Tag Archives: dog psychology

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

One universal truth about dogs

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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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Picture of a French Bulldog tilting its head to illustrate Dogs Don't Get Maybe

Dogs don’t get maybe

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Even though dogs can actually see some colors, they only understand black and white. Dogs are binary beings. They understand yes or no, on or off, black or white. There are no shades of gray. Dogs don’t get maybe.

People understand that words can have more than one meaning. Even thouugh dogs are capable of understanding hundreds of words, each one is unique in their minds. If you tell a person “Sit down!” they’ll plant their butt in a chair. If you say it to a dog, they’ll give you a puzzled look and try to figure out which of the two you meant, sit or down. And because they want to get it right, they’ll do nothing rather than make a mistake.

Sometimes doesn’t work for dogs

This difference in the way dogs think can cause some issues unless it’s understood. If Fido is allowed on the furniture except when Aunt Agnes comes over, they won’t understand. People adapt their behavior for different conditions and circumstances. Dogs don’t know how to do that. Because they’re confused, when Aunt Agnes arrives, Fido may become anxious and misbehave.

Picture of a French Bulldog tilting its head to illustrate Dogs Don't Get Maybe

Any sudden change in the routine or schedule can cause confusion for your dog. If your regular routine is disrupted, even for a good reason, dogs can get anxious, even if it’s a good change. Say you have a regular sequence for getting ready to go to work on Monday morning. Your dog knows the routine, knows what to expect, and is comfortable with it. 

But then there’s a Monday holiday, like Memorial Day. Instead of the regular routine, you want to sleep in, relax, and have a pleasant day off with your dog. Instead of appreciating the mini-vacation, your dog may be stressed because they don’t know what’s going on. And sleeping in is a completely alien concept.

Be clear, patient, and consistent

Dogs can adapt to change, but it may take some time and patience, like all good dog training. One of the ways you can make it easier for your dog is to try to keep the regular routine even in changed circumstances. When we closed the physical shop and started to work from home, we kept our dogs’ routine close to what it had been.

The dogs were accustomed to having our attention at home. Even though we weren’t always actively engaged with them, they were close and knew they could count on a free hand reaching to pet them. That can’t happen while we’re at work. 

The change was gradual. They got used to the idea that if we were sitting at our desks, we wouldn’t pet them. It was really difficult at first, for everyone. They just look so darn cute curled up in a dog bed next to us. But we knew that consistency was key. Because dogs don’t get maybe.

A look at dog sleeping positions

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How can that be comfortable?

A day rarely goes by that social media friends doesn’t post pictures of their dogs sprawled in some contorted sleeping positions, across some unlikely piece of furniture, asking “how can this be comfortable?”

It probably helps that almost every single one of the people we follow are dog people. But it also brings up the question – how are dogs supposed to sleep?

Sleeping positions

In our research, experts varied between five and 10 described sleeping positions dogs prefer. We’re going to go with five – others are variations on a theme.

One they all talk about, and give the same name to, is the “super hero” position. This is when your dog is flat on its stomach, front paws stretched out in front and back legs stretched out behind. The experts say this is mostly for cooling – fur on a dogs’ stomach is thinner and the dog can cool off faster by getting in contact with a cool floor. 

They also say that it’s mostly a position that puppies use. And speculate that it’s the best for “leaping into action” when they wake up after their nap. Considering all dogs sleep from 10 to 14 hours a day, and puppies even more, we say they should be well-rested enough to “leap” any old time. 

We actually see this one a lot from Torque, Hope’s French Bulldog, especially in the summer. He’ll even head into a bathroom with nice, cool tile floors for a nap if he’s hot. Smart creatures, dogs!

All curled up

The curled up sleep position is one seen most often in wild canids (wolves, foxes, coyotes, etc.) And, sadly, also in animals held in shelters. This position signifies that the dog is trying to stay warm, while at the same time protecting its vital organs. 

Picture of a yellow Labrador Retriever in a curled up sleeping position

We don’t think you can actually read all that much into it. Especially if your dog likes lying in circular, or oval dog beds. It’s not necessarily a sign that your dog is insecure – it just means that they like snuggling, even all by themselves.

