Behavior - Barky.com.au

May 14, 2023

Dog Play Bow: What Is It and What Does It Mean?

The post Dog Play Bow: What Is It and What Does It Mean? by Rachel Brix, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, Fear Free Certified appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

If you’ve seen pups playing you can’t miss the dog play bow: butt in the air, elbows and maybe even the chest on the ground, loose tail, smiling face, maybe a lolling tongue and probably a shimmy from side to side. Everything about this fun pose shouts, “I’m up for fun, let’s play!”

Dogs play bow for a number of reasons:

Let’s play. Dogs often communicate to other dogs in this way to let them know “everything’s cool, let’s be friends and play together.” They may also play bow when asking us to play! And if the play stops, they might assume another play bow to reignite the festivities.
Friendly greeting. A play bow is friendly, so some dogs may choose to greet a new dog with a play bow, giving off “it’s OK, I’m a nice guy” vibes. Especially if the new dog seems unsure or even tense a play bow communicates chill vibes and can help diffuse a potentially tense encounter.

Because of its loose and appeasing appearance, play bows may be helpful for dogs who as puppies missed out on learning appropriate communication skills during the critical socialization periods.

Time out. Since so much of play includes body language that seems aggressive (such as chasing, barking, tumbling) a pause and a play bow can communicate a reset, functioning as a self-imposed timeout.
Keep calm. Play bows can also be calming signals, so you may see a play bow to keep the peace. In these scenarios the play bow might be much more static compared to the bouncy to and fro of the play bow specifically intent on inciting play.

Dogs aren’t the only animals to engage in this fun posture: Foxes, coyotes, and even wolves are known to use this signal for communicating they’d like to frolic.

Dog play bows are a good thing. Next time you see your dog or other dogs playing, wait for it. And if you see your dog waving his butt in the air like he just don’t care, seize the opportunity for some energized one-on-one playtime!

May 9, 2023

Why Does My Dog Hide Under the Bed?

The post Why Does My Dog Hide Under the Bed? by Stacy Nordstrom appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

A car on the street backfires, and your dog immediately runs out of the room and straight under your bed. Based on this behavior, it’s easy to guess that your dog fears loud noises. The question is: Why does your dog hide under your bed — or kitchen table — in the middle of a quiet day?

Top reasons dogs hide under the bed:

Fear — A strong motivator for hiding is a loud, scary sound, such as a vacuum.
Quiet time and a safe space — a hidden spot to enjoy some downtime by himself. The secret spot feels safe because of its seclusion.
Stress — Dogs hide when there’s a sudden change in environment, such as a house guest or a fluctuation in daily routines. The new situation stresses him, so he hides from it.
Learned behavior — Experience has shown him that morsels of food sometimes fall on the ground in that spot. Along those same lines, your dog hides when he finds something he knows he’s not supposed to have — if he can’t see you, then maybe you can’t see him with the taboo treat!
Illness — If the hiding behavior is sudden and you can’t link it to fear, food or forbidden items, make sure he isn’t sick or injured. According to the veterinarians at Sunset Veterinary Clinic in Oklahoma, a dog often hides under the bed, in a closet or elsewhere when he doesn’t feel well as his instincts tell him that weak animals make easier targets for predators. Schedule a visit to the vet to rule out any medical problems.

My dog hides under the bed — How do stop this behavior?

Talk to him softly and calmly when he’s afraid — let him know he’s safe. Praise him when he rejoins you and let him know how happy you are to see him. In other words, reward the behavior you want — his company with you — and ignore the hiding behavior. And let him know he has safe spots, such as a dog room, in your house for alone time.

Want to read more on dog hiding? Check out Is Your Dog Hiding? What To Do About It on dogster.com.

April 21, 2023

Why Does My Dog Stand on Me?

The post Why Does My Dog Stand on Me? by Debbie DeSantis, BAH, CPDT-KA appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

Dog behaviors may be puzzling to us, but they are typically a direct form of communication for your pup. You just need to be his detective and figure out what he’s trying to tell you.

Here are the 11 main reasons your dog stands on you:

Seeking attention while you’re binge-watching a series or looking at your phone.
You’ve rewarded the behavior. Inadvertently, you may have previously praised or given treats to you pup when he stands on you. This often happens when there’s a small dog or puppy, when the behavior is seen as being cute.
Is it dinner time?
He wants to play. Stepping on you and pawing at you — even initiating a play bow — are his way of starting the play session.
Anxiety from sights and sounds in the environment, such as a motorcycle barreling through or a thunderstorm. He feels safer with you, so he stands on your foot or crawls onto your lap.
Cuddle time. If you’re lying on the couch, he may climb onto your lap to snuggle. You’re bonded and your sweet pup trusts you and seeks your affection. He enjoys the physical warmth.
Separation anxiety. If you have a Velcro dog who can’t be apart from you, he may have separation anxiety.
Your dog is sick. He may be trying to communicate with you that he doesn’t feel well.
You are sick. Our dogs can read our scent and body language. So your pup may be trying to communicate that you are sick.
To wake you up. It’s time to rise and shine!
Feeling protective of you. He may stand on you to safeguard you against others.

Ways to discourage your dog from standing on you

By standing on you, your dog is trying to communicate something. He is not attempting to be dominant. Still, this is a behavior that we want to resolve. Here are the steps to take:

Go to the vet. Take your dog to the vet to make sure that nothing physical is wrong.
Stick to a daily schedule. Dogs do great with routines. So have regularly scheduled times to feed, play, train, walk and relax with him.
Train your pup. By teaching him good manners, he will learn your rules and have confidence in his world.
Socialize your dog. Getting him used to all the sights, sounds and situations that he needs to face will increase his confidence level and reduce any anxiety.
Redirect to another activity. Play a game with him or have him work on activity toys.
Reward an alternate behavior. If you see your dog sitting or lying down — not on you — praise and reward him.
Teach your dog to respect personal space. Teach him to go to a place such as a dog bed and lie down and stay there.
Get professional help. If you’ve tried other methods to stop your dog from standing on you and failed, get the help of a behaviorist or positive reinforcement trainer with experience with the issue.

Your dog may like to stand on you for many reasons. Maintain a routine where your dog receives enough physical and mental exercise, socialization, manners training and attention from you. After you’ve eliminated any physical or behavioral issues, just enjoy any cuddles if you want them or redirect your dog to another activity.