Things You Didn’t Know About Dog Psychology
Is your dog not quite making it to the dog door when you aren’t home for extended periods of time? Did you ever wonder if your pup really understands the words that are coming out of your mouth? Are your canines jealous of each other? These and other questions can be answered with just a bit of understanding when it comes to dog psychology. Knowing these answers may help you give your pup a better life and enjoy more time with your furry companion.
Communication
Dogs may not be able to use words like humans do, but they can communicate in their own way. While they do understand about 150 words, their grasp of language and cognitive processing is on par with that of a toddler. That doesn’t mean they aren’t great communicators. If anything, they may have a better understanding of how you are feeling than some adults do. That’s because dogs understand more tone and inflection than they do language. In fact, they can even transfer how you feel to an object. For instance, if there is a ball you enjoy tossing around, your pup will find more joy in playing with it than the ball that frustrates you.
Dogs can also become aggressive based on their owner’s moods. In fact, they are four times as likely to become aggressive when walked by a male, presumably because males are traditionally more aggressive than females. Don’t assume your dog is feeling aggressive because he or she barks, either. They bark simply because they understand that, much like the cry of a child, barking makes things happen.
Guilt and Jealousy
When your dog tears up your couch when you spent a few more hours away from home than usual, you may assume they feel bad about their behavior based on their posture. Actually, they are simply responding to your tone, body language, and inflection. Dogs live for the moment in a literal way. That’s why punishment isn’t very effective. It happens after the fact and, once a dog has done something, they are done with it, and they always assume that the punishment concerns something they are doing right now.
Dogs do experience jealousy, but it isn’t about specifics. For instance, your pup won’t get jealous because you gave him a small bone with a bit of meat on it and another dog a steak. At the same time, if one dogs gets something and the other dog gets nothing, the one that got nothing will get jealous. It isn’t about the specifics of what they got.
Your pup also dreams and, if your pup is male, prefers to play with females. Females don’t care if the other dog is male or female. The rationale behind this is that males are more aggressive, while females are more nurturing and tend to pups whether they are male or female. So, the next time your pup doesn’t quite make it to one of the dog doors, don’t assume that your pup is being vengeful. They don’t even understand such a concept. They probably just miss you, and got nervous and confused.
