8 Most Annoying Habits Dogs can Develop

It goes without saying dogs give their owners lots of pleasure and that most of the time, they are great to have around. However, there are moments when our canine friends drive you to distraction and they so when they insist on doing certain things which at first may seem a little amusing, but pretty soon these same habits become a bone of contention!

Hiding Bones Around the House

When your dog first starts hiding bones or their treats under cushions of a prized sofa or armchair, it can be a little amusing, but over time you may find your cute canine companion wants to bury them in the sofa too! Not only this, but if you keep retrieving their hidden treasures, your dog will start looking for new and better places to hide them in which includes in your bed!

Scratching at your Doors

Dogs can get a bit impatient about things which can lead to them developing a very annoying habit of scratching at doors whether it's in the house or when they are outside in the garden. Some dogs know where their food is kept and will scratch at kitchen cupboard doors in an attempt to help themselves to a meal which is why it's always best to store dog food in an overhead cupboard!

Barking at the Television

Another habit that may start out as being a lot of fun is when your dog insists on barking at the television every time an animal or another dog appears on the screen. This can turn into a very irritation and annoying habit and one that can escalate out of control. It's far better to nip this type of behaviour in the bud to make your life and your pet's a lot more peaceful!

Mounting Family Members and Friends

It can be very embarrassing when a family dog develops a habit of mounting people's legs whenever they can. This type of behaviour is more frequently seen in dogs that have not been neutered, but even when they are neutered, some of our canine friends will still do it and mainly due to the fact they don't have enough contact with other dogs where they can interact with them .

Correcting the problem can take a bit of time and a lot of patience by saying a definite “No” every time your dog tries to mount someone's leg (or arm). But it's not just males that do this because females will too!

Stealing Food Off Work Surfaces

If they can reach up high enough, some of our canine friends are notorious thieves and will help themselves to any food they find on a kitchen work surface or table! Not only is this type of behaviour extremely annoying, but it can prove quite dangerous for your dog, especially if they eat chocolate or anything else that's toxic to them! Correcting this type of problem can be really hard, so it's best to make sure your pet cannot reach anything by making sure you don't leave any food out when you are not around!

Finding Something Smelly to Roll In

Dogs love to “perfume” themselves with all sorts of very nasty scents which they adore, but people hate. This includes fox and badger poo as well as cow droppings and anything that's been dead for a while and which smells nice and rotten! Again this is something that's impossible to prevent from happening, unless of course you never let your dog off the lead, which would be a pity if you are walking them in a lovely park or through the countryside.

Barking and Chasing Cyclists

It's not just cyclists that some dogs love barking and chasing after, because they also like to do the same thing with quad bikes, cars, tractors and basically anything that moves! This is a very annoying and irritation behaviour not only for the people being chased, but for owners too. Not to mention how dangerous it can be for the dogs! It's a behaviour that needs to be stopped as soon as the first signs of a dog wanting to chase anything becomes apparent and the sooner it's nipped in the bud, the easier it is to correct!

Whining to Wake You Up

If you think you might like to have a “lie in” every now and again, you may find your dog thinks differently and will start whining until you wake up to give them some attention (or their breakfast!) The most annoying thing is that our dogs often do this and once we're up, they promptly go to sleep! Again, this can be cute for the first few times it happens, but the novelty soon wears thin when you really do need to get an extra hour or so in bed to recharge your batteries. The best way to solve the problem is to make sure you leave your pet in the kitchen with some dried food and lots of fresh water the night before and just hope you can't hear them if they start whining the following morning!

Conclusion

Dogs are glorious creatures and they are great fun to be around – most of the time. However, our canine friends can develop a few very annoying habits which may seem quite amusing to begin with, but pretty soon the novelty wears off leaving you at your wits end. It's always easier to nip a bad habit in the bud than to wait until it has become engrained in their characters which means having to put up with things until you teach you dog some manners again!