Dogs are definitely family, but they’re not human. Understanding the dog’s perspective changes how we see their behavior. People attribute all kinds of motivation to dogs that just aren’t valid:
- Dogs don’t eat grass because their stomach is upset. Eating grass can upset their stomachs.
- Dogs don’t pee on your bed because they’re mad at you. They pee on your bed because they’re upset and miss you.
- Dogs don’t chase their tails because they’re bored. They chase their tails because they lack hind-end awareness and don’t know it’s under their control.
- Dogs don’t run out the door because they’re trying to escape. They run out the door because you’ve taught them it’s the best game ever. You run after them, make a lot of noise, and give them your entire attention as long as the game’s afoot.
- Dogs don’t poop behind the couch because they know they’re doing something wrong. They poop behind the couch because they know when you see poop they get in trouble.
Dogs are so much a part of our everyday lives that most people don’t understand the fundamental differences between the way dogs think and the way we do. They’re such adaptable and intelligent creatures that it’s tempting to believe their thought processes parallel our own. They don’t. There are profound differences that, when understood, let you understand life from your dog’s perspective. Sometimes, as in the poop example, the difference is subtle, but it’s real.
Actions and consequences
If your dog eliminates in the house, what do you do? If you catch them in the act, you can interrupt them by dropping a book, then scoot outside with them. Praise and reward when they complete their “business” in the right place. If you find a mess after the fact, just clean it up and forget it. The dog doesn’t remember doing it. If you bring their attention to it, they’ll understand only that it’s “bad” that you found it. So they hide it to spare you the unhappiness. Dogs are considerate that way. They want you to be happy.
It’s a similar situation with grass eating. It seems that most people believe that dogs eat grass to make themselves throw up because their stomachs are upset. It’s just not a decision tree that dogs are capable of. From the dog’s perspective, it’s more “I see grass. Grass is tasty. I eat grass.”
Just think about the steps of the “eat grass to feel better” situation. The dog has to realize its stomach is upset. The dog has to understand that “eating” and “stomach” are related. Then they would have to connect vomiting to relief of symptoms, which is false anyway. And after all that, choose to eat a particular plant that they believe has medicinal properties. The whole scenario is ridiculous.
Sad, not bad
We’ve heard over and over from dog training students that their dogs were “mad” or “spiteful” because the dog urinated on the human’s bed when the people left the house. But dogs don’t really have temper tantrums. And there’s nothing in their make-up that is remotely about “getting even.”
If your dog pees on your bed when you leave, first thing to do is close your bedroom door. The next thing is realizing that your dog is suffering from a kind of separation anxiety, wants to feel closer to you, and is nervous and upset. Instead of getting angry with your dog, develop a regular departure ritual. For example, pick up your keys, put down the dog’s “bye” treat, say “be good!” and walk out. From the dog’s perspective, they will recognize this as normal and know that you always come home. If you try to sneak out, or otherwise lie to your dog, your dog has no context for that departure.
Always choosing fun
One of our training students has a young dog who darts out the front door whenever it opens. It’s a young dog, and the door opens into a hallway in their apartment building. When asked, the owner admitted they dash after the dog, calling her and chasing after her. They’ve taught the dog that running out the door leads to the most fun game ever – Keep Away!
Dogs will, absolutely reliably, act in a way that’s most rewarding to them. In this case, the dog is getting exactly what she wants. She has no reason to change. It takes guts, and an accomplice hiding where the dog can’t see them, but instead of chasing, the wise course of action is to say “Okay, bye!” go back in the apartment and shut the door. If not immediately, pretty soon the dog will be at the door wanting to come in. Because that’s more fun than being alone in an empty hallway.
Acting on instinct
The tail-chasing thing isn’t one we’re familiar with. None of our dogs have tails. We did have a cat. Even though his tail was fairly short, Merlyn the cat didn’t seem to know it was attached to him and his to control. Of course we’re not entirely sure he even knew his name, but cats are befuddling creatures to us.
However, we have trained dogs that have a history of tail chasing. In almost every case, when the dog learns some hind-end awareness, the behavior lost its attraction. The predator (dog) noticed movement and gave chase, absolutely as instinct would dictate. Once the dog realized “tail” isn’t “prey,” the need to chase was gone.
Think about it
Whenever you’re tempted to blame some odd dog behavior on anger, spite, or cause/effect, try looking at it from the dog’s perspective. What are they getting out of it? If a dog always acts in a way that’s most rewarding to them, what reward are they getting? More often than not, the dog wants attention. And, most of the time with weird behavior, they get it. Because if there’s one thing dogs have absolutely mastered, it’s pushing all your buttons. One at a time.
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