14 Responses to “What seemingly undesirable behaviour does your dog show that is actually perfectly innocent?”
on 09 Mar 2010 at 10:02 pm 1.Skater girl said …
My dog is always running away from me when I walk her, she only does it because I usually have very busy weeks and only get to walk her during the weekend but, I walked her last week on a Thursday and she was sooo excited that she got off her leash and ran away from me!
on 09 Mar 2010 at 10:27 pm 2.Muttlove said …
My dog doesn’t do any of this, but a dog that comes to my work for grooming “smiles”. When he’s happy, he’ll wag his tail and bare his teeth like a big, toothy goofball. It tends to scare some of the customers, but it’s really adorable .
on 09 Mar 2010 at 10:55 pm 3.Launi *Built APBT Tough* said …
Yep. Launi is a big one for direct eye contact. That is my doing. I have taught her “look at me” so she does it to everyone. Look straight into their eyes.
Standing in a neighbor’s yard talking nonsense, Launi is on lead, sitting and starring directly at the person’s face. My neighbor keeps looking down at my dog while trying to focus on our conversation and finally tells me the ’starring’ is a bit unnerving. Oh that? She thinks you are pretty. Works every time.
on 09 Mar 2010 at 11:30 pm 4.Dead Man Walking said …
Well, we have a little Yorkie, and I’m always struck by the fact that stuff he does that would be a huge behavioral problem in a bigger dog, like jumping on guests when they arrive, is “cute” when he does it ’cause he’s so small, so he gets away with murder all the time, the little cutie!
Good luck!. . .
on 09 Mar 2010 at 11:50 pm 5.ғιonnaвнaιr ◘◘◘ said …
He is a border collie cross. . i’m sure anyone familiar with BC’s can take a wild guess and not be too far off the mark. . .
on 10 Mar 2010 at 12:04 am 6.daa said …
There’s a dog down the street who growls loudly and ferociously when she’s playing. Other dog owners tend to drag their dogs away, assuming it’s aggression. Her body language is all play, though. My dog will sometimes hump another dog while playing.
on 10 Mar 2010 at 12:22 am 7.●ßeautiful Ŋightmare● ｡(◕‿◕)｡ said …
My dog “play bites” although he is getting out of his puppy years now. He is just over two, and he will bare his teeth and chew your hand while you are playing. He doesn’t hurt you at all, but it looks vicious!! He is a Jack Russell Terrier, and is a right little character!!!
EDIT:Wow. . . Beth J has done us an essay! Lol
on 10 Mar 2010 at 12:27 am 8.John & Shona C said …
i have a newfie and a st bernard
they are just innocent
and lets be honest
who could stop them doing owt any way?
OUCH!!!!
THAT WAS MY LEG!
on 10 Mar 2010 at 1:22 am 9.lilithreznor said …
My wee darling does the same thing as Daa’s doggie. She does dominance humping. Doesn’t happen too often but when it does happen it matters not the sex or breed of the dog she goes for it anyways She’s even tried it on with people.
It’s kinda innocent as it’s not sexual at all, but also not so innocent as she’s trying to say she’s top dog.
on 10 Mar 2010 at 2:11 am 10.Beth J: In the Pits said …
I can relate to the grumbling. My Miniature Schnauzer (nicknamed “The Grump”) does the same thing. He can get very vocal with his and a very good friend of mine was terrified of him at one time because of this. She and Duffie get along great now, since she knows the “grumble” is just him trying to express himself. He is the dog in my Avatar and that was actually one of those moments when he was really into his “talking. ” And while I know he has no clue, it really sounds like he is forming words. And he uses different sounds depending on the situation and the person, so it is fun to try and attribute “statements” to Duffie. One of the sounds he makes sounds just like “Mama. ” And he uses that one when he is trying to get my attention. It surprises a lot of people, but I understand that the sound that comes out then is not so uncommon for a dog. It is neat though, especially when he does it in front of unsuspecting people.
