Tag Archives: dog behavior

Picture of a tan Pit Bull to illustrate

“Why Does My Dog?” has no answer

You’re never going to know why your dog does what they do. That’s really hard for lots of new dog owners to understand. Probably because dogs are so in tune with us in so many ways, the parts that aren’t aligned seem incomprehensible.

It’s especially hard to know what’s going on with your dog when they do weird things. We’ve had Boston Terrier Simon for almost five years now – Fran got him when he was a little puppy. And since Day 1, he licks vertical surfaces. Cabinets, walls, furniture. Until we tell him to “knock it off,” he licks. 

We know some “whys”

We know that licking and chewing are forms of self-soothing. As dog trainers, we recognize behaviors when we see them. If your dog barks at you, they want attention. If they yawn or scratch at someplace like the vet’s office, we recognize it as a stress behavior. So we know Simon finds some kind of comfort in licking things. But it’s still weird. And we’re not crazy about washing walls.

Dogs can’t ever tell us “why.” Why is a dog afraid of people wearing hats? Were they terrorized by someone wearing a hat? Probably not. The odd shape of the person’s head wearing a hat may signal something’s wrong to your dog.

You can never be absolutely sure of how your dog will react with something different. Twice in the last couple of weeks dog owners predicted one reaction and got something entirely different.

Picture of a tan Pit Bull to illustrate Why Does My Dog

In Hope’s “Manners” class, the facility had left a little ramp that the day-care dogs play on. It’s large, plastic, brightly-colored, has three steps that go up about 15 inches on one side, a flat center, and a “slide” on the other side. The whole thing is about ten feet long. One of the dogs in class is Happy the pit bull. Her people looked at it and thought she’d charge right over it and have a blast. 

They were wrong. Happy was nervous and didn’t want anything to do with it. Despite the fact that she loves class, is normally a happy and inquisitive dog, and the ramp had to have delightful doggy odors all over it. As it turned out, instead of a rambunctious play session, we had the opportunity to teach the people how to introduce new, scary things to their dogs.

Same thing, different day

In our Club’s class this week, the puppy/beginner class had a few extra minutes at the end for playtime. The facility had a large, blue, outside ball with a handle in the room. Hope asked the people how they thought their dogs would react. The people with Alfie, a five-month-old giant-breed mix, said he’d love it and want to play. So we dropped it on the floor and found out they were wrong. Alfie was terrified of it – barking and backing up. By the end of class, he still wasn’t crazy about it, but no longer frightened.

What should you do if you get an unexpected or strange reaction from your dog? The absolute worst thing you can do is drag your dog over, as if to say “See? You’re being stupid.” For whatever reason, and you’ll never know what it is, your dog is cautious about something. How do you train your dog to check out new stuff?

Distance is your friend. Get far enough away from the thing so your dog is comfortable – no side-eye staring, no hunching, but relaxed, and happy. Gradually approach while talking to your dog and giving them treats for being calm and good. At the point your dog starts showing fear, stop and just wait. If they relax, get a little closer.

Working through it

Both Happy and Alfie were better by the end of class, but neither made “friends” with the scary object. That takes some time and familiarity. You never want to force your dog into something they find frightening. You want to take away the scare, not add to it.

Why are we talking about this now? It gives you time to think about and prepare. Because we’re getting close to the time of year when scary things crop up in yards all over the place. You may think the inflatable, 9-foot-tall, fire-breathing, purple dragon is a great Halloween decoration. Your dog may think it’s as terrifying as a real one swooping down to snatch him. 

So bring extra treats on your walks with your dog. Stay calm, talk soothingly, and give your dog time to adjust. Reward them for being calm. If you can gradually approach the scary thing, give it a try. The more chances your dog has to see, smell, and lick new things, the more confident they’ll become.  

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Torque (Hope's Frenchie) is lots of happy dog signals

One universal truth about dogs

There is one universal truth about all dogs, everywhere. It’s the foundation on which all good dog training is based. And once you understand it, really grasp its implications, you’ll be able to interpret everything your dog does. Everything. All the time.

So what is it? Just this: Dogs will always do what’s most rewarding to them. That’s it. It really is just that simple.

