‘Dog Psychology’ Category
Many of the wolf-like social behaviors of the dog are not things that endear them to us, and many have lost their original social purpose to the dog as well. They are appendages that evolution hasn’t managed to shake yet. Like the human appendix, they range from merely useless to downright awkward.
The elaborate eliminatory patterns of the dog are a source of puzzlement and grief to many a dog owner, but if it is any consolation, they don’t make a great deal of sense for the dog, either. In wolves, both the alpha male and the alpha female generally urinate with a raised leg; all other members of the pack merely squat. The raised-leg urinations involve depositing relatively small amounts of urine in prominent places and on conspicuous objects. This of course has almost nothing to do with the needs of elimination and everything to do
with territorial markers.
Many people…
Posted in Dog Psychology | No Comments »
It is often suggested that members of the pack selflessly subordinate their own interests to the greater interests of the group, but this is really not an honest description of the evolutionary forces or motives at work. In wolf packs the males and females of the group each establish their own social rankings. The top male and top female furiously disrupt any attempts by their inferiors to breed. These rankings are often stable for long periods, and when this is the case the lower-ranking animals readily give way to their superiors without a fight. The alpha male is greeted with fawning, even puppy-like, submissive gestures of face licking; if an inferior ranking male is challenged by the alpha, he will roll over on his belly and submit. All members of the group, male and female, participate in the care and rearing of the young, regurgitating food for the puppies and…
Posted in Dog Psychology | No Comments »
All positions of a dog’s ears should be gauged relative to the way the dog normally carries his ears when he is relaxed. Dogs with severely cropped or very long ears will be harder to read.
Ears erect or slightly forward: “What is that?” This is a sign of attention in response to a sound or when studying a new situation. Accompanied by a slightly tilted head and a relaxed or slightly open mouth, the meaning changes to “This is really interesting” or “I do not understand that” and is associated with observation of an event. However, when accompanied with bared teeth and wrinkled nose, it is an offensive threat by a confident dog.
Ears pulled back flat against the head: “I am scared” or “I am protecting myself against a possible attack.” This is usually associated with a challenge of some sort.
Ears pulled slightly back: On a prick-eared dog such as…
Posted in Dog Psychology | No Comments »
Dogs become fearful when the owner’s correction is too abusive. For a correction to be effective and convey accurate information to the dog, it must fit the transgression. A puppy that is teething and nips does not need, and will not understand, a correction fit for the dog who has just bitten someone because the person’s hand touched his food dish. Unnecessarily abusive corrections will inhibit the dog from developing an outgoing, joyous, companion personality.
The owner who finds a day-old pile of feces left by the 10-week old puppy and reacts by beating the puppy until he cowers has only taught the animal to be very fearful and mistrusting in his owner’s presence when feces are on the floor. Beatings and physical abuse only produce fear and mistrust. Abusive treatment of any living entity is inhumane, cruel, and not to be tolerated for any reason. If any canine behavior,…
Posted in Dog Psychology | No Comments »
Soft whimpering: “I hurt!” “I’m scared.” The average person is most likely to hear this at the veterinarian’s office, when the dog is suffering, or when a submissive dog is in a strange place that appears threatening. This is really a carryover of the mewing sound that young puppies make when cold, hungry, or distressed.
Louder, more prolonged whining sound: “Please give me . . .” or “I want …” A dog usually uses this sound when waiting for food, or for the leash to be put on, or when trying to get his owner’s attention, and so forth.
Sighs: This vocalization, which is invariably accompanied by the dog’s lying down with his head on his forepaws, can have two meanings, depending on the context and certain facial expressions. With eyes half-closed, it is a sign of pleasure, meaning “I am content and am going to settle down here.” With eyes fully…
Posted in Dog Psychology | No Comments »
Some dog owners and dog trainers expect their dog’s level of thinking and smartness to be the same of humans, when being trained. This mistaken assumption about dog psychology can be devastating to the expectations of both the dog owner and the dog itself.
Trainers shouldn’t assess canine intelligence against human standards. Each individual canine may possess his own unique talent. If the occasion does not arise for the animal to display this talent, it doesn’t mean he’s dumb. For centuries, behavior experts have been trying to devise a test that measures all aspects of human intelligence and have failed miserably. With this success rate in mind, how can canine experts profess to measure the dog’s intelligence when we do not even speak the same language?
Labeling a dog dumb can be as unproductive and damaging as labeling humans. If an animal is labeled dumb, the owner usually gives up trying to…
Posted in Dog Psychology | No Comments »