with quality protein and other nutritious ingredients like Diamond Naturals Chicken Dinner for Adult Cats and Kittens<\/a> or Diamond Naturals Adult Dog Lamb Meal and Rice Formula<\/a>. And be sure to limit treats to no more than 10 percent of your pet\u2019s daily calories to avoid unbalancing your dog\u2019s or cat\u2019s nutrition.<\/p>\n Pets need structure, predictability and consistent boundaries and rules to thrive. An unpredictable environment and inconsistent interactions may trigger anxiety in some dogs and cats. Anxious dogs in particular may use aggression to feel more in control. So be sure to consider how you\u2019re responding to your pet\u2019s annoying behavior and ask whether you\u2019re reinforcing the behavior with attention.<\/p>\n Normal cats scratch on whatever surface they like to mark their territory, remove the outer layer of their nails (called a husk) and exercise their paws. They also jump on counters and furniture so they can hang out in high places, chew on plants, and hunt and kill other small animals and birds.<\/p>\n Normal dogs jump up to greet, bark, pull on leash, protect their family or property, roll in dead things, dig in the dirt, and sometimes chase and kill small animals.<\/p>\n These \u201cnuisance\u201d behaviors are actually natural behaviors for cats and dogs. Sometimes you can teach your pet an alternative behavior, but sometimes you can\u2019t.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll also want to avoid assuming that your dog\u2019s or cat\u2019s begging behavior is related to hunger. Often what your pet really wants is your attention. Rather than free-choice feeding your pet, feed two or three meals throughout the day or use a puzzle-feeder to deliver part of your pet\u2019s food. The feeding guide found on the bag or can of pet food provides recommendations on how much you should be feeding. If you have any concerns about how much to feed, talk with your veterinarian who can calculate your dog\u2019s or cat\u2019s daily calorie needs.<\/p>\n Both dogs and cats need physical and mental activities to be healthy, happy and well balanced. Dogs in particular were bred with specific jobs in mind, some of which they no longer perform. It\u2019s also important to realize that some dog breeds require more exercise than others, so it\u2019s important to consider your lifestyle when adopting or buying a canine companion.<\/p>\n Mental stimulation and enrichment for our pets are often overlooked, but they are incredibly beneficial. In fact, mental exercise can be as tiring as physical activities! And keeping your dog or cat \u201cmentally occupied\u201d helps relieve boredom and keeps them from engaging in annoying attention-seeking behaviors like early-morning wake-ups, meowing or barking.<\/p>\n Socializing pets when they\u2019re puppies and kittens means helping them learn to be comfortable in human society, which is filled with many different environments, smells, people and animals. The prime time for socialization is 3 weeks to 4 months of age for puppies and 2 to 7 weeks of age for kittens. If proper socialization doesn\u2019t occur during these periods, your pet could grow up into a fearful, shy adult.<\/p>\n Continuing to provide social experiences for your pet as they age\u00a0will be important to help keep your dog or cat comfortable and confident.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve had time to think about the potential reasons for your dog\u2019s or cat\u2019s nuisance behaviors \u2014 and your pet has received a clean bill of health from the veterinarian \u2014 it\u2019s time to create a plan for tackling those annoying behaviors. Throughout the coming year, we\u2019ll identify some strategies and activities that can help you modify your pet\u2019s behavior.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Pets add so much to our lives \u2014 companionship, happiness, laughter, even purpose. But dogs and cats can also increase our stress and frustration, especially when it seems their \u201cbad\u201d behaviors are out of control. The good news is that many annoying cat and dog behaviors can be curbed or eliminated without you having to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5221,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Top 5 Reasons for Your Pet's Behavior | Diamond Pet Foods","_seopress_titles_desc":"Naughty pet? The good news is that many cat and dog behaviors can be curbed or eliminated without you having to give up your furry companion. Learn More!","_seopress_robots_index":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[201,283],"tags":[751,202,100,12,134,10,54,534,176,208],"class_list":["post-3473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-behavior","category-psychology","tag-bad-behavior","tag-behavior","tag-cat","tag-cats","tag-diamond-pet-foods","tag-dog","tag-dogs","tag-pet","tag-pets","tag-psychology"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3473"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3473\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Reason No. 1: The presence of a health or physical problem.<\/em><\/h3>\n
Reason No. 2: An inconsistent environment or interactions with family members.<\/em><\/h3>\n
Reason No. 3: Misunderstanding \u201cnormal\u201d dog or cat behaviors.<\/em><\/h3>\n
Reason No. 4: Not enough exercise or mental stimulation.<\/em><\/h3>\n
Reason No. 5: Lack of, poor or negative socialization.<\/em><\/h3>\n
Next steps in addressing unwanted behaviors<\/h3>\n