Knowing doesn’t always help

There’s always a catch, though, isn’t there? Trying to figure out what your dog finds satisfying about whatever annoying thing they’re doing is the tricky part. What does your dog love so much about eating grass? Contrary to urban folklore, dogs aren’t driven to eat grass when their stomachs are upset. In fact, eating grass makes most dogs throw up, which nobody enjoys. They also don’t understand the cause/effect thing, so they’re not looking for something to make them throw up. 

So why do it? Not a clue. They like the taste, they like making us yell, they’re bored and it’s something to do. No dog will ever be able to tell us what they’re thinking. We can only act on the information we have.

Most rewarding

Picture of a brindle French Bulldog sitting to illustrate One universal truth about dogs.

So in the case of eating grass, the dog finds something about it rewarding. Our job, if we want the dog to stop eating grass, is to provide something that’s more rewarding. Because dogs also have a reward pyramid. They’ll leave less rewarding behavior to engage in something better. But again, onlly they know what’s “better” to them.

You know your dog. You know what he/she values; which toys they prefer, what treats they find tastiest. A stranger may not know that your dog’s favorite treat is celery (Hope’s Torque), but a stranger has no idea what a singular weirdo your dog is. Take advantage of what you know.

Offer something better

If your dog constantly tries to eat grass and you don’t want her to, prepare in advance. Have a little plastic bag of a primo treat ready and go out with your dog. When she sticks her face in the lawn to indulge, just walk up beside her, (no yelling!) and wave that delectable morsel of Chicken Heart Treats in her face. Chances are that snout will come up off the ground and you’ll have an instant shadow.

Does it mean you have to carry around smelly dog treats all the time? It kind of does, if you want to change the behavior. If this is a battle you choose to fight, you have to be prepared for skirmishes all the time. Until your dog knows that grass-eating is off the table, so to speak.

Other stuff

Knowing that your dog finds something rewarding is the first step in figuring out how to do something about it. Why does your dog steal your shoes and run off? Is it because he/she is collecting shoes? No, of course not. It’s because you instantly engage in the game of “Chase me!” and give your dog your entire attention for the length of the “Steal the Shoe!” game. 

What does your dog find rewarding about barking? Most people will “bark” back, and again, your dog gets your entire attention. They think you’re having a conversation. They don’t really mind that you’re annoyed or angry. Dogs don’t really discriminate between positive and negative attention. As long as you’re engaged with them – it’s all good.

Giving perspective

Now that you know the great universal truth about dogs’ behavior, what can you do with it? That’s up to you. But the next time your dog is doing something you don’t understand, turn it around. Try to figure out what they’re getting out of it, and offer something better. Let us know how that works out for you. We have to go cut up some celery.

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Talk to your dog

Do you talk to your dog? We’d bet not as much as you used to, especially out on walks. Technology has eliminated one of the great benefits of having a dog. It used to be that if you walked around talking out loud, everyone thought you were crazy unless your dog was with you. Nowadays, most people seem to talk out loud, all the time, wherever they are. We assume they’re on the phone, but they could be crazy, since there’s no dog.

It’s actually a shame. When people can talk to anyone, anywhere, they’re less likely to talk to their dogs. And dogs are the best listeners you’ll ever meet. They think every word you utter is an absolute gem. And if you say something they recognize, you get the most adorable head tilt. If you say one of the magic words, like “out” or “cookie” or “car,” you may even get some quick zoomies around the house!

Dogs love conversation

One of the best dog-walking green spaces is close to our home. So we see people heading that way with their dogs all day every day. An informal survey clocked 18 out of 20 people staring at, or talking on, their phones rather than paying attention to their dogs. It made us sad.

Aside from how gratifying it is to have an audience that’s enthralled by every word you say, it’s good for your dog to be part of your conversation, too. Our training students are always amazed by how quickly, and how many, words their dogs learn to understand. More than just “sit” or “down,” dogs can build a large vocabulary, especially if you consistently talk to them. Many dogs know their toys’ names – does your dog fetch the right one when you ask “Where’s your ???”

Language buttons

A couple of years ago it was all over the news that somebody taught their dog to “talk” with recordable buttons she trained her dog to push. And pretty soon the dog was letting her know when he was hungry, when he wanted to play, if he wanted to go out, and so on. Now there’s a niche market for programmable dog buttons.

Picture of a fawn French Bulldog with mouth open, to illustrate talk to your dog.