As for Benji, the PW Corgi, it can get really irritating when he wakes everyone up barking in the middle of the night. He does not do it that often and we finally determined the cause. Benji makes “rounds” at night and makes sure everything is as it should be. If someone is not where they are supposed to be, he will bark until we investigate. I have a really bad back from an injury. There are times I have to sleep on a hospital bed I have set up in one of the guest rooms. The first time I slept there after Benji came, he woke my husband up three different times, always standing on my side of the bed, barking at the empty space. I did discuss this with the vet because it happened a lot after Josie passed. He would stand where her bed was supposed to be and bark several times a night. Since I have dealt with abused dogs for a very long time, I do know their behavior can range from shy and timid all the way to extremely aggressive. . . with everything in between. And very little surprises me with an abused dog. Benji was terribly abused his first year of life. Our vet suggested that when he first came to us it was hard for him to accept that all was going to be well in his new home. Thus he developed this habit of checking for normalcy in hopes of keeping things in harmony. (Aphrodite mentioned OCD in dogs. I think this would qualify under the definition. ) While he may know he is safe now, he began a habit that is hard for him to break. My husband and I both learned to appreciate this habit a while back. We live in the country and had an intruder a while back. Benji was making his rounds and heard the commotion outside. Even though this was not his normal bad habit, he did hear the intruder while he was on one of his nightly rounds. We were not only able to stop my husband’s tools from being stolen, but actually were able to get the police out in time to catch the intruder. Since there had been more than a few break-ins in the area, the police were pleased to nab the thief. Benji and Skippy (my APBT that has since passed) were neighborhood heroes for a time since Skippy managed to get out in time to scare the man and keep him in the yard. I will not go into all the details here, as the man kicked my dog to get away, and I sort of got angry and behaved worse than Skippy. My husband loves to tease me about that one.
As for Pee Wee, the LH Chihuahua, she has a habit that is totally out of character for this breed. She loves children. She will run between our legs, throw herself against the pet gate to get it open, or whatever else it takes to get to my grandchildren when they come to visit. The only thing she loves better than sitting on the lap of a child being petted is stealing a large bone from the other dogs. The bigger the bone, the better. Many times the bone is larger than she is, so she will grab it in her teeth at one end and back down the hall with it, heading for her bed, where she likes to lie down and chew.
Snookie, the APBT and my latest rescue that I have added to my pack: Snookie is discovering what it is like to be loved and cared for with a family for the first time in her life. She is taking a lot of work to train, but she does catch on very quickly. She watches the other dogs and learns from them. I can only assume that she is determined to do whatever it takes to stay inside and not be put back out on her own. (I can’t say that I blame her on that one). Her favorite sport at present is counter surfing and racing my husband for his chair. However, during the two weeks that Duffie was so sick, she surprised me. On her second day inside she was going to the door to let me know when she needed out. She was the easiest dog to house train that I have ever had. I was in the middle of giving Duffie a bolus of fluid and his meds on this day. Snookie came to me and did her little “outside” dance. Knowing that she did not have a clue what I was saying, but being human, I said, “Wait a minute, Snookie. ” She tilted her head as though she did not understand and did her dance again. I patted her head absently and again told her to wait a minute. Of course I got very absorbed in what I was doing with Duffie and this was one of the days he was having a really hard time so I forgot about the Snookie dance. I keep a container of plastic bags and gloves in my hall closet for easy access in case of “potty” accidents. It is not uncommon for a bag to fall on the floor and be sticking out under the door when my husband goes into the closet. (I have learned men tend to not see those things as clearly as we do. ) This was one of those occasions. About 45 minutes after finsihing Duffie’s treatment, I heard Snookie in th hall at the closet. She was digging at something. I was in my office at the computer so I got up to investigate just in time to see her pulling a plastic bag from beneath the door. I followed her, knowing that she was going to find a spot to lie down and “eat” the bag. To my surprise she walked back to my laundry room where the door is to go out into the playyard for the dogs. There was a huge pile of poop, too large to be anyone’s but Snookie’s. She dropped the plastic bag directly on the poop and then looked at me. That was not so much of a shock when I realized how many times she had seen me clean up since the dogs had been sick. I suppose she figured this was a good way to stay inside and not be put out.
Dogs never fail to amaze me.
on 10 Mar 2010 at 3:09 am 11.Emilie said …
He ‘purrs’ kind of a growling sound, and he ‘grins’ (showing his teeth) usually at the same time. So people tend to freak out.
