Why Is My Dog Suddenly Needy? It Might Not Be a Training Problem
My pets have been really annoying lately. They have been louder and needier than normal. In those moments I can feel my body tense up and I start to tip over to shouting mode. Now you’re probably thinking to yourself “WHAT you yell at your dogs? But you’re a positive reinforcement trainer” and the truth is yes I use positive reinforcement methods, and more specifically I don’t use fear, pain, or aversives. But before that I am a human and emotions can run strong when you’re irritated.
I will also note that I have worked with my animals that when I’m raising my voice it isn’t scary or intimidating. If anything it means I’m going to engage with them and give them something they want.
I’m not here to talk about training plans and protocols on how I trained my animals to be “better behaved.” Because in my reality they are well behaved. They aren’t stubborn, broken, or bad dogs (or bad goats).
When behavior changes aren’t a training problem
Enrichment is anything that helps meet an individual’s biological, emotional, social, and cognitive needs. Sometimes when those needs aren’t fully met, needy behaviors like being extra clingy, overly noisy, destructive or demanding start to appear.
Instead of writing out a lengthy training plan, I needed to meet my animals’ basic needs to resolve the issues. When we all have our needs met we are the better versions of ourselves, this goes for our pets too. By taking an enrichment approach rather than a training approach those basic needs are taken care of.
Hot Fudge and Sundae (my pygmy goats) have been screaming sooner for meals, and more headbutting of the baby gate or the door itself rather than the places around their living area where headbutting is absolutely acceptable. (Headbutting is normal for goats, and we’ve provided them with objects and places to do that natural behavior.)
Hot Fudge peering into the window waiting for food.
Hot Fudge has also been standing more on his station looking into the backdoor’s window and yelling, which in turn riles Tigerlily up and she starts growling and barking and charging at the door. Tigerlily has also been more barky in general lately and pawing at me for more attention.
After the first few very frustrating days I finally sat down to really think about what was going on. Why was everyone acting so foolish? Then I realized, it’s probably because everyone (including myself) had some unmet needs.
The weather had been very rainy and humid for quite a few days in a row. The goats don’t like rain or being wet, so they haven’t been out of their covered area much to run around and forage in the grass. The rain has also stopped the time I spend outside with Tigerlily playing fetch, and even taking walks every morning with Sully. Lightbulb moment: we all were lacking the physical and mental benefits of being outside.
Before I tell you what I did to solve their annoying issues, I want you to think about your own dog (when I say dog you can insert any other animal) for a second. Have they also been needy lately? This can look like being extra clingy, overly noisy, destructive or demanding.
Putting the puzzle pieces together
Here’s what I did. I sat down, reflected on what I was seeing and realized it wasn’t a training issue. It was an enrichment issue. This led me to find ways to fill in the gaps of what all of us were missing.
For the goats I used different puzzle feeders and filled them with treats and alfalfa pellets. I then gave the puzzles to them at a time where I know they are usually out in the yard.
Tigerlily got more hide and seek and tug play time in the house. Especially around times where I really needed her to chill out.
Even Sully got extra play and shredding activities in the evening to provide him some mental work to replace all the sniffing he usually does during our walks.
Sully working to get snacks out of one of the many cardboard boxes I hide treats in.
And for myself, I did a few things:
I started doing at least 10 minutes of stretching in the morning to get my body moving
I checked the weather more closely and if I saw moments where the rain wasn’t happening I planned my day around that so I could get out on a walk with Sully.
Doing the enrichment activities for or with my pets fills my cup, because I can see it fill their cups too.
One of Hot Fudge's favorite puzzle toys is an empty water jug filled with snacks. He loves kicking it around to get the treats to fall out.
And just like normal East Tennessee weather the rain doesn’t last forever. The sun has been shining more days than not, and everyone is back to their normal energetic selves. I am also feeling better and less irritated. I don’t find myself snapping at Tigerlily the moment she starts barking, instead I’m talking back to her as if she’s just trying to have a conversation with me.
Life isn’t perfect, and neither are we. I have no doubt that I’ll run into this problem again when we get another stretch of rainy weather. I’m glad that I took that time mentioned above to observe and reflect. That helped me build up my skill set to recognize it sooner and tackle the problem before everyone in my house has a meltdown.
Creating an enrichment plan for your dog
Think of the perfect day with your dog.
What activities do you do either individually or together that make that day perfect?
What is different on the days where they are being needy?
Is it environmental, such as weather changes, or schedule changes?
Do they have known medical issues that may be flaring up?
Maybe they’re acting completely “normal” and you’re the one with unmet needs
Once you’ve narrowed down the why, you can implement an enrichment plan to fulfill those unmet needs and get some relief.
Not every dog needs the same solution
It’s going to take some thought work and experimenting to find what works for your dog and yourself. We are all individuals and while our needs may be the same, the approach to fulfilling those needs can vary greatly.
It can be good practice to experiment with new activities when you and your dog are feeling pretty good. For example, if your dog has never engaged with a food puzzle before, trying to feed their dinner in one while they are already struggling can be very frustrating for them. Too much frustration can lead to many other unwanted behavior issues, so let’s just avoid that altogether.
Need Help?
I spend a lot of time thinking about my pets and what their likes and dislikes are, and what their enrichment plans look like. I also help my clients with meeting their own dog's needs, which means I have LOTS of ideas to try and experiment with.
If out of nowhere your dog has started becoming needy (whatever that looks like to you), let’s figure out together what’s going on. Behavior is information. Sometimes more training isn’t the answer. Meeting their needs with an enrichment plan is.
Reach out today and let me help you live a less stressful life with your dog.
Hi! I’m Beccy and I’m a professional dog trainer with almost 15 years of animal training experience. I use positive reinforcement and fear-free methods to help dogs and their humans build skills, confidence, and lasting behavior change. My goal is to create a less stressful life for you and your dog. I offer in-home training in Maryville, TN and surrounding cities throughout Blount, Sevier, Knox, and Loudon Counties. Online training is available for clients outside of East TN.
