5 things your dog can do to piss you off

It’s a joy to own dogs and enjoy their company but like children that love to cry to get attention from their parents or loved ones, dogs have a way of sending their message by doing things that can piss you off. Many dog owners will see these things as normal because we have somehow, found a way around it. Dogs do some nasty things and sometimes things that are just annoying like:

Urinating and defecating indiscriminately

Puppies are so lovely and fragile looking that you would love to keep them indoors to protect them from the harsh environment outside but when they start to pee and poop too much especially in places you do not approve of, they start to get to your nerves. Sometimes they just go to your rugged carpet and embed their urine there and this can start to smell very badly later.

The grown male dogs are very good at this also when they try to mark the environment with their urine. Each time I bring a grown male dog indoors, the first thing they do is to sniff the environment and raise their back legs to urinate on furniture and other ornamental objects in the house and this behavior can really piss you off. Some people end up chasing these dogs outside the house.

Screaming unnecessarily

Puppies are very good with this, when some puppies of about 4-6 weeks comes to a new home they start to shout at a point to show that they are not comfortable in the new home. This can confuse the new owner because he may not know the reason behind the shouting. This noise can last through the night sometimes but will gradually fade away as the days go by. Sometimes they stop when you carry them in your arms.

Some puppies or grown dogs can decide to make life unbearable for you when you lock them in a cage indoors or outside especially when they are not used to being there. Some of them will bark endlessly and progressively start to scream in different tones. It gets worse when you show some pity and maybe release them and still put them back.

NB: Dogs that are always locked in a cage can shout or make noise to tell you that they are pressed and needs to ease themselves.

Staining your cloths                                              

Dogs are in the habit of showing their joy when they sight you that they immediately run towards you to greet especially when you have not been at home for a while. They can end up staining your cloths without knowing what they did. In my job as a veterinarian, changing cloths has become normal because my patients do these things all the time but it can piss people off.

Some dogs will go to the cloth hanger where your washed cloths are hanging and bring them down one by one, sometimes they hold them in their mouth and run about the place and staining them badly.

Chewing shoes and wires

Some dogs will destroy any material accessible to them especially when they are bored. I have had to throw away some of my favorite shoes and cloths because some of my dogs have used them as toys. I had to replace my USB wires and Air conditioner cables because some my dogs messed them up. I have had to eliminate a dog for chewing the bumper of a brand new car one of our clients just bought for his wife.

Digging the garden

If you are the type that love to plant flowers and other plants, you might have a dog that love to dig. I kept chasing some of my dogs for digging everywhere. They can dig off your flowers and other plants as if there is something hidden inside they need to find. Sometimes they will scatter potted plants which can be a very annoying mess.

Many of these behaviors can be modified or completely eliminated with some keen training and follow-up. It’s better to use the word “stop” to make the dog stop because sometimes chasing or beating these dogs can be counter-productive. Catching them in the act and correcting them on the spot is much more productive.  I have tried to put the destroyed materials in the mouth of the dog before beating the dog and it worked after several attempts. Stopping my dog from digging took a while because it seems the dog could not do without it. I buried his poop or any other dog poop inside the previously dug area and he avoids that spot and goes elsewhere. The funniest thing is that each time I pointed at the digging spot the dog runs for cover, I guess he knew what follows.