I am sure you will agree with me in the thought that small dogs are yappy and annoying. They tend to be really cute, which is good because when they start barking, it is enough to drive you insane.
When I picture a small dog, all I can see is a tiny little thing hopping up and down barking relentlessly. There could be a reason why small dogs tend to be so annoying. They may really just need more attention than they are getting. Continue reading to find out more.
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So, Why Do Small Dogs Need Attention?
All dogs require a fair amount of attention, especially small dogs. As part of leading a healthy lifestyle for your pet, you want to make sure that they have the attention they need. Your dog requires social contact because it is a pack animal.
The social contract keeps your dog happy and gives it the attention it needs. Believe it or not, your dog misses you while you are gone. Have you noticed how excited your dog gets when you return home? It is because your dog truly missed you.
Your dog needs exercise daily, and if they do not get enough, they may start to act out. You want to make sure your dog gets at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. In addition to physical activity, dogs need mental activity as well.
This can be things such as obedience training or agility training. Anything that makes your dog think about what it has to do can be a mental activity. There are just certain breeds of dogs that require more attention.
Some dogs deal better in a house that is constantly moving, and there is always commotion happening. Those types of dogs may not do well in a house that is calm or has very little activity.
How Do You Know A Dog Needs More Attention?
There are many reasons why your dog may want attention. It is important to understand why your dog wants your attention. Your dog may do a number of things to get your attention.
Keep in mind that if you respond to this behavior and give your dog what it wants, it will continue to do it. When your dog is an adorable puppy, these behaviors may be cute, but after all while, they could get on your nerves. You need to remember that before you respond to their attempts to get your attention.
A dog may stick its nose under your arm or paw at you to get your attention. That may seem cute or endearing, but there are other ways that are not as cute that your dog may use to get your attention. These could include whining, barking, or howling. It may also include jumping up on you, scratching at the door, and even stealing or chewing on your stuff.
Your dog may exhibit some other behaviors that are signs of a bigger problem. Your dog may chase its tail or spin violently in a circle. Spinning is not a natural behavior for a dog and can indicate anxiety or distress about something. It also tends to be a compulsive behavior and may indicate that your dog needs some type of training or help.
Ways To Give Your Dog More Attention
There is a good way to give your dog more attention, and there is a not so productive way to give it attention. The simple way to help your dog is to make sure it is getting enough exercise. Make sure when you come home, you acknowledge your dog and give it attention.
If these do not seem to be enough, there are some other ways to give your pet more attention. Some may be harder than others, but you have to stick to it. One rule to which you should always stick is to stay calm. Even if you are angry at your dog, you are still giving it the attention it wants.
While it may not be positive attention, your dog probably does not care, as long as there is some attention being given. You should remain calm and in control of your own emotions when dealing with a dog that craves more attention, regardless of the reason why it is seeking more attention. When we have a new puppy in the house, it is really easy to give it too much attention.
Puppies and the first few weeks
Puppies are adorable and smaller, and it is incredibly easy to spoil them and teach them bad behaviors that you will hate later on. Keep in mind what you do with the dog in the first few weeks in your house, the dog will continue to expect, even when you are too tired to give it the same amount of attention. Even when the dog is no longer tiny and adorable, your dog is going to expect you to continue to give it all the attention you always have.
One of the first things that you should do is ignore your dog when it is trying to provoke you with negative attention-seeking actions. If you give into them, you are giving your dog what it wants.
You are also reinforcing the behavior and teaching it that if he continues to do the things you do not like, you will pay attention. It may be difficult at first because your dog may act on these behaviors more urgently. If your dog is barking to get your attention, it may bark louder if you are not responding. Once your dog is calmer and is no longer acting badly, you can give the dog the attention, and also you will be reinforcing positive behavior.
You may want to consider taking note of your dog’s behavior and when it occurs. Start paying attention and even take real notes about what happens when your dog is showing some type of attention-seeking behavior. This can help you determine what causes your dog to act out. You may be able to control the thing that causes the behavior or at least be better prepared for the behavior if you know what causes it.
You might be able to redirect your dog once whatever happens that you know will cause your dog to act out. You can call your dog’s name or something else to get the attention of the dog. Once you distract him, you may be able to get the attention away from what may cause your dog to lapse into an attention-seeking mode.
Once you know what a trigger for your dog is, you can create ways to alert yourself that a trigger is present and perhaps remove the dog so it is not triggered. For example, if someone walking into your house without the dog being prepared triggers your dog, you can make sure there is a warning for the dog, such as ringing the doorbell, so it will know someone is coming into the house.
It may take a little bit of time because you will have to train your dog, but it might work out well in the end. It is important that you, as the owner of the dog, remain calm. If you are calm, it will help your dog to calm more quickly. If you are anxious or upset, your dog will notice that and begin to react to that.
When your dog begins improving its behavior, you should reward or treat the dog. When your dog begins remaining calm in a situation that would have caused him to respond with anxiety or attention-seeking behavior, you should reward your dog. This is the basic premise behind reward-based training. It will not take too long before he is responding much more intuitively with calm behavior when, in the past, your dog was more anxious and stressed.
Ways To Correct Your Dogs Behavior
While we love our pets and treat them as members of the family, when they are too needy, it can be annoying. You want to make sure you are giving your dog what it needs, but you could be giving it too much.
Your dog should not need your constant attention all day long. If this is happening, there are ways that you can correct it. You may need to change some of your own behavior at the same time.
You may not want to know this, but you could be causing some of your own problems.