Since some of our dogs (French Bulldogs) are physically incapable of achieving this position, it’s not one we see much of. Booker (Fran’s 7-year-old Boston Terrier) will use it occasionally, especially after he digs his way under the throw-blanket on the couch.

Crazy legs

This is the all-sprawled-out, on their back, legs-in-the air sleeping position that our social media friends post most often. Their dogs are draped over the sides of couches, benches, people, even tables and exercise equipment. These are dogs that really know how to get comfy and relax with abandon. 

We don’t see this one very often – Simon (Fran’s 1-year old Boston) is the only one who ever sleeps on his back. According to the experts, using this position indicates that the dog is relaxed, confident, and secure. Which describes Simon pretty accurately. 

If your dog sleeps “crazy legs” we’d love to see any pictures you have – we think it’s adorable. 

Side sleeper

Side sleepers are also characterized by their confidence. It’s another position that leaves the dog’s vital parts exposed. All of our dogs use this and the next position the most:

Cuddle bug

Whether with you or another pet, the cuddle bug has to be in touch. It really is a way of telling us they love us, they want to be with us, and they’re happy and confident. It’s also the one that makes us say “awwww” the most.  One of the most comforting feelings in the world is having your dog lying back to back with you.

What’s your dog’s favorite?

We’ve seen some unique and hysterical pictures of dogs sleeping, but inquiring minds want to know! Which position does your dog favor? 

[Total_Soft_Poll id=”4″]

Generally speaking, dogs don’t. Generalize, that is

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Dogs don’t generalize. Not situations, objects, behaviors, nothing.

There’s a saying in dog training – every dog’s a trial champion in the kitchen. And that pretty much sums up the entire difference between people and dogs. 

Brain differences

Hope came up with a pretty good analogy explaining this to her obedience competition students this week. When you learned how to use a fork, you knew how to use a fork. No matter what the fork looked like. Or what it was made of. Everyplace you ate a meal, you still knew what a fork was for and how to use it. That’s “generalizing” the behavior.

Dogs have to be taught to do that. Not use a fork. Generalize behaviors for all places and situations. Just because your dog knows how to “sit” on command everywhere in your house doesn’t mean he’ll know how outside. Or at the vet’s office, park, training class, pet supply shop. 

Not starting from zero

French Bulldog Torque can generalize "sit" in different places
Torque sitting at home. And at an agility trial. He generalizes “sit” anywhere we go.

Dogs will pick up on the similarity pretty quickly. But it stymies people at first when they stumble across this fundamental difference between people and dogs. Just today, a young couple was telling us that their wonderful, 12-week-old puppy knows how to sit, stay, lie down, even “give paw” when they’re at home. But when they took her to the vet and tried to show off her skills, she knew nothing. 

A puppy that young doesn’t really “know” any of the behaviors reliably, of course. Instead, she knows that when her people act a certain way and make those sounds, she’ll get a treat if she does something. So she does something. (By the way – whenever we think about what dogs hear when we talk, we get a mental cartoon of the Peanuts gang listening to adults. Don’t you?)

Analyze your own behavior

Chances are your dog is picking up lots of cues from you to indicate which “thing” you want him to do. At some point they do recognize actual words you’re using. But, especially early on, most of the information your dog understands comes from body language. If you always hold the treat in a certain hand and use a gesture when you say “sit,” all of those things are part of the dog’s understanding of what you want.

Competition obedience requires that certain commands be either word or gesture. Not both. And some dogs are better at understanding voice commands, others prefer the visual. When we first discovered this with our own dogs, we thought it was fascinating that, once again, dogs are just like us! Some people learn better by listening, others by reading. 

Generalize can spreads like crazy

Once your dog understands the concept “here is the same as home” the notion will spread fast. Dogs can learn to generalize. Most times you don’t have to re-teach the idea for every behavior. As long as you stay consistent with your words and body language, your dog will understand what you’re asking. But be sure to remember the treats!