Dog Behavior

Why Do Dogs Do That?

That may be the way we interpret their actions, when we mistakenly attach human emotions to dog behavior when they are an entirely different species.

The manners in which humans and dogs experience and perceive the world are two very different things.

We consider chewing a bad dog behavior, when in a dog's world it's totally natural. We want to shape our dog's behavior to only chew on certain "acceptable" items in order to fit into our lifestyle. This can be taught successfully without the use of punishment.

A dog might chew on your shoe when you're gone. I can't tell you how many people mistakenly insist that this is done out of spite. While it's not what we consider good dog behavior, it's definitely not spite. (If it were human it may be spite BUT not in the dog world). In fact, he is more likely missing you and feeling insecure and the chewing is his way of being closer to your scent. He is relieving stress and dealing with his insecurity by chewing. Your dog's stress can be caused by being separated from you, or just plain boredom. It could also be a number of other variables, but these two are the most common.

Again, in reality chewing an item that belongs to you is frequently your dog's attempt to be closer to you and receive comfort. When you come home and find something of yours chewed on, it helps to know this reason behind this particular dog behavior. But even more important to realize is that if the dog is corrected upon your returning, he will in no way understand what that correction is for, and become confused and frightened and will not be able to understand WHY the master he wants to cling to for security is angry with him. Dogs are mentally and physically incapable of making this connection.

But, a few things that will help for this type of chewing are:

1.Make sure your dog cannot get to your items to chew on while your gone. He can be crated while you're gone, or be confined to a specific area where there's nothing he can chew, AND

2.Always give your dog or puppy something appropriate to chew on, or something to keep him acceptably occupied. It's cheaper to buy a few dog chew toys at the pet supply store than it is to replace furniture or other valuable items. Your puppy or dog will be much happier this way, and so much less destructive in his behavior.

Remember, no dog behavior is ever enacted with bad intentions; dogs are not destructive "on purpose".

3.Make sure your dog gets plenty of exercise each day. Good dog behavior is also facilitated by the proper excercise and interaction with you.

What about that "guilty" look he gets?

The truth is again, that your dog does not comprehend the human emotion of guilt. He is however, placating you because he hears the unhappiness in your voice. You're unhappy with him and he doesn't know why.

As mentioned above, after being met with unhappiness or scolding "every" time you come home when your dog has chewed something or pilfered food etc, he is then unsure of himself and you "every" time you come home. Again, after the fact, corrections do NO good. They only serve to damage the relationship between you and your dog or puppy. Your dog will learn to mistrust you because you are constantly "mad" at him; (anger is an emotion that dogs do not understand and are fearful of) AND he doesn't understand how to "fix" that anger. So this is where the "guilty" look, (as it has been mislabeled), comes in.

Here are a couple of examples concerning dog behavior where the use of the crate in puppy potty training will prove to be very beneficial!

1. When you are gone and your puppy or dog is in his crate, or confined area away from your stuff, (as mentioned above) he can't chew on forbidden items in the house. Put a bone or chew toy in his crate when you're gone. A kong toy with a little peanut butter stuffed inside is a great tool to keep your dog occupied while you're gone. There are also several interactive toys on the market to pick and choose from.

2.If you use the crate, (and it's introduced properly),it will eventually become like a security blanket, and serves to keep your dog's stress level to a minimum. This, in turn minimizes stress induced bad dog behaviors.

Dog Behavior and
The Importance of Your Leadership

This is why dog owners should learn how to appropriately, but gently become secure leadership figures for our dogs. There are specific steps to take in order to make it clear that you are the leader that will earn your puppy's love and trust for life. It's easier than you think to have a happy, healthy, and well-mannered dog who adores you.

In 25 Secrets to Raising the Perfect Puppy ,everything is laid out for you. You will know exactly what to do in order to effectively become your puppy or dog's leader in very natural and gentle ways.

You won't believe some of the simple interactions that you can easily put into practice between you and your puppy or dog that will make all the difference in the world.

Even though the best way is to start with puppy training, these are principles that can be applied at any age in your dog's life and still be effective.

Food Snatching

Have you ever left food on the table, only to find that Fido ate half the hamburgers? Instead of yelling at him and trying to "punish him" for what he did, (and you know that never works, does it?), here are a couple of things you can start with:

1. If he's accustomed to eating your food at all, then that is giving him the opportunity to see "your" food as "his" food too. He thinks he has the right to your food (it doesn't matter where it is). You've fostered that by giving him little tidbits of your food all along.

When your dog later gets that you are the leader, you could make some breaking of these rules. BUT until the correct order is well established, even bending rules makes it worse. Don't feed him any of your scraps while the food snatching habit lingers.

2. Until things are "well established" don't leave the sight of where a pilfering crime could take place. Either place your dog in his crate or another room for the time when you can't watch the food, or move the food out of reach.

You could also have another member of the family "guard" the food, so to speak. Just don't allow the opportunity to present itself for your dog to be rewarded by acquiring the forbidden food.

3. You can use an upside down carpet runner with the little poky things underneath. If you set it on the counter when you're out of the room and your dog jumps up, then he'll get a surprise when his paw lands on a prickly surface. The surface may even move as he touches it. Not an expected outcome for your dog, so it's a good deterrent.

4. Once your dog has developed a good habit, it's not that hard. (Remember, yelling at or swatting your dog only makes you lose his trust, displays that you are not in control, and pushes you further from your goal.)

5. There are some additional things you can do for food snatching, but these must be addressed on an individual basis and are carried out according to the dog, his personality, and the circumstances.

Soiling Issues in General

This behavior can be a further manifestation of not forming good elimination habits from the start, and fostering bad dog behavior.

There are several reasons for soiling problems, ranging from incorrect puppy training, to dominance issues, to submission and fear issues.

Be sure to ALWAYS check with the vet to make sure your dog is healthy: It's very possible that what seems like a behavior problem can actually be brought on by a medical condition. Ruling out medical conditions is the first step to prevention.

When your dog or puppy engages in a behavior that seems bad, always give him the benefit of the doubt. The great thing about dog behavior is that, again, there is no malice on the part of the dog. There are scientific and logical reasons for all dog behavior . Sometimes we just have to become our own "pet's detective" to determine the reasons and find the solutions. Here are a few common mistakes made by 90% of pet owners.

Simply click to visit: Psychology: The basics of dog behavior

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