Seemingly out of nowhere, your dog starts going into the trash can and pulling everything out. What’s going on?
To get to the bottom of a change in a dog’s behavior, it’s important to work backwards to figure out what change has occurred in the canine’s life to make her start acting differently. Approach it like this, in the following order.
1. Consider a medical problem. When trying to get at the root cause of a dog’s behavior change, it’s important to start with the possibility that something is wrong medically in order not to delay diagnosing and tending to a disease that could get out of hand if left untreated. In the case of a dog rummaging through the trash, maybe a physical condition such as Cushing’s disease is making her hungrier. A dog with that condition could be feeling ravenous and might look for anything to satisfy her appetite.
2. A change in the environment? If the problem is not medical, has something about your dog’s environment changed that might make her more likely to dig through trash? For instance, maybe the latch to the trash can is broken or has become looser so that it’s easier for her to pick the lock, so to speak. Keep in mind that it takes just one interesting “find” to develop a habit. If a dog is able to make her way into the garbage and scores a discovery with a particularly interesting odor or texture, she’s going to keep trying it. It becomes self-rewarding.
3. Maybe it’s boredom — or anxiety. If what has led to a change in your dog’s behavior is neither medical nor environmental, could it be a new difference in her lifestyle that has made her more bored? Maybe you’re working longer hours than usual. For you, that might mean exhaustion and less down time, but for your dog it could translate to less attention. The resulting tedium may make your pet want to find new outlets to keep life interesting, and the trash could be one of them. She may even find that she gets extra attention from you when she strews trash all over the floor. It may not be the kind of interaction she would really like, but if your dog is craving more time with you, even a little negative attention in the form of watching you show your irritation as you clean up the mess could make life more interesting — and better than no attention.
The flip side of boredom is often anxiety. Has there been a change in your pet’s lifestyle that has left her feeling more nervous? It could be the longer hours you are working, more fighting going on than usual among family members, someone moving into or out of the house, or just the stress you might be conveying over financial worries or medical concerns of your own. Dogs are exquisitely tuned to our emotional state, and if it has been thrown off, they will know it and may act destructively (although they don’t know it’s destructive) as a way to displace their feelings of alarm with an active behavior.
Solutions to the problem
If it’s possible an illness might be causing a change in your dog’s behavior, you should of course take her to the doctor to rule out a medical problem — or rule it in and treat it. If the issue is not medical, go to what you have identified as changes in your pet’s environment or lifestyle and see what you can do to make those more amenable. For instance, if a faulty latch on a garbage can is causing the problem, simply fix it or buy a new can, or move it to where she cannot access it.
If you think your canine pal is bored or anxious because of a change in schedule or something else going on among the humans, do what you can to make some extra time for her. Can you spare an extra 5 or 10 minutes on walks or engage a bit more in spontaneous play, perhaps chasing your dog around the house or throwing something for her to fetch? Maybe even just some more stroking while you are on the couch decompressing with the TV would help. Whatever it takes to make your dog feel paid attention to — and secure — could go a long way toward curbing an unwanted behavior.
