The focus of many pet owners seems to be directed towards their animals,
which makes a great deal of sense in most cases. However, when trying
to correct unwanted behavior in your dog you might want to point that
finger inward sometimes and have a little glimpse in the mirror. It
is easy to become annoyed with your pet when you feel as though you
have tried everything and nothing seems to work.
Maybe your Boston Terrier continues to chew on your shoes or other
objects while you are not at home. Perhaps the Maltese in your life
still has accidents in the house rather than letting you know she needs
to go outside. On the other hand, possibly you have a Yorkshire Terrier
that snips at strangers, even guests in your home when they try to
pet him. All of these and many other undesirable behaviors that dogs
may posses can leave a pet owner feeling frustrated and at their wits
end with their furry little friend.
Have you ever considered though when faced with one of these situations
that the dog is trying to communicate something to you? Is it possible
that Sparky just feels neglected during those long days alone at home
while you are at work? Sometimes we can have a big impact on our dogs
if we look at our own behavior and consider what the pooch may be trying
to tell us through their difficult behavior. Obviously dogs can not
talk or speak with us as a human can when they need to communicate
their feelings. That is not to say that canines are not vocal because
as many of us know they can express quite a lot at times through their
barking, growling or whining. However, to really pinpoint what the
issue is for your pet you may find that you are the one that actually
holds the answers.
Dogs have a very keen awareness for their surroundings and the people
in their environment. As most dog owners come to realize, the bond
between your dog and you can be extremely strong. There are people
who report that during a challenging illness or devastating time in
their life that their dog responded as though they knew what was going
on and they helped their owner through the rough time. Sometimes by
just sitting near their owner or laying at their feet, other times
dogs may whine and pace back and forth, especially when other people
are around because they are trying to indicate that their owner needs
help.
Experts have even confirmed that dogs do have an ability to detect
several human emotions and many of them will respond in unique ways.
For example; when there is a lot of anger or arguing occurring within
a household your dog may respond by acting up in a number of ways,
which is not a problem with the dog but rather your pet is responding
to the hostility and unpleasantness it senses in the house. Everyone
goes through difficult periods in their life and it is obviously impossible
to avoid exposing your dog to any anger or hostile situations throughout
their life. The important thing to remember is that your situation
and how you handle it is not your dog’s choice or within their
area of responsibility.
Dogs deserve and hopefully get, the majority of times anyway, a good,
loving and stable home. They respond well to a structured environment,
complete with rules and routines. If you typically get up each morning
and walk your dog before you go to work and then you suddenly stop
doing it all together, your dog will respond in some way, possibly
a negative one. It is not the dog’s fault that you changed your
behavior and they have no other way of communicating other than to
chew up stuff or have an accident in the house as their way of saying, “hey
what is going on.” In some cases dogs can even become depressed,
this happens most frequently in situations where the dog was once loved
and well cared for and then suddenly became ignored and forgotten about.
It is really sad to see a dog that is in this form of doggy-depression
because again, they did not ask to come to live with you, you chose
them.
There are obviously other concerns you must deal with when you are
going through a difficult time, like loosing your job or going through
a divorce, and you should always take care of the important aspects
related to these situations. It is understandable that a dog can suddenly
become a lower priority in your life however, if you are unhappy with
their behavior because they are acting out in response to their environment;
take that into consideration before disciplining your pet or giving
up on them all together.
Dogs may secretly harbor the desire to have all humans attend some
sort of training school before they decide to become a pet owner, however,
since that is not very likely to happen, remember to think about your
own behavior when examining your dog’s. That precious pooch can
sometimes be just what you need to get through a difficult time and
maintaining their routine for their benefit can in many ways benefit
you also.
|