11 Things You’re Doing That Are Making Your Dog Secretly Hate You
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You may think you’re getting pawsitive reactions from your dog but what we think they like may be miles apart from what they actually want from us. So, we talked to dog behaviorists to unleash the truth about what we’re accidentally doing to frustrate our beloved pets.
Changing Your Mind
“There is no right or wrong when it comes to individual house rules,” Russell Becque, CEO of The Academy of Modern Canine Behavior & Training tells us, “but when you’re creating a behavior with your dog, make sure it works for you when they’re a puppy and also when they’re a 35lb dog.
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“For example, if you let your puppy jump all over you every time you walk through the door but then get annoyed when they leap up and knock you over when they’re fully-grown, it’s confusing. So only nurture behaviors you are happy for them to mature with.”
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Not being clear is something Certificated Clinical Animal Behaviorist Rosie Barclay MPhil CCAB also thinks is really unfair on dogs: “One minute you’re rewarding him for jumping up at you saying ‘hello good boy’ and then the next, you’re telling him to ‘get down!’.
“He barks at the loud noise outside after you say to him ‘what’s that?’ and then you tell him to ‘be quiet!’
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“All these contradictions are likely to confuse your dog and he won’t know what to do so may jump up even higher or bark at every noise to warn it away in case you tell him off.
“Think about how you might be sending mixed messages and how difficult it will be for your dog to understand clearly what it is you’re asking of them.”
Hugging Your Dog
“A hug may be the norm for a social greeting for humans, but it isn’t for dogs,” Nathalie Ingham, Canine Behaviorist and Training Manager at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in London tells us.
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