List of Behaviours
Does your dog display any of these actions?
Identify your dog's behaviours to see which things you would like to focus on during the consultation or training session.
A list of the most common behavioural issues will help you to identify the specific issue that each of your dogs battles with.
Often a few behaviours are linked and many times one will lead to another, causing bigger problems.
Aggression
Shown towards familiar or strange people, dogs or other animals.
Anxiety
Nervous, fearful, high-strung, jumpy or snappy. Uncomfortable with strangers or the unfamiliar.
Astraphobia
Intense fear of adverse weather conditions such as thunder, lightning, wind and rain.
Attention-seeking
Nudging, barking, forcefully pushing in when attention is given to another pet. Object stealing to get attention, needy.
Bad manners
In general or in specific situations or environments. Not listening/ignoring.
Barking
Excessively or for no apparent reason.
Begging
For food around the dinner table, or for attention.
Biting
People or other animals; strangers, visitors or family members.
Boisterousness
Endless energy, jumping up, can’t settle.
Chewing
Garden fittings, furniture, kids’ toys etc.
Coprophagia (eating faeces)
From the lawn, cat-litter tray or during walks.
Depression
As an emotional response to an event or lifestyle; unmotivated, disinterested, lethargic.
Destructiveness
Digging, chewing, destroying valuable items, pulling washing from the line.
Digging
Holes in the garden; along the wall, at the gate, in flower-beds or random areas on the lawn.
Disobedience
Difficulty in training without professional help, unresponsive, ignores you.
Dominance
Towards other dogs or the owner. Growling, challenging body language, humping.
Escaping
Running out, getting through small spaces, jumping over/digging under walls.
Fearfulness
Stressed around new people, animals or places, shaking, cowering or snappy.
Fighting
With the other dogs at home, dogs at the park or reactive during walks.
Food guarding
Growling or aggressive behaviour when approached while eating or busy with a chew.
House soiling
Lacking, incomplete or extinct training. Illness/pain, aging/confusion.
Howling
While the family is away or late at night for no apparent reason.
Hyperactivity
Inability to settle; boisterousness, constantly on the go, jumping up in greeting.
Jumping up
On family or visitors, excessive excitement during greeting or play.
Licking
Obsessive licking of paws, arms, in between digits. Excessive face licking. Licking cement/walls.
Lunging
At cars, joggers, cyclists or other dogs while being walked.
Nervousness
Distrusting and anxious around strangers. Tries to hide or crouch, sometimes snappy.
Nipping
Biting at ankles or legs of visitors, domestic staff or family.
Over-attachment
To a family member; follows the person around, doesn’t like being alone, has to watch their every move.
Over-protectiveness
Of home area, family or objects/resources. Sometimes aggressive towards strangers
Phobia
An extreme fear of certain sounds, sights, locations or sensations.
Pulling on the leash
A lack of training, stressed during walks, not socialised.
Pushing other pets out the way
To get sole attention from the family or from visitors.
Recourse guarding
Growling and over-protectiveness of objects, chews, toys or food.
Running away
Runs out of the gate at every opportunity, unresponsive to being called back.
Separation-anxiety
Will do anything not to be alone, keeps owner in sight. Over-excited greeting; jumping, vocal and even urinating. Destructiveness – digging or chewing.
Senility
In the aging dog; failing senses, confusion. Peculiar or unusual behaviour.
Submissiveness
Overly-sensitive. Rolls over immediately when interacted with or urinates when touched. Fearful or nervous demeanour.
Unresponsive
To being given a command or being called over, doesn’t listen. In pain. Illness.
Territorialism (excessive)
Over-protective of the home area or family members. Runs up and down the fence. Barks at the gate.