Thursday, September 13, 2012

10 Life-threatening Behaviour Myths in Dogs: #6

Myth # 6: He must be angry with me.  He knows what he did wrong.
Many dogs show submissive behaviours when their owners arrive home.  These behaviours of tucking the tail, lowering the ears, avoiding eye contact, and slinking away do not mean “I am sorry” in dog language.  They mean “Stop acting angry at me.”  They mean that the dog has learned to associate the return of people to the home with the presence of feces, garbage, or other destroyed items on the floor. The dog is not angry – he is afraid because n the past when people arrived home and these things were on the floor he was yelled at or hit.  Even if the dog was not yelled at or hit, the angry body language of the human is clear to the dog and the dog still learns to feel fear when people arrive.  Punishment in these circumstances does not teach the dog anything (except to fear the arrival of people).  The dog is completely incapable of associating any punishment with the behavior he performed minutes or hours before.

FACTDogs do not eliminate on the floor or destroy items out of spite.  The most likely cause of the behavior is anxiety or lack of appropriate exercise and stimulation (or incomplete house-training).  Rather than being angry at your dog, seek help from a professional.  Your dog is suffering.

                                                           STAY TUNED FOR ANOTHER MYTH....COMING SOON

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