Puppies and dogs often have some bad behaviors. Having bad behaviors is a very normal thing. As an owner, your reasonable and rational management will definitely help correct the dog's bad behaviors!

　　(1) Correction of Abnormal Aggressive Behavior

　　1. Be mindful of the dog's jealousy

　　A usually well-behaved dog may show jealousy to varying degrees when it notices the owner favors other dogs or people. Some may show depression, lack of activity, or stare at the owner and the "new favorite"; others may display abnormal aggression. Occasionally, they emit low growls to show discontent and attempt to drive away the "enemy." If it doesn't work, they may immediately fight until they bite the opponent away. Sometimes, due to fear of the owner, they behave calmly when the owner is around but reveal their true nasty nature and start attacking once the owner leaves. The targets of aggression can be anyone or any animal except the owner, so protective measures against other pets and children are necessary. Introducing them beforehand helps regulate the dog's emotions and reduce jealousy.

　　To correct aggressive behavior, first address the dog's psychological issue; do not punish harshly, or it will anger the dog further. The dog should have some communication with other people or dogs, such as playing together under the owner's supervision. When friendly behavior is observed, reward promptly, for example with petting and food. If the dog shows emotional agitation initially, hold its body, pet its head and chest to let it feel you care for it. Dogs that cannot be corrected and have bitten others or animals should be promptly excluded.

　　2. Territorial aggression

　　As the saying goes, a dog dislikes no home poverty; this is due to the dog's territorial instinct. Every part of the owner's home is the dog's territory, and any stranger or animal's intrusion is considered an invasion. Typical behavior includes barking when the door bell rings or lunging and biting when strangers enter the house.

　　Territorial aggression towards visitors should be promptly corrected to prevent habit formation. For guard dogs, use 30% punishment and 70% reward. The same gesture should be used to help the dog understand the visitor is the owner's friend. Being beaten in front of strangers is embarrassing; frequent occurrences create conditioned reflexes causing the dog to feel its interest is being infringed upon by visitors, making it more unfriendly.

　　It is important that visitors only show affection to the dog, such as gentle chatting and petting. Do not give food to prevent the dog from losing its habit of refusing strangers' food. Owners should not play rough with visitors to avoid the dog misunderstanding that the owner is attacked and stepping in to attack the visitor.

　　3. Dominance aggression among dog groups

　　Two male dogs competing over a female dog often fight until one flees. Sometimes such aggression results in injuries. Therefore, dogs in heat that have not mated must be leashed and separated from other dogs during their heat period. Correction involves strengthening the hierarchy of dominance and submission within the dog group. First, observe which dog holds the dominant position without alerting the dogs. Then, the owner should give the dominant dog all respect and privileges when interacting with the group, such as paying extra attention, letting it go out first on walks, and always walking ahead. If other dogs disobey, the owner should punish them, thus reinforcing the dominance-submission hierarchy.

　　Acceptance of dominance and submission is instinctive and should not be artificially disrupted. If dogs continue fighting when the owner is absent, it indicates the hierarchy is not established or confirmed. The owner must help establish this relationship.

　　(2) Correction of Destructive Behavior

　　For puppies, digging, chewing, or scratching objects is normal behavior and will gradually disappear as they grow. However, in adult dogs, such acts are abnormal.

　　There are many reasons for this behavior, mainly related to the dog's emotional state, such as loneliness, anxiety when left alone, or loud noise in the environment, which can induce transient abnormal behavior. Some dogs may have a bad habit causing destructive behavior anytime and anywhere. The behavior may also vary; some dogs may target specific objects or places, while others have no fixed target. Correction must treat the cause. First, identify the location and object of destructive behavior, then take different measures accordingly. For frequently destroyed items, remove them or place them out of reach, or place an inverted mousetrap beside the item; when the dog chews it, the mousetrap springs and scares the dog away. After repeated attempts, the dog will avoid chewing that item. For dogs without fixed destructive targets, besides the above methods, necessary punishment measures should be taken.

　　(3) Correction of Pica

　　Pica refers to the dog's conscious ingestion of non-food substances, such as stones, rubber, feces, etc. Dogs exhibiting this behavior are not only unhygienic but may develop gastrointestinal diseases caused by these foreign objects. The cause is not entirely clear and may sometimes be due to the deficiency of certain substances like vitamins or minerals. Correction involves supplementing nutritional deficiencies that cause pica.

　　Pica requires detailed observation and analysis to identify causes and patterns, such as preferred non-food items or specific conditions triggering it, then take targeted corrective measures. For nutritional pica, first supplement the deficient nutrients. For non-nutritional pica, punishment methods can be used. Direct punishment involves showing the pica object to the dog and scolding loudly and hitting it when it attempts to eat, then removing the object. Repeat presenting the object and punishing until the dog stops eating. Some dogs hesitate to pica when the owner punishes but may revert when the owner is absent. In this case, indirect punishment methods like applying chili powder or other harmless but irritating substances to the object make the dog feel spicy and uncomfortable, deterring further ingestion. Water spray guns can also be used, hiding several filled with water nearby; upon noticing the dog attempting pica, spray water to scare it away. After several repetitions, the dog overcomes pica. Note: avoid letting the dog associate the spray with the owner's punishment; the dog should think the reaction is due to its eating behavior itself. For other abnormal behaviors, owners can correct based on the above principles and methods. (Source: PetsZone)