Fix Your Dog’s Behavior: Start With the Problem You’ve Got
Pick the thing your dog is doing, and I’ll point you to the guide for it. Most of what people call bad behavior is a dog with energy or drive and no job. Some of it isn’t, though. Biting, guarding, or anything sudden needs a vet or a qualified trainer first, and I’ll tell you when that’s the case.
By Christopher Lee Moran, working dog trainer, around 400 client dogs · I make and sell the Whimsy Stick, and some of these guides use it
What’s your dog doing?
The pattern I see most
A lot of the dogs I get called about aren’t bad dogs. They’re bored ones. They get a walk, maybe a puzzle toy, and the part of them that wants to chase, catch and hold something never gets used. So it leaks out sideways, as zoomies, chewing, or lunging at the neighbor’s cat.
That’s why so many of these guides start with a short, structured chase game, then build self-control on top of it. It isn’t magic, and it won’t fix everything. But it’s the piece most routines are missing.
Too much energy
- Why is my dog so hyper? Where to start if you’re not sure what’s going on.
- Still wired after a walk, and why the walk alone usually isn’t enough.
- Hyper at night: leftover energy, overtired, or something your vet should see.
- Zoomies: what’s normal and how to give them somewhere safe to go.
- 10 signs your dog needs more exercise
- Tiring out a dog when you work full time
Can’t switch off
- Teach a dog to settle: building an actual off-switch.
- Impulse control exercises, practiced while your dog is excited, not just in a quiet kitchen.
- Stop jumping on people
- Door dashing: a wait at the threshold that holds.
- Overexcited dogs
- Keeping a dog calm on crate rest
A chase they’re allowed to have: low, fast, and over when you say it’s over.
Chases everything
- How to train a high prey drive dog. Start here.
- Dog chasing cats, plus a safe way to introduce them.
- Chasing cars, bikes and joggers
- Fence running: why they patrol and how to give that drive a job.
- Obsessed with the ball
- High prey drive breeds, group by group.
Loses it on walks
- Reactive dog training: a step-by-step plan for walks.
- Trigger stacking, or why your dog seems fine until suddenly it isn’t.
- Reading dog body language, so you see it coming earlier.
- Barking, leash pulling and recall
- Off-leash recall
Bitten someone, or guarding food, toys or people? Start with a qualified trainer or a veterinary behaviorist, not a toy. This guide on resource guarding explains what’s going on and what not to do in the meantime.
Wrecking the house
- Destroying things when bored
- Digging up the yard
- Toys for high-energy dogs: what each kind of enrichment toy is actually good for.
- Mental stimulation for large dogs
- Scent work games at home
If the chewing only happens when you leave, that can be separation anxiety. Talk to your vet or a trainer about it.
Puppies, teenagers and new rescues
- Stop puppy biting
- Tiring out a puppy, stage by stage, without overdoing it.
- Adolescent dog won’t listen
- Fear periods in puppies and adolescents.
- A newly adopted rescue: the first two weeks
Puppies: I don’t start a flirt pole before 6 months, and even then only gentle, slow drags. Your vet decides when fast chasing is OK.
The tool behind a lot of these guides
The chase game in most of these guides is played with a flirt pole. Mine is the Whimsy Stick, a one-piece fiberglass pole on a static line. If you’re new to it, read what a flirt pole is and how to run a session first.
Rugged XL Pro Kit
- Dogs 30 lbs and up
- 5 lures + spare line, free US shipping
Quick answers
Where do I start if my dog has several problems?
Start with the one that happens most often or causes the most trouble at home. In my experience, energy and self-control problems usually come first, and the others get easier once those are handled.
Will a flirt pole fix my dog’s behavior?
On its own, no. It gives a high-energy or high-drive dog a daily outlet and a way to practice self-control while excited. That helps with a lot of everyday problems, but it isn’t a treatment for aggression, anxiety or anything medical.
When should I see a vet or a professional?
If your dog has bitten, guards things, panics when left alone, or the behavior started suddenly, talk to your vet or a qualified trainer or veterinary behaviorist first. Sudden changes can have a medical cause.
Are these guides free?
Yes. Every guide on this page is free to read, and so is my 10-lesson dog training course.
More from Whimsy Stick
Based on my own experience training dogs. Not veterinary or behavioral medical advice. Exercise disclaimer.
