Okay pet owners. You can always tell when your dog is happy, right: wagging tails and
excited, playful barking speak for themselves? But it’s not so easy to tell why your pooch
is sad or even depressed. Let’s try to figure out the most common reasons your fluffy friend
might be upset. Starting with:
12. You haven’t set a daily routine and rules for your dog.
Your dog has its own biological clock, which is why a routine is so important. Dogs
want, and even need, rules to follow! Consistency makes the world predictable to them, so they
become more confident and less stressed. Try to feed, walk, and train your dog at the
same time every day. Having a daily routine doesn’t mean avoiding fun altogether. Dr.
Debra Primovic recommends that you include “quality time” with your pet within that
fixed routine. It can be something basic like sitting next to each other and watching TV.
Every so often, you can let the dog pick the shows to watch together. Just a few days
after you’ve started practicing a daily routine, you’ll notice that your dog has
become happier.
11. You like to dress up your dog.
If you haven’t trained your dog to wear clothing since it was a puppy, you’ll
find it difficult to dress it at an older age. It’s OK to put a sweater or a coat
on your dog during walks if you have a toy breed or a breed with short hair. Your best
bet is a blend of washable wool and cotton or acrylic. However, if you have a Siberian
Husky, Malamute or some other breed with a dense coat, you don’t need to bother with
a sweater. And, hats and costumes are uncomfortable for any breed. And they just look dumb. (The
opinions of the narrator are not necessarily the opinions of Bright Side Management, and
we are not responsible for any bad jokes either.)
10. You use words more than body language.
In 2018, a group of veterinarians at the University of Bari did a comprehensive study on Communication
in dogs. They don’t deny that in over 30,000 years of living with humans, dogs have gained
certain communication skills to understand their owners. They’ve mastered basic commands
such as walk, treat, toy, and the like, but still, they don’t speak the human language!
They rely on your body language to try to figure out how you feel or what you think.
When you do confusing things – such as tell your pup to “stay” and lean toward it
stretching your hand forward, it gets upset because it doesn’t know if you really want
it to stay, or come closer. So try communicating more with your body when talking to your pet
instead of trying to chat with it.
9. You tease your pet.
Have you ever barked back at a barking dog? Yeah. Or maybe pulled on a dog’s tail? Nah.
Or, better yet, you show a treat to a dog and then hide it, or eat it yourself (if it’s
not dog food, of course). Guilty. Remember this: what’s funny for a human, can be hurtful
and offensive for an animal. According to the Whole Dog Journal, teasing your pet won’t
help mutual understanding and can cause an obsessive-compulsive behavior and other problems.
8. You pull on your dog’s leash.
Your dog can not only read your body language, but also the leash tension levels. When you
pull it, you signal that you're tense, nervous, or on alert, causing stress. You shouldn’t
let your dog drag you around either; if your pet isn’t listening to you, stop. As soon
as the leash loosens and the dog looks at you, you can continue your walk. Don’t forget
to take treats with you to encourage your dog’s good behavior.
A leash that’s too short also makes the animal nervous. If you let your dog walk
on a long leash, you make it clear that everything is under your control and there’s no danger.
This way, it’ll be easier for you to walk your dog because it won’t feel constant
tension.
Let your dog sniff around! In 2015, an international group of researchers headed by Birte Nielsen
studied the role odors play in a dog’s life. They concluded that it impacts their behavior
and wellbeing! A walk for a dog isn’t just a time when it can relieve itself; it’s
also an opportunity to get to know the surrounding territory. Many times, dog pee
on things to leave information. Other dogs come by, sniff where the prior dog went, gets
the information, and then also pees there. Yeah it’s like Facebook. The first dog leaves
a post, and others comment on it. That’s why your pet will become upset if you drag
it away from trees and curbs all the time.
7. You don’t take your dog’s fear of water seriously.
Most dogs love swimming in the open water because it makes them feel free. However,
even breeds that love swimming in lakes, lying in puddles, and running through lawn
sprinklers might hate taking baths. Dogs don’t like the sound of running water or the
slippery surface. So, if you want to reduce your dog’s stress, place a slip-resistant
mat in the bottom of the tub, give it lots of treats, and compliment it for its good
behavior.
6. You hug your dog.
It’s natural for humans to show affection by wrapping their arms around someone’s
body. But hey, dogs don’t have arms, so their ways of showing love and support are
different! Imagine a creature three or ten times your size approaching you and squeezing
you! A lot of dogs will take it, especially the traditional family breeds, such as a golden
retriever. But most pooches will feel threatened and uncomfortable if you do so. Dr. Alexandra
Horowitz has pointed out the typical signs of a dog feeling uncomfortable during a hug:
ears pinned back, lip licking, yawning, and trying to get away.
5. You yell at your dog.
Dogs are afraid of loud sounds and can’t understand what you want from them. If you’re
unhappy with your dog’s behavior, take a certain pose of your choosing, and make an upset
facial