What You Need to Know to Understand Dog Behavior

​Have you ever challenged yourselves if you really know your pet? Can you understand your dog's behavior and what it wants to say to you? 

“Dogs are man’s best friend,” the old saying goes. Yet, there are times when we just don't ​get it why our pet behaves in a certain way. ​You have to know your dog, if you want to have a good relationship with him.

Hence, it is essential to understand dog behavior. It is ​important to know the reasons why dogs sometimes act differently.  

You can teach your dog proper behavior. Experts say that dog behaviors can be managed by appropriate training.

What are dog behaviors? They are actually responses to environmental and social factors, responses mostly triggered by those factors. Therefore, to control these responses, you should teach the proper way to respond to those elements.

Let’s  investigate a few of the methods:

​Why dogs bite

​Almost 5 million people in the United States are victims of dog bites every year. This is nearly 2% of the total population in the U.S. What’s more, one-fifth of dog bites end up needing medical attention, and those cases rank as a second most common case of emergencies in the hospitals. Most of those dog bites happen while interacting with familiar dogs to us.

So, the question is: Why dog bites happen?

According to the experts, the main reasons behind why dogs bite are among the following:

​​1) Protection

​Dogs are territorial animals, and they can be very possessive. When someone threatens to take away something that the dog owns, the dog wants to protect it. And he will defend it by biting.

Hence, when you get near the dog’s property, the dog tends to bite to make you leave his property alone.

Same way, when he is guarding something, like protecting people, he wants you to leave and may act defensive or bite.

2) ​Excitement

​Your dog tends to get excited when you play with him. Don’t let your dog get overexcited, as they then begin to forget their manners. Stop and calm down at the stage when your dog starts grabbing you with their teeth.

Even correctly trained dogs may bite in play without understanding that they are doing harm.

Since dogs foot are quite useless when playing and trying to grasp things, they use their mouth. When that happens, there is a possibility that the dog might unintentionally hurt people without meaning to do anything harmful.

​​​3) ​Fear

​Dogs are sometimes afraid just like humans.  They might feel threatened, cornered, intimidated or frightened.

The dog’s only protection for itself is to bite back if somebody startles him. This defensive aggression rarely happens without various warning signs being presented by the dog first.

The best way to bypass these situations is to leave the dog alone. Fear is particularly the case with shy or nervous dogs and those who have been mistreated. And many people want to always play around with dogs without learning when the dogs should be left alone.

​​​4) ​Pain

​When we are feeling ill, we can be quite grumpy. Same happens with dogs.

When he is not feeling well, he does not understand why he is feeling that way. And he can't explain it to you.

Therefore, when you touch him, he may think that it’s the touch that causes the pain. So he tends to fight back by snapping or biting.

​Dogs have feelings like humans. When these feelings are confused, their only protection for themselves is to snap or bite. Dogs cannot read the situation logically. Therefore, you should know that to avoid such circumstances.

Remember that every form of dog training is tied to the type of dog, the breed, and most of all its everyday life.

As you have seen from these examples, dogs can reflect different moods. Now it is up to you to know your dog. Spend as much time as possible with it to examine its behavior!

Having a dog gives you many health benefits

​​Need some help with your health? Get a dog! Dogs are considered your best friend. Having a dog gives you many health benefits.

Dog owners benefit from their pet's in several ways:

​1) Cardiovascular health benefits

​It has long been known that stroking a pet reduces blood pressure. Dog owners have lower blood pressure and cholesterol than others. These two factors lower the chance for cardiovascular diseases.

Some studies state that these benefits continue even without the pet available. For example, they tested with a group of financiers with hypertension, that they got a lower blood pressure just by owning a pet.

Blood cholesterol levels are lower than average with dog owners. When compared to people who didn't own any pets to people who owned the pet, pet owners have lower blood pressure and lower levels of blood triglycerides and cholesterol. 

Resources:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-16118-6
https://spcala.com/resources/pet-library/general-articles/the-positive-power-of-pets/

​2) Faster recovery times and higher survival rates with therapy dogs


Hospital studies have found that recently operated patients, especially kids and seniors, reacted better to treatment with therapy dogs. Bringing the pets to visit sick patients has clearly raised their spirits and led to a decrease in recovery times. Just petting a dog is having a direct, positive therapeutic impact that helps patients overcome their health issues quicker.

https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/1912/Therapy-Dogs-At-Australian-Hospital-Reduce-Kids-Recovery-Time-By-30-

Also, dog owners have a higher chance to survive after undergoing a severe illness.

There has been studies about pet owners who suffered from a heart attack. Studies show, that compared to those who did not own pets, they were more likely to be alive a year after they were released from the hospital.  

Another study interestingly found that pets affected patients survival rate even more than the presence of a family member or friend. Probably it would be best to have both - someone close to you, and a pet.

​3) Fewer visits to the doctor if you own a pet

​Patients who have dogs get mental benefits. It has been known that pet owners have better emotional health than their counterparts.

Pets give unconditional love and affection. Their presence alone helps overcome loneliness. Their presence helps sick people who might otherwise be isolated.

The stress of fighting the major illnesses alone is hard. Several studies have shown that the pressure is significantly reduced when you have a dog as company.

​As you can see, having a dog is an excellent investment for your health.

Well, nobody can say that getting a dog will definitely help you live longer, but it’s not a bad idea if you have the capacity to take care of it.

And dog owners usually get more physical activity, which could help to prolong a healthy life.

So, go out and get a dog as it brings a lot of joy and companionship besides the health benefits that you can receive.

Welcome

Hello! Welcome to my first post on my website!

Hey all,

I hope you like the look of thew website!

Pets are an integral part of our lives all over the world. As human population grows, so too is pet population growing.

Did you know that 68 percent of households in the US own a pet. That means about 85 million families. Recent National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association also states, that at 1988, the first year when the survey was made, the percent was 56. So pet ownership is growing trend.

It’s no surprise that man’s best friend, the dog, is the most loved household pet, but did you know fish and birds were quite close after the cats?

Pets are not merely an American phenomenon, where there are more pets than children. Some countries just are more pet obsessed, while others are seemingly uninterested.

“Happiness is a warm puppy.” – Charles Schulz

I’ll keep this blog updated on a irregular basis, well more often than my previous blogger blog ha. This will be where I write about anything dogs and health related.

Thanks for stopping by. Stay tuned for upcoming blog posts!

Anna