Even though misbehaving pets can be sometimes funny (and this list is proof), overlooking pets' poor behavior can create a lot of challenges in the future, which can also hinder the relationship between an animal and its owner.
To learn more about how to see the signs of poor behavior in pets and how to deal with them, we reached out to Dr. Kate Mornement, board-certified applied animal behaviorist and founder of Pets Behaving Badly, and Dr. Janet Cutler, a certified cat and dog behaviorist and founder of Landmark Behaviour Inc.
"Many different behaviors can qualify as poor behavior, and it is often dependent on the expectations of the family," says Cutler.
"This could include poor manners, such as jumping up or begging. Many more serious behaviors can be a result of fear and anxiety, such as barking, aggression, or damage to the home."
Meanwhile, Mornement says, "Poor behaviour in pets can be behaviors that are actually quite normal for the animal but are perceived as problematic by the owner. For example, dogs that chase small animals or cats that scratch the furniture."
The reasons why pets exhibit what we see as problematic behavior can be a lack of training, manners, or even socialization, says Cutler. "Many behavior problems are due to fear and anxiety, which can occur because of genetics, experience, training methods and what happens when your pet shows that behavior, and many more."
It can also be due to more serious issues like health problems, notes Mornement. "Poor behavior can be the result of a health issue so it's important to have your pet seen by a vet to identify or rule out a medical cause. Other causes of poor behaviour include boredom, fear, anxiety, territorial behaviour and a lack of appropriate outlets for normal species-specific behavior."
What can be done to minimize undesirable pet behavior is to look at the environment and situation that behavior happens in, says Cutler. "Often we can modify the environment to help decrease the behavior. Then, we can work on the behavior itself through training techniques, rewarding the behavior we would like to see," she explains.
"If the behavior is rooted in fear and anxiety, this is often a longer process and could require some help from a behaviorist or trainer. Ensuring your pet gets plenty of exercise and mental stimulation can often help a lot in addition to behavior modification."