We haven’t tried it yet ourselves. We’re pretty happy when our dogs listen to us. We’re not entirely sure how we’d like it if they could really talk back. Teddy (pictured) always had a lot to say, and we’re not sure he was always complimentary. We’ve never had bells on the door for our dogs to signal they want to go out. We’re afraid that the little monsters would be slapping those bells night and day – they love running around outside.

Comedian Elaine Boosler used to have a bit in her stand-up that went something like: “I used to wish my dog could talk. Then I realized what my dog would say: ‘Throw the ball.’ ‘Throw the ball.’ ‘Throw the ball.” I just threw the ball! ‘Throw it again,’ ‘throw it again,’ ‘throw it again.”

Talk to your dogs

It’s another thing entirely to want your dog to understand you. Just letting your dog know what’s going on is good for them. Dogs are great at reading the signs, they know that picking up your keys means you’re going out. If you didn’t reach for a leash, they know they’re not coming. If you do, chances are they come running over. And if you say “You wanna go out?” their excitement increases. 

Dogs are wonderful companions. That ability shines when you talk to them. There’s nobody who listens more attentively. It’s really nice that somebody considers you a brilliant conversationalist. Take advantage of that devotion. It makes both of you happy.

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Let dogs say no

Since when are dogs expected to allow anyone to do anything to/with them? Take away their food bowl. Let anyone pet them. Allow other dogs to get within sniffing distance. How about we let dogs say no?

Pictures of a Boston Terrier puppy to illustrate let dogs say no

Our first dog was a Boston Terrier named “Spunky.” He was a fantastic dog, a phenomenal best friend for two little girls. He was well-mannered, gentle, and lived up to his name. When we would try to do something to him, like pet him when he was eating, our mother would say “How would you like it if someone did that to you?” So we wouldn’t. On his behalf, our mother said “No!”

Boundaries are good

Dogs are amazing, smart, adaptable critters. They also do better when new stuff is introduced slowly, other beings respect their boundaries, and they’re allowed to be themselves.

Most dogs also give clear indicators when they’re uncomfortable or frightened. There are usually many clues before a dog will bite or snap. If a dog is licking its lip, turning its head away, or you can see the whites of their eyes, they’re sending a message that they’re not comfortable. It does the dog a disservice to allow whatever’s happening to continue.

As dog trainers, we tell all our students that distance is your friend. If your dog isn’t comfortable with something, back off until they relax. If the event that made them uncomfortable is one they need to get used to, do it gradually. One sure sign that a dog is doing okay is if they’ll take treats from you. When you reach their comfort boundary, they may stop taking those morsels.

It happened in the shop all the time. Dogs would come in thinking they were someplace where bad or scary things happen. We gave them the time, and distance, they needed to get used to the idea of “trying on” harnesses. Some dogs never got there. That’s okay – we just guided their owners for the fittings.

We told you not to do that

We’re reminded of a series of incidents with our bookstore cat, many years ago. A good friend of ours brought each of her four children to the shop. And, when each one was about four or five years old, they would be petting Merlyn, the cat. He was a typical cat – he loved pets until he didn’t, and then grabbed your hand with his teeth to let you know he was done. 

We knew Merlyn’s signs of “enough!” very well. And we told the children “That’s enough, now. Merlyn’s tired of being petted.” And, in turn, Merlyn grabbed their hands. He never broke skin, but he did leave dents.

And each child went running over to their mother, crying “The cat bit me!” And each one heard “What did you do?” Obviously, if it hadn’t been a friend, we wouldn’t have let it happen. But we knew how our friend would react. It was important to her that her children learn to a) listen and b) respect animals.

Let dogs say no

Strangers don’t have to pet your dog. No matter how little, fuzzy, and cute your dog is. You and your family are the only ones your dog has to put up with. Tango, Fran’s 13-year-old Brussels Griffon, didn’t like much of anybody but Fran. It was important to us that he change, so we did it gradually. Everyone he met was given a handful of treats to toss on the floor near him. Then a little closer to them. Then, step-by-step, take the cookies from their hands. Over time, Tango grew a bunch of cookie-people friends. Now he’s the sweetest old guy. And anybody is allowed to pet him. But it worked because this dog was allowed to say “no!”

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