Dear Miss Paws: I’ve adopted a dog – a mixed breed that I loved on sight – but he is starting to drive me crazy with his bad behavior. By that, I mean that he jumps on my chest when he greets me and nearly knocks me down, he checks kitchen counters constantly to see what he can spirit away, he takes off when I am walking him and nearly dislocates my shoulder, well, you get the idea. How can I get him under control? A. Rambunctous Randy is driving you crazy because no one ever taught him how to behave. The good news is, you can teach an old dog new tricks. Load up on management tools, and enroll Randy in a positive training class as soon as possible. It may take him a little longer than younger dogs to unlearn his undesirable habits and to learn the right things, but he can do it.
The big secret here is to remember that a dog’s goal in life is to make good things happen. If you can prevent Randy from being rewarded for the behaviors you don’t like and reward him generously for the ones you do, he’ll change his ways. Leashes, tethers, baby gates, crates, exercise pens and closed doors will help keep him out of trouble. Basic good manners training, reinforcement for desirable behaviors and our old friend exercise will put him on the right track. Remember, a tired dog is a good dog. Heavy duty exercise such as chase the ball will wear him out. A walk around the block won’t do it. Check with your vet to determine how much exercise is appropriate.
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