He also looks at you in the face alot, people don’t like that either but, whatever.
on 10 Mar 2010 at 3:34 am 12.Magic Lyn - *Karma Chameleon!* said …
Ahah Emilie, I’m with you. The grin! My all four grin. LOADS. People think they are growling and they back away. Plus the shedding. Oh the shedding! Specially on dark clothes – were talking about Samis. . . And my GR tends to get excited and knock EVERYTHING down. Can’t blame them though!
on 10 Mar 2010 at 3:42 am 13.cath a said …
If only he would come back when I let him off the lead!in the park!
He did come back at the beginning!But now I have to chase him round like I am a headless chicken!
For now he is back on his long lead!Doesn’t he understand?Can’t he remember the fun he had when he had his freedom time!
Seems not!Daft bugger!
on 10 Mar 2010 at 3:50 am 14.Arianwen said …
@cath a
Don’t chase your dog when you’re trying to catch him. . . it’s just another game for him with him being “it”. Entice him to chase you — but that’s the 2nd step in recall training.
Go back to the basics with the training leash: let him wander off on his own and the moment he’s distracted, call him as excitedly as you can – enough so that he’ll find whatever you’re doing is better than anything else out there. As he approaches, raise your excitement level. It’s important to not get frustrated if he stops coming towards you – this will put you several steps backwards in training. Reward him with a food treat (or toy if he’s not food motivated) but do NOT touch him. Basic idea is: he comes when called, he gets treat and verbal praise, repeat. This is the only step of recall training where you use a training lead.
Once you’ve completed the first step, go to the second step: get his attention when he’s distracted and then start a game of chase with him chasing you – run away from him. You can use food or physical/verbal praise when he catches you. Allow him to catch you – you’ll find this is very easy to do. Keep repeating this until you’re exhausted. You start the game and end the game. Never allow him to entice you to chase him.
3rd step: emergency recall. It’s easiest to use a tool like a whistle or a clicker for this – something that makes a unique sound. There’s nothing special you need to do in this step other than the initial “charging” of the clicker/whistle. Every time the sound is made, treat. Repeat this until he understands the sound = treat. Then, wait for him to get distracted and randomly click/whistle/make the sound. If he comes, treat and give physical/verbal praise. Else, go back to the “charging” stage.
Recall training should take place in a secure, fenced in area – your backyard is an ideal place if it is fenced in. (the dog park is not a place for training. )
on 09 Mar 2010 at 10:02 pm 1.Skater girl said …
My dog is always running away from me when I walk her, she only does it because I usually have very busy weeks and only get to walk her during the weekend but, I walked her last week on a Thursday and she was sooo excited that she got off her leash and ran away from me!
on 09 Mar 2010 at 10:27 pm 2.Muttlove said …
My dog doesn’t do any of this, but a dog that comes to my work for grooming “smiles”. When he’s happy, he’ll wag his tail and bare his teeth like a big, toothy goofball. It tends to scare some of the customers, but it’s really adorable
.
on 09 Mar 2010 at 10:55 pm 3.Launi *Built APBT Tough* said …
Yep. Launi is a big one for direct eye contact. That is my doing. I have taught her “look at me” so she does it to everyone. Look straight into their eyes.
Standing in a neighbor’s yard talking nonsense, Launi is on lead, sitting and starring directly at the person’s face. My neighbor keeps looking down at my dog while trying to focus on our conversation and finally tells me the ’starring’ is a bit unnerving. Oh that? She thinks you are pretty. Works every time.
on 09 Mar 2010 at 11:30 pm 4.Dead Man Walking said …
Well, we have a little Yorkie, and I’m always struck by the fact that stuff he does that would be a huge behavioral problem in a bigger dog, like jumping on guests when they arrive, is “cute” when he does it ’cause he’s so small, so he gets away with murder all the time, the little cutie!
Good luck!. . .
on 09 Mar 2010 at 11:50 pm 5.ғιonnaвнaιr ◘◘◘ said …
He is a border collie cross. . i’m sure anyone familiar with BC’s can take a wild guess and not be too far off the mark. . .
on 10 Mar 2010 at 12:04 am 6.daa said …
There’s a dog down the street who growls loudly and ferociously when she’s playing. Other dog owners tend to drag their dogs away, assuming it’s aggression. Her body language is all play, though. My dog will sometimes hump another dog while playing.
on 10 Mar 2010 at 12:22 am 7.●ßeautiful Ŋightmare● ｡(◕‿◕)｡ said …
My dog “play bites” although he is getting out of his puppy years now. He is just over two, and he will bare his teeth and chew your hand while you are playing. He doesn’t hurt you at all, but it looks vicious!! He is a Jack Russell Terrier, and is a right little character!!!
