Introduction

This story focuses on different areas of dog training and different ways to help you understand your beloved pet. This article is going to focus on dog psychology but in particular dog language. The author is going to try and unravel the reasons why your pet dog jumps up, wags their tail, stares, rolls in anything that smells particularly unpleasant and empties the the garbage if given half the chance.

Photo: theonion.com

Jumping Up and how to stop it.

Dogs Jumping up by can have a variety of different reasons depending on the particular situation. Dogs jumping up at each other maybe because they are both trying to get the highest most dominant position whilst also trying to get the most stable position on their back hind legs. This can be an example of two dogs being unfriendly with each other, but it may be that they are rubbing each others snouts in a friendly manner.

How many times has an owner asked a particular dog not to jump up when you initially walk in the House. This is obviously because the dog is excited and keen to greet you. The owner may be pleased by this greeting but it may feel a little intimidating to a guest. The dog is after attention and is keen to be petted, they may even paw at you and gently scratch your leg.

If you are not keen on your dog jumping up the best way to solve this problem is to state emphatically that this behavior is not to be tolerated (be mild but emphatic) then step a side. As with any dog training you have to be consistent with this every time your dog jumps up. If you miss out a day and allow your dog to jump up they will become confused. Either allow it or forbid it, there isn’t a middle area.

Dog Staring

Staring at a dog, be it your pet or someone elses, can send out a message that you want to fight. Staring is closely linked to fighting and can be seen as a direct challenge. Many experts strongly advise against staring at a strange dog as they may interpret this as a direct challenge and want to pit their strength against yours - not a good idea!

Tail Wagging

There are two opinions based around why a dog wags their tail. One opinion feels that it is part of the greeting ritual and the other feels that it means the dog is undecided or unsure - (or it may mean they are unsure if they are keen to see you!) Seriously though the two opinions do not necessarily conflict with each other. The common belief is that the dog is wagging its tail as it is pleased to see you. However, due to the fact that the scent of a dog comes largely from the anal section, when the tail is lifted and wagged, the anal gland is more prominent allowing the tail to spread the dog’s scent more effectively.

Dog Rolling and why dogs do it

A dog generally only rolls in scent that is pleasant to them, however it may be particularly unpleasant to the owner i.e fox pooh. If you look at the species back in history, wolves then and now will roll in the excrement or carcass of a dead animal. This is due to the fact that when the wolf is stalking its prey, the victim will not be able to smell the wolf and run. Therefore dogs may do this particularly unpleasant act as a way of camouflaging their scent.

Why Dogs empty the bin

Dogs are like humans in as much as they have a wide variety of taste and are keen on a wide variety of differing food, however disgusting this may be to the owner. Again going back to the dog’s historical roots anything that is wasted may be useful, it’s their hunting instinct and their need to survive.