Let’s start with consistency. This is the issue that leads to more bad behaviour than any other failing on the part of pet owners. Always remember dogs are generally logical creatures and don’t understand our irrational behaviour. In fact, it is almost miraculous that we gain the loyalty and commitment of our pets bearing in mind our absurd conduct. If one member of the family allows the dog to pull on the lead and another demands that it walks “to heal,” the dog is confused. If one person lets the dog on the furniture and another yells at it to get off the animal is confused. Hardly surprising. Would you do that to your children? No. So why do it to your dog? When I was working I would encourage families to have a checklist pinned up with an agreed set of rules so there was no confusion.
I still cannot believe that so many pet owners still haven’t grasped the obvious fact that a bored dog is potentially a disobedient dog and a destructive one at that. Please; your dog has a brain but time after time dogs are expected to sleep all night and spend endless hours during the day staring at four walls with nothing to occupy their minds.
Pets need stimulation, try activity toys they are a great investment. Most are food orientated, for instance, the ball which has an internal maze into which you put dry food is very time consuming and keeps your dog occupied. The “Kong” range of toys can also assist in relieving boredom. Please ensure the toy is suitable and safe for the size of your dog. As long as you don’t mind clearing up the mess another way to provide stimulation is a cardboard box and inside a toilet roll inner in which there is a treat. Try to rotate the toys as this assists to help your pet to use its brain. The dog also needs a degree of exercise appropriate to the breed and any form of enjoyable training will be beneficial.
How would you like it if a perfect stranger came up to you and patted you on the head? For the majority of canines, this is unwelcome and can result in injury as your hand is going over the top of his head and out of sight. Any self-respecting dog may object by showing either concern or an aggressive response.
How would you like it if a perfect stranger came up to you and hugged you? Well depending on your gender it might be ok if it were Tom Cruise or Julia Roberts but in the majority of instances you might well be a little aggrieved and quite rightly so.
This actually occurred to me when I was walking along minding my own business when a Greek man suddenly grabbed me, hugged me and planted a kiss on my cheek. This was made worse by the fact that he hadn’t shaved for several days and his stubble left a rather unpleasant scrape on my cheek.
Unfortunately for me, I was assisting a charity veterinary surgeon at the time and as I was wearing surgical scrubs he had assumed that I was a vet and was responsible for saving his dog’s life. Fortunately when he saw that I was not pleased he was able to explain himself in his broken English.
Imagine what’s it’s like for the average dog to be grabbed and hugged by a perfect stranger. It is not exactly high on their agenda of what are the top 5 ways to spend a day.
It certainly didn’t do a lot for me!!.
Don’t lean over a strange dog and don’t allow people to do that to yours and don’t make eye contact or allow anybody to do the same to your dog, it is confrontational. For humans, this has always been a problem as we consider eye contact a polite, respectful and friendly gesture. To a dog, it can be construed as hostile leading to conflict.
Please avoid on a daily basis using very strong perfumes, aftershaves and deodorants. As you know the dogs’ sense of smell is so acute he is able to follow a scent so minute that we are unable to make a machine to match. Very strong odours cause distress.
You don’t like it and if you are a reasonable person you wouldn’t do it to a child and the dog should be given the same consideration. Dogs being logical creatures don’t understand this silly, illogical behaviour.
The need to sniff is important to a dogs wellbeing but I have always accepted that allowing a dog to sniff is not always convenient. This can be sorted quite easily. On walks when you need to go somewhere the dog should understand that this is your walk and be taught to walk by your side without pulling. What is generally called “walking to heel” and is done in response to a command. The “sniffy” walk is that part where the dog is allowed to walk to the extent of the lead, no commands are given and stopping frequently to sniff satisfies the dogs’ natural requirements.
Routine is very desirable for canines. They benefit from a daily routine and even adapt to the fact that in many households weekends differ slightly. Their internal body clock makes them understand that for one or two days humans get out of bed later, walks tend to be longer and children are home. What the dog doesn’t generally like is a disorganised, chaotic home.
Dogs are pack animals, they are happiest with a family. That doesn’t mean that a single person shouldn’t have one but whether the dog is part of a large family unit or has a single person it is important that the dog is not constantly ignored. This will cause stress and almost certainly lead to behaviour issues.
Dogs have a remarkable ability to hear sounds from distances far beyond our scope and can be distressed when exposed to very loud noises. This manifests itself if the dog hears thunder when a storm approaches and this can lead to anxiety.
“Whom the animals choose to walk with are blessed.”
Anon
With subtitle or not?