EDIT:Wow. . . Beth J has done us an essay! Lol
on 10 Mar 2010 at 12:27 am 8.John & Shona C said …
i have a newfie and a st bernard
they are just innocent
and lets be honest
who could stop them doing owt any way?
OUCH!!!!
THAT WAS MY LEG!
on 10 Mar 2010 at 1:22 am 9.lilithreznor said …
My wee darling does the same thing as Daa’s doggie. She does dominance humping. Doesn’t happen too often but when it does happen it matters not the sex or breed of the dog she goes for it anyways
She’s even tried it on with people.
It’s kinda innocent as it’s not sexual at all, but also not so innocent as she’s trying to say she’s top dog.
on 10 Mar 2010 at 2:11 am 10.Beth J: In the Pits said …
I can relate to the grumbling. My Miniature Schnauzer (nicknamed “The Grump”) does the same thing. He can get very vocal with his and a very good friend of mine was terrified of him at one time because of this. She and Duffie get along great now, since she knows the “grumble” is just him trying to express himself. He is the dog in my Avatar and that was actually one of those moments when he was really into his “talking. ” And while I know he has no clue, it really sounds like he is forming words. And he uses different sounds depending on the situation and the person, so it is fun to try and attribute “statements” to Duffie. One of the sounds he makes sounds just like “Mama. ” And he uses that one when he is trying to get my attention. It surprises a lot of people, but I understand that the sound that comes out then is not so uncommon for a dog. It is neat though, especially when he does it in front of unsuspecting people.
As for Benji, the PW Corgi, it can get really irritating when he wakes everyone up barking in the middle of the night. He does not do it that often and we finally determined the cause. Benji makes “rounds” at night and makes sure everything is as it should be. If someone is not where they are supposed to be, he will bark until we investigate. I have a really bad back from an injury. There are times I have to sleep on a hospital bed I have set up in one of the guest rooms. The first time I slept there after Benji came, he woke my husband up three different times, always standing on my side of the bed, barking at the empty space. I did discuss this with the vet because it happened a lot after Josie passed. He would stand where her bed was supposed to be and bark several times a night. Since I have dealt with abused dogs for a very long time, I do know their behavior can range from shy and timid all the way to extremely aggressive. . . with everything in between. And very little surprises me with an abused dog. Benji was terribly abused his first year of life. Our vet suggested that when he first came to us it was hard for him to accept that all was going to be well in his new home. Thus he developed this habit of checking for normalcy in hopes of keeping things in harmony. (Aphrodite mentioned OCD in dogs. I think this would qualify under the definition. ) While he may know he is safe now, he began a habit that is hard for him to break. My husband and I both learned to appreciate this habit a while back. We live in the country and had an intruder a while back. Benji was making his rounds and heard the commotion outside. Even though this was not his normal bad habit, he did hear the intruder while he was on one of his nightly rounds. We were not only able to stop my husband’s tools from being stolen, but actually were able to get the police out in time to catch the intruder. Since there had been more than a few break-ins in the area, the police were pleased to nab the thief. Benji and Skippy (my APBT that has since passed) were neighborhood heroes for a time since Skippy managed to get out in time to scare the man and keep him in the yard. I will not go into all the details here, as the man kicked my dog to get away, and I sort of got angry and behaved worse than Skippy. My husband loves to tease me about that one.
As for Pee Wee, the LH Chihuahua, she has a habit that is totally out of character for this breed. She loves children. She will run between our legs, throw herself against the pet gate to get it open, or whatever else it takes to get to my grandchildren when they come to visit. The only thing she loves better than sitting on the lap of a child being petted is stealing a large bone from the other dogs. The bigger the bone, the better. Many times the bone is larger than she is, so she will grab it in her teeth at one end and back down the hall with it, heading for her bed, where she likes to lie down and chew.
