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Naughty Dog? Is it the dog or the owner?
www.holidays4dogs.co.uk Great website catering to dogs being cared for at home (in U.K.), while their owners are away - good selection of articles - enjoy!
www.holidays4dogs.co.uk Great website catering to dogs being cared for at home (in U.K.), while their owners are away - good selection of articles - enjoy!
Pic - freepic.com - https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/naughty-dog-illustration_21078180.htm
Is my dog really naughty? – Or is it me?
As dog owners, we often get more than a little frustrated at our dog’s behaviour – running through the house with muddy paws, stealing food, barking for no reason, rolling in poop, pulling on the lead, chasing birds, barging through doors…….the list can be endless! And as much as we adore our dogs, there’s probably not one owner who feels their dog’s sometimes get on their nerves.
I started this article for Holidays4Dogs because I am currently looking after Buster, my son’s Springer spaniel. Now, don’t get me wrong, Buster is a lovely dog but he frequently gets on my nerves! As a dog trainer I know all too well that if you don‘t spend enough time training your dog – or at least attempting to convey to him what the rules are; you could well end up with an unruly house mate.
However, how to fix training issues isn’t really what this article is about – I want to focus more on how we view our dogs and more importantly, what we should expect of them.
Because I have trained dogs for a long time, I am probably guiltier than most of expecting too much from my dogs at times. Sometimes perhaps, we need to step back and consider whether we are being totally fair on our dogs.
While we perceive some behaviours in our dogs to be a ‘problem’ – from the dog’s point of view these are simply natural and normal. Research has already de-bunked the idea of the, ‘alpha dog’ – when your dog pulls you along on the lead, he is not in fact trying to take over your world, (which is what we often believe) – he simply wants to run and get to the wide open spaces faster!
All too often we think our dogs are being stubborn, naughty or deliberately disobedient – but in reality this just isn’t the case. Dog’s aren’t humans, they don’t understand human speech and while science tells us that dog’s are capable of sensing human emotions, they don’t think or feel in the same way that we do.
Dogs do not understand human rules – they have to be taught. Dogs don’t have any particular expectations either – they just do what dogs do and they see the world from their own point of view.
A dog will steal food because they are opportunists and because from a dogs point of view, its hard to resist something that smells so good; he will jump up to greet visitors because he is excited and wants to be near to people’s faces so he can greet them in a way he understands.
Certain breeds have specific traits too that could be seen as a, ‘problem’. Herding breeds for example have an in-built instinct to herd and nip, but in a human environment they are apt to do this to people who move quickly, such as children. Gundogs, such as Spaniels and Retrievers enjoy carrying things around the house – sometimes this means items such as shoes, socks or underwear!
While these behaviours are often seen by us as irritating or disobedient they are in fact typical inborn canine traits which are perfectly normal – they are not an indication that your dog is a delinquent with dubious morals!
Nobody is suggesting that certain issues should be ignored, because dogs do have to learn to fit in with our world. However, it isn’t always easy for them to do this unless we motivate them in the right ways so they learn to understand the rules of our world.
I feel that most dogs do this very well under, what must be at times, very confusing circumstances. We like to cuddle our dogs one minute, but then they are scolded for wiping hairs all over our dinner suits the next! It is our responsibility to deal fairly with our dogs – they are, after all, a completely different species and they will always display behaviour that is specific to them.
It is good to always try and look at things from your dog’s perspective and if you feel you need help with how your dog behaves at home – seek out the advice of a good trainer or behavourist who will be able to help you teach your dog in a kind and positive way, but never scold your dog for not understanding what the human rules are, if he hasn’t been taught what they are in the first place.
Dogs are quite amazing creatures and they are good at adapting to the human way of life and modifying their behaviour, while still meeting their own needs. It is up to us as owners to help them achieve this balance rather than falling into the human trap of labelling them stupid, disobedient or naughty
As dog owners, we often get more than a little frustrated at our dog’s behaviour – running through the house with muddy paws, stealing food, barking for no reason, rolling in poop, pulling on the lead, chasing birds, barging through doors…….the list can be endless! And as much as we adore our dogs, there’s probably not one owner who feels their dog’s sometimes get on their nerves.
I started this article for Holidays4Dogs because I am currently looking after Buster, my son’s Springer spaniel. Now, don’t get me wrong, Buster is a lovely dog but he frequently gets on my nerves! As a dog trainer I know all too well that if you don‘t spend enough time training your dog – or at least attempting to convey to him what the rules are; you could well end up with an unruly house mate.
However, how to fix training issues isn’t really what this article is about – I want to focus more on how we view our dogs and more importantly, what we should expect of them.
Because I have trained dogs for a long time, I am probably guiltier than most of expecting too much from my dogs at times. Sometimes perhaps, we need to step back and consider whether we are being totally fair on our dogs.
While we perceive some behaviours in our dogs to be a ‘problem’ – from the dog’s point of view these are simply natural and normal. Research has already de-bunked the idea of the, ‘alpha dog’ – when your dog pulls you along on the lead, he is not in fact trying to take over your world, (which is what we often believe) – he simply wants to run and get to the wide open spaces faster!
All too often we think our dogs are being stubborn, naughty or deliberately disobedient – but in reality this just isn’t the case. Dog’s aren’t humans, they don’t understand human speech and while science tells us that dog’s are capable of sensing human emotions, they don’t think or feel in the same way that we do.
Dogs do not understand human rules – they have to be taught. Dogs don’t have any particular expectations either – they just do what dogs do and they see the world from their own point of view.
A dog will steal food because they are opportunists and because from a dogs point of view, its hard to resist something that smells so good; he will jump up to greet visitors because he is excited and wants to be near to people’s faces so he can greet them in a way he understands.
Certain breeds have specific traits too that could be seen as a, ‘problem’. Herding breeds for example have an in-built instinct to herd and nip, but in a human environment they are apt to do this to people who move quickly, such as children. Gundogs, such as Spaniels and Retrievers enjoy carrying things around the house – sometimes this means items such as shoes, socks or underwear!
While these behaviours are often seen by us as irritating or disobedient they are in fact typical inborn canine traits which are perfectly normal – they are not an indication that your dog is a delinquent with dubious morals!
Nobody is suggesting that certain issues should be ignored, because dogs do have to learn to fit in with our world. However, it isn’t always easy for them to do this unless we motivate them in the right ways so they learn to understand the rules of our world.
I feel that most dogs do this very well under, what must be at times, very confusing circumstances. We like to cuddle our dogs one minute, but then they are scolded for wiping hairs all over our dinner suits the next! It is our responsibility to deal fairly with our dogs – they are, after all, a completely different species and they will always display behaviour that is specific to them.
It is good to always try and look at things from your dog’s perspective and if you feel you need help with how your dog behaves at home – seek out the advice of a good trainer or behavourist who will be able to help you teach your dog in a kind and positive way, but never scold your dog for not understanding what the human rules are, if he hasn’t been taught what they are in the first place.
Dogs are quite amazing creatures and they are good at adapting to the human way of life and modifying their behaviour, while still meeting their own needs. It is up to us as owners to help them achieve this balance rather than falling into the human trap of labelling them stupid, disobedient or naughty
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