Behavior has always been something that I have been interested in; both in animals and in people. What we do and why we do it. In fact, my major in college was Social and Behavioral Sciences. I have learned over the years that understanding behavior in animals is leaps and bounds easier to figure out than the behavior of people. So why then do most of the people I come across on a daily basis have little to no understanding of what their animal or my animal is doing?? Granted, animals cannot speak with words, but they scream with their body language. Even knowing the basic elements of animal body language can help us understand our animals. The biggest example I have of people completely missing an animal's behavior is this: I take a few dogs to the dog park during the week, one of the dogs is totally insecure and has almost zero confidence in herself. In order to feel secure, she will attach herself to the nearest person and demand to be petted, to the point of being pushy and going between peoples legs. 99% of the people at the park think she is "so sweet", "so cute" or "oh you just love to be petted". My answer to that is NO!, well ok she is cute, but she is insecure with no confidence and she is looking for someone to validate these feelings. When someone pets her while her tail is between her legs and panting nervously, you are telling her "it's ok to feel this way", "you don't need to be secure". It makes me crazy when people give her affection while she is in this state because they are making her worse. I try to help her gain confidence at the park, but I get dirty/weird looks when I do. So frustrating!! By now you're probably thinking, well 'miss know it all', how in the heck am I supposed to know what a dog looks like when they are nervous? I'm glad you asked, please reference the picture below.
Here is another chart about dog body language.
Please look over these charts to better understand what your dog's behavior means. It will lead to a stronger connection with your dog, guaranteed!
While we are on the subject of people at the dog park, I have found that there are 5 basic kinds of people that frequent the dog park. (1)The over protective dog parent. These are the people that bring their dog(s) to the park and don't let them behave like dogs. Yes, your dog will sniff other dogs butts, your dog will chase or be chased be other dogs. Yes, your dog will get dirty and slobbered on. Your dog's place on the pecking order will be challenged. Unless your dog is legitimately being attacked, leave the dog to behave like a dog! (2)The sit and forget dog parent. These are the people who bring their dog(s) to the park and then sit their butts in the chair the whole time never peeling their eyes away from their iphone until they want to go home. The dog poops...don't pick it up, the dog is a bully...don't care. The dog wants to play...whatever. Not good. (3)The housewives social hour dog parent. These are the people who bring their dog(s) to the park, and a few times check to make sure the dog isn't being bad, but the rest of time time they are chatting, gossiping and, in the evening, drinking with the other housewives. (4)The interactive dog parent. These are the people I love. They bring their dog(s), play with them and also let other dogs play with their dog. These people usually understand how dogs should behave and the dog leaves the park happy and tired. (5)The professional dog person and/or parent. I am included in this category but not all professionals are equal. I have ran into some professional dog people who have no clue how to control or understand the dogs in their care. Truly frustrating. But, I have also ran into professionals who know dog behavior and it's very refreshing.
Another great resource to understanding dog behavior and body language is Cesar Millan, the dog whisperer. He presents dog behavior in a very easy to understand way. I highly recommend any of his books or his shows The Dog Whisperer and Cesar 911. I have learned most of what I know about dog behavior from him and I have seen amazing results when I work with the dogs in my care.
Now cats are easier to understand than dogs. If a cat's basic needs are met, they will be happy (barring any medical or psychological matters which need to be addressed by a vet). Cats are very territorial, so if they are secure in their territory, they will be happy. If there in nothing for them to claim, your cat will not be happy. Make sure your cat has something to claim as theirs. Also, there must also be enough litter boxes for each cat, plus one. A cat also needs a safe, quite place to call their own. Some cats are "tree dwellers" and some cats are "bush dwellers". Knowing which one your cat is is truly beneficial to helping your cat feel confident and secure. For "tree dwellers" high places are key, for "bush dwellers" low places are key. Feeding wet and dry food is also the best for kitty. Most cats will also love water fountains to drink from. To understand kitty body language, here is a chart:
If you've ever watched My Cat From Hell on Animal Planet, you then know about Jackson Galaxy. He is a great resource to understanding cat behavior. I always learn something new when I watch this show. I highly recommend it.
Ok, well I feel better about getting this out. I feel that it is very important that if we are going to bring these pets into our lives, then we need to understand what they are telling us, why they behave the way they do and what makes them tick. No matter how hard you try, your dog will never be a human child nor will your cat. Your pet is an animal and will behave as such until your speak their language and communicate with them about how to properly behave. We owe it to our pets to communicate with them properly. Also, please remember that you are the leader of your pet. Become the Pack Leader! If all beings of the house understand each other, life becomes so peaceful. I'm not saying that you need to be an expert on pet behavior, but please, for your pets sake, gain a basic understanding to become a better pet parent.
I could go on about every little thing that I've noticed while walking and caring for animals in the past 5 years, but that would be excessive and unnecessary. You may have noticed that I didn't include anything about horses and that is because I could write an entire separate blog about horse body language and behavior. Maybe that will be next month's entry. I can't even find a chart like the ones above to reference. But the one chart I like to use was created by Parelli Natural Horsemanship, it helps determine horsenality (like personality but for horses). So I'll include that chart below as a preview for next month.
If you have any questions about your dog's or cat's behavior please feel free to ask me and I'll try and help you out.
