5 Things That Can Stress Out Your Dogs

1. 5 Things That Can Stress Out Your Dogs Dogs are like family to us and we try to be as natural to them as we are to our other human friends. We converse and act with them just as we would with our human buddy. But, do you know sometimes we unknowingly contribute to their misbehavior or disobedience by doing so. Giving care to dogs just like to some other human is acceptable, but reacting or expecting the same responses as a human would give, is actually not correct when it comes to pets. Dogs interpret things differently and more straightforwardly. If the commands are not direct, or are not the usual-ones, dogs may get bewildered and fail to obey you. So, here are some of our actions that make the dog react adversely and may make them stressed out.

2. Punishing The Dog When They Show Their Instinctual Behaviour If you think your pet won’t bark, it is of course not the correct thing to expect from a dog. Barking, chewing things, sniffing or chasing someone are his natural instincts which he cannot abandon completely no matter how much you train them. Getting annoyed at such behavior will unnecessarily stress both you and your dog. It is important to show patience in this situation and distract him from what he is doing. Expecting The Dog To Be Guilty Of His Actions You cannot expect your dog to be guilty of his misbehavior because they do not operate on virtues or principles as we do. They cannot differentiate between what is right and what is wrong. Their actions are driven by the end results. Even if you feel your dog acts guilty, scared and sad after you have scolded him, it is just another way for dogs to pacify his angry owner. They don’t know what guilt is. Using Multiple Words For One Command That Results In Disobedience Dogs associate one word of command with one action. They cannot understand multiple words for a single action. You must, therefore, use different words for different actions. For instance, if the dog and a kid are playing together and you tell him to ‘stop chasing the kid’, he probably won’t understand but if you say ‘stop’, he will obey you instantly. Likewise, if you ask him to get off the bed, you must use ‘floor’ for it because ‘down’ can be confusing to him. He may associate ‘down’ with ‘hunkering down’ or ‘lying down’. Confusing terms can result in disobedience which may lead to a stressful situation in dogs due to the inappropriate reaction of his master. Pointing a Finger at Your Dog Never point a finger at your dog even when you are super angry at him. It is considered as a stress-inducing gesture in Fidos. Dogs are naive and aren’t responsible for the behavior they portray. It’s our reaction which makes them act in a certain way. So, when we point the finger at our dogs they don’t understand what they did was wrong. They only understand that you are upset with him. Changing Rules Be consistent in whatever boundaries or limitations you have set for him. You cannot allow him to share the bed with your kid even on a special occasion if you don’t expect him to do that on other days. Stick to what you have been preaching to him.

3. A dog’s behavior is completely dependent on the way we react at him. They can be annoying and ill-mannered if we do not give them space to show their natural side. Dogs that are scolded for showing their natural behavior tend to get more disobedient and often suffer from anxiety. They might even get depressed due to the failure of appeasing their owners. So, let the dogs be dogs and be very clear about your commands. DO NOT expect too much! Sometimes, it’s ok to let go.