Bad Behavior in Your Pet: Help Treat it Naturally
A pet?s bad behavior is most likely caused by the pet?s emotions. Your pet reacts to stressful situations by acting out; if your pet is acting out, it?s important to determine what is triggering their behavior. This is the only way you can help your pet.
Causes of Bad Behavior
There are many emotional problems that can cause a pet?s bad behavior. While specific behaviors may vary from one type of animal to another, the root causes are generally similar.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
OCD in pets results in odd and unusual pet behavior. Your pet may chew at its own feet, attack inanimate objects, be aggressive and destroy objects. This behavior usually stems from your pet being anxious, stressed or bored. Often OCD in pets can be prevented by keeping them well stimulated and active. Be sure to provide them with exciting toys, especially when you are away from the home.
Anxiety
There are three main types of pet anxiety: social, noise and separation anxiety. Social anxiety occurs in a pet that?s not well socialized. A well socialized pet can interact with other animals and humans easily. A poorly socialized pet may cower or act aggressively towards others; to prevent this, be sure to introduce your pet to other animals early on.
Noise anxiety results in cowering, especially during long durations of loud noises such as thunderstorms. Cooing over your pet while it?s cowering only encourages the bad behavior. Instead, encourage their calm behavior, maybe at the early stages of the storm. If they are cowering, leave them alone.
Separation anxiety occurs in a pet that?s distressed about its human leaving. Pets will make noise, destroy objects and may urinate or defecate in the home while you?re gone. This can be eased through desensitization therapy.
Aggression
Aggression in pets is usually caused by poor social skills, dominance or fear. The easiest way to treat aggressive pets is to prevent the aggression. Be sure your pet is well socialized, can establish a hierarchy of dominance in homes with multiple pets and isn?t cornered in strange situations. Be careful with aggressive pets; if it?s a dog, consider obedience classes.
Stress
Stress can trigger the above behaviors. A stressed pet will exhibit any of the above behaviors, including urinating and defecating in inappropriate places, destroying objects or tearing at furniture. Reduce your pets stress by providing it with exciting toys while you?re away, making sure it has plenty of stimulating activity and modifying behavior during stressful situations.
Whatever the cause, most pets behavior can be effectively modified through behavior training and desensitization. Obedience training and early socialization are two great methods at treating and preventing an anxious pet.
Be sure to pay attention to your pet. Bad behavior is your pet?s way of telling you it?s unhappy. These signs are indicative of either emotional distress of physical ailments. Always have your pet thoroughly checked out by their veterinarian to be sure there are no health problems.