Pawsome Dogs; Understanding your Canine Friend Better

Do you love your dog? Well then you certainly join the ranks of those of us who wish we knew what our canine flurries were thinking of when they do those cute head title, or just stare dramatically into the mid distance for example. Even if you did not own a pet, you may be somebody who wants to start a career in the field of animal health care and if that is the case knowing dogs behaviour is very important. So here are a few things that you should not forget.

Incessant barking

Dogs will vocalise in one way or the other, they can bark, growl, whine and more. But when these barks get a bit frequent and incessant that could be a problem. Before you correct their barking you should know why they do so. Most dogs barks to indicate;

• Playfulness and excitement
• Attention-seeking
• Anxiety
• Boredom
• Responding to other dogs

You will then need to use the quiet or no commands to try and control this behaviour.

Chewing

Chewing is a natural action for all dogs. Actually, it is an important dog behaviour too. It is how they are wired. But too much chewing can becom a problem if the dog is now showing destructive behaviour. Some of the reasons for this behaviour are;

• Puppy teething
• Boredom or excess energy
• Anxiety
• Curiosity (especially puppies)

Encourage your dog to chew on the right things by providing plenty of dog friendly chew toys. Discourage chewing everything else by keeping your personal items out of reach of them and introduce time out areas where the dog will be placed into if they disobey your orders to not chew.

Digging

Most dogs will indulge in some digging if they have the chance. But some dog breeds will be more prone to digging, like terriers because of that hunting gene that they have. Overall, the reasons for digging could include;

• Boredom or excess energy
• Anxiety or fear
• Hunting instinct
• Comfort-seeking (such as nesting or cooling off)
• Desire to hide their possessions (like bones or toys)
• To escape or gain access to an area

Because this behaviour can get really frustrating, really fast, find out which one of the above reasons is compelling your dog to dig. Give them lots of exercise and spend more time with them, work on training them more. If the dog is one that is prone to digging, assign them a digging area where they can do so. But make sure that this habit is not accepted anywhere outside of the digging area assigned to them.

So now that you know a bit about dog behaviour, why don’t you learn more? Learning the behavioural patterns of canines is a vast and very interesting area. But whether you just want to have a happy dog at home or build a career as an animal career or even veterinary assistant, this knowledge is important and valuable. Our Advanced Diploma in Dog Behaviour and Training Level 3 is a fantastic way for you to get started.

You can contact us on info@southlondoncollege.org for information about our courses.