"Other Nations"

 This blog about dog play is not a stand alone piece. Please also read Part 1 as it's vitally important when you have dogs or have others' dogs in your care to know when something that might look like play is not play but something else entirely. So now let's look at signs of good play. Play as a state of mind Play can be viewed as a state of mind. It involves its own neural structure in the brain 1 and feels good because of the hormones and neurotransmitters it involves which include dopamine, oxytocin and endogenous opioids. How do dogs let each other know it's play and not real fighting, biting and pursuit? Play between dogs is made up from fragments of other behaviours such as predation, fighting and mating. Therefore there has to be a way to let each other know that it's “just pretend” so no one gets scared and the enjoyable state of play can take place. Dogs do this by the use of ' play signals ' to each other such as: Exaggerated, inefficient moveme...

 Dog play is a big topic so I am going to discuss it in two parts, like I did with 'Petting Dogs'. In addition, I will suggest some further reading in case you are really interested in this topic. Let's start by looking at what  isn't play Play between dogs has to be fun for each dog involved. It has to be voluntarily entered into and a dog has to be able to leave any time they want to . A dog won't play unless they feel safe,  both mentally and physically. They won't play if, for instance, they are afraid or if they are ill or in pain. This is really important and helps us to identify situations that might look like play, but may be something else entirely.  So when we think of a dog's need to feel safe as being an essential prerequisite for play, we can see that those 'play' episodes we sometimes see are not actually play. For example, one dog is bouncing happily round another dog and, although the other dog is responding, they are doing so...

 If you live with a reactive dog you'll know how their reactivity limits the things you and your dog can do together, the places you can go together and the times of the day you can go there. It's not easy and the chances are you may have experienced stress, frustration and annoyance at how your dog behaves. It can also be very upsetting to see your dog distressed over things others take for granted. You'll also know their reactivity is only a part of who they are. Reacting to things is inbuilt Reacting to things, whether it is a real threat or a perceived threat is inbuilt. It's a fear response which is essential for survival. Think of that involuntary reaction when you jump at something before you've even registered what it is you've been scared by. Why is the dog 'going mad' at things that are just normal, everyday things to the rest of us? It's an issue of how the dog processes things, explains dog behaviour practitioner Andrew Hale*, who d...

 Dogs growl as a means of communication and it is important to realise that this can mean many things. It may mean another dog, or a person, is behaving in a way that it causing them stress or annoyance. Although they can’t speak the way we do, they have their own vocal language to communicate. One specific use of growling  This blog is going to look at just one specific use of growling - a dog growling when people they aren’t familiar with (or maybe people they aren’t particularly close to) move about the room, stand in a doorway, stand in the room talking etc. All of these scenarios could also happen outside in the garden, or anywhere really. The dog is showing their anxiety  Ok, so you’re sitting with your dog in the company of people the dog isn’t really used to. Someone gets up and starts to move about to do something. Not something to do with the dog, just some business of the person’s own.  Some nervous dogs can really struggle with this. A nervous do...

In the previous blog we looked at the pressure dogs can feel from the ways we show them affection. What we view as us showing our love for them can be downright unpleasant for dogs. Please check out the previous blog here: PettingDogs This time we are going to take this further and look at how we can check with our dogs if they want affection from us at any given time. This is known as 'consent testing' . “ Hold on, we have to get our dog's consent to pet them?!” Well, yes, if you want your dog to enjoy the petting it has to be when they feel like it. First of all, here are just some examples of when they may NOT feel like it: If your dog is engaging in some interesting activity of their own – sniffing about, watching someone through the window, playing with a toy, eating their food, etc. – Forget it! They won't want you petting them. If a dog is resting or sleeping– Leave them be. A word on the word 'Petting' When we are using the word 'petting...

These photos show people interacting with dogs in a way that gives the people pleasure and happiness. The dogs, however, are not enjoying it. I refer to the dogs as 'he' for handiness when discussing these photos, though they could equally well be female. So what's going on for the dogs in these photos? In the last blog, People Meeting Dogs , we discussed how important personal space is to dogs. People often like to show affection with one another by close contact – hugging etc. so they often do this with dogs too which can cause the dogs stress. Let's look at how the dogs in these photos are telling us this. Feeling the pressure of restraint When dogs are restrained as they are in these photos, they can feel trapped and prevented from using the full range of their body language to communicate.  Photo 1 In Photo 1 the woman is glasping the dog's head so tightly that he can only use his ears to show his discomfort. His ears are held back. I don't know how clea...

When we like dogs, it's natural to want to greet them if we get the chance.   We might want to go over to them, reach out to them and enjoy making a fuss of them. But is this what most dogs like, from someone they don't know? The short answer is no. Let's look at why. Dogs and people have different communication styles Going up to a dog, with the best of intentions of making friends with them, is at odds with dogs' etiquette among themselves. A direct, straight-on approach from one dog to another is not the polite thing to do. It can be perceived as threatening, or at the very least pushy. We will leave dog greeting behaviour though, as it is another big topic, and return to our own behaviour when meeting dogs. Let dogs keep their personal space Of course there are some dogs who are so sociable that they welcome friendly attention from everyone, but in general it is best not to reach out into a dog's personal space. Many dogs, especially shy, nervous d...