6 Hacks to Prevent Your Dog’s Problematic Behavior Before It Even Starts

Training dogs is one of the great joys of my life, so many clients are surprised when I see a dog’s problematic behavior and don’t immediately suggest some training techniques to fix it. Instead, I might say, “Let’s use management here!” In other words, we can find some simple hacks — aka manage the pup’s environment — first to eliminate anything that might be causing them to, for example, root through the trash, bark at any guest who comes to your door, or run off to rip up your brand-new couch. 

Making changes to positively influence the behavior of dogs is popular in the dog-training world, but there’s some shame associated with it among many pet parents. There’s a tendency to think that this approach is a cop-out, but I totally disagree. Management is a great way to help dogs in challenging situations by making it easier for them to do the right thing. These simple suggestions that I give my clients are often straightforward and require minimal effort. You may even say “duh” at a few of these and wonder why you never tried them. No worries — that’s why I’m here to help. 

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Here are a few of my favorite hacks for preventing problem behavior before it even begins. 

Keep “intruders” out of their sight line. 

Block the glass portion of your front door with fabric or a poster board to keep your dog from standing there all day getting upset by all the passersby. Some dogs get excited by people outside in a good way, but others watch on edge and survey your property like a sentry. According to them, everyone is trespassing, no exceptions. Covering the glass so your dog doesn’t see what’s out there can add calm, peace, and quiet to many households.

Ditch the doorbell.

Disconnect your doorbell if your dog goes wild when anyone rings it. Knocking is far less upsetting to almost all dogs than the doorbell. If your pup is not worked up to begin with, it will be easier to teach them to sit, go to their “place,” or to go get a toy when someone is at the door.

Keep all the “no-no” items away from them.

Putting secure tops on tempting containers can be a game changer in many households. A covered garbage can stop dogs from having a trash party. And a covered hamper prevents dogs from getting socks and underwear to grab or eat. (This dog who ate 24 socks could have used a hamper with a lid!) For truly committed dogs, putting these items behind a closed door may be necessary. I suggest putting the laundry basket in a closed closet and the kitchen trash can in the garage or under the sink (if possible) to avoid problems.

Give them some slack on the leash.

Use a 10-to-12-foot leash on walks instead of a four-to-six-foot leash to prevent pulling. Many dogs just need a little more room to roam and don’t pull as hard with that extra line. Some will pull no matter what the length of the leash is, but for a lot of dogs, a longer leash makes walks more fun (and safer!) for everyone. 

To find out which type of walker you have, attach two shorter leashes to double the length of their leash as a test. This way, you can figure out if a longer-leash hack will work for them. Another way to lessen pulling is to go on an out-and-back route rather than a loop. A lot of dogs don’t pull, or at least not nearly as much, when they are retracing their steps (they are less curious about somewhere they’ve already been). So, this method may get you half a walk free of pulling, which is a big improvement.

Provide them with plenty of activities. 

Give your dog something to do so they don’t get bored and try to entertain themselves by being mischievous. Most dogs have certain times of day or certain situations when they are more likely to get into trouble. For many dogs, mischief o’clock is mid-morning or late afternoon. 

Once you know your dog’s witching hour for naughtiness, get in the habit of giving them something to do before there’s a problem. For example, give your dog a stuffed Kong when you are making dinner so they don’t try to help themselves to your ingredients. Give them something new to chew on before your friends come over. Have pre-prepped items, like a stuffed Kong that has already been frozen in the freezer, that you can easily give your dog if you need to occupy them at the last minute for any reason. 

Block their access to the counter to begin with.

Counter surfing behavior will happen if you don’t prepare. If, the first time your dog puts their paws on the counter, they find a jackpot of food they can snack on, they will try to get up on that counter again as soon as they can. 

To keep them from being rewarded, block access to the counter, especially while you are cooking and food is all over the place, or nobody is watching the counter. Try putting up a baby gate, put them in a pen or crate in the kitchen, or tether them so they can’t reach the counter. Another option is to open your drawers just enough so they can’t reach the counter. Either keep the counters clear of food completely, store food that’s on the counter in closed containers, or push the food to the back of the counter so your dog can’t reach it (unless they are so tall that that simply won’t work).

Bottom line: Control the environment so you don’t have to work so hard to control your dog. 

Almost everyone with a dog is dealing with some kind of behavior they don’t like. But you don’t always have to hire a behaviorist to work on all of these things. Try some of the above ideas and see how much better things get. Then you can narrow in on a training plan for any issues that remain. This way, life is easier for everyone. 

For more tips on managing your dog’s behavior, check out Juliana DeWillems’s new book Manage It!: Hacks for Improving Your Dog’s Behavior.