Snookie, the APBT and my latest rescue that I have added to my pack: Snookie is discovering what it is like to be loved and cared for with a family for the first time in her life. She is taking a lot of work to train, but she does catch on very quickly. She watches the other dogs and learns from them. I can only assume that she is determined to do whatever it takes to stay inside and not be put back out on her own. (I can’t say that I blame her on that one). Her favorite sport at present is counter surfing and racing my husband for his chair. However, during the two weeks that Duffie was so sick, she surprised me. On her second day inside she was going to the door to let me know when she needed out. She was the easiest dog to house train that I have ever had. I was in the middle of giving Duffie a bolus of fluid and his meds on this day. Snookie came to me and did her little “outside” dance. Knowing that she did not have a clue what I was saying, but being human, I said, “Wait a minute, Snookie. ” She tilted her head as though she did not understand and did her dance again. I patted her head absently and again told her to wait a minute. Of course I got very absorbed in what I was doing with Duffie and this was one of the days he was having a really hard time so I forgot about the Snookie dance. I keep a container of plastic bags and gloves in my hall closet for easy access in case of “potty” accidents. It is not uncommon for a bag to fall on the floor and be sticking out under the door when my husband goes into the closet. (I have learned men tend to not see those things as clearly as we do. ) This was one of those occasions. About 45 minutes after finsihing Duffie’s treatment, I heard Snookie in th hall at the closet. She was digging at something. I was in my office at the computer so I got up to investigate just in time to see her pulling a plastic bag from beneath the door. I followed her, knowing that she was going to find a spot to lie down and “eat” the bag. To my surprise she walked back to my laundry room where the door is to go out into the playyard for the dogs. There was a huge pile of poop, too large to be anyone’s but Snookie’s. She dropped the plastic bag directly on the poop and then looked at me. That was not so much of a shock when I realized how many times she had seen me clean up since the dogs had been sick. I suppose she figured this was a good way to stay inside and not be put out.
Dogs never fail to amaze me.
on 10 Mar 2010 at 3:09 am 11.Emilie said …
He ‘purrs’ kind of a growling sound, and he ‘grins’ (showing his teeth) usually at the same time. So people tend to freak out.
He also looks at you in the face alot, people don’t like that either but, whatever.
on 10 Mar 2010 at 3:34 am 12.Magic Lyn - *Karma Chameleon!* said …
Ahah Emilie, I’m with you. The grin! My all four grin. LOADS. People think they are growling and they back away. Plus the shedding. Oh the shedding! Specially on dark clothes – were talking about Samis. . . And my GR tends to get excited and knock EVERYTHING down. Can’t blame them though!
on 10 Mar 2010 at 3:42 am 13.cath a said …
If only he would come back when I let him off the lead!in the park!
He did come back at the beginning!But now I have to chase him round like I am a headless chicken!
For now he is back on his long lead!Doesn’t he understand?Can’t he remember the fun he had when he had his freedom time!
Seems not!Daft bugger!
on 10 Mar 2010 at 3:50 am 14.Arianwen said …
@cath a
Don’t chase your dog when you’re trying to catch him. . . it’s just another game for him with him being “it”. Entice him to chase you — but that’s the 2nd step in recall training.
Go back to the basics with the training leash: let him wander off on his own and the moment he’s distracted, call him as excitedly as you can – enough so that he’ll find whatever you’re doing is better than anything else out there. As he approaches, raise your excitement level. It’s important to not get frustrated if he stops coming towards you – this will put you several steps backwards in training. Reward him with a food treat (or toy if he’s not food motivated) but do NOT touch him. Basic idea is: he comes when called, he gets treat and verbal praise, repeat. This is the only step of recall training where you use a training lead.
Once you’ve completed the first step, go to the second step: get his attention when he’s distracted and then start a game of chase with him chasing you – run away from him. You can use food or physical/verbal praise when he catches you. Allow him to catch you – you’ll find this is very easy to do.
Keep repeating this until you’re exhausted. You start the game and end the game. Never allow him to entice you to chase him.
3rd step: emergency recall. It’s easiest to use a tool like a whistle or a clicker for this – something that makes a unique sound. There’s nothing special you need to do in this step other than the initial “charging” of the clicker/whistle. Every time the sound is made, treat. Repeat this until he understands the sound = treat. Then, wait for him to get distracted and randomly click/whistle/make the sound. If he comes, treat and give physical/verbal praise. Else, go back to the “charging” stage.
Recall training should take place in a secure, fenced in area – your backyard is an ideal place if it is fenced in. (the dog park is not a place for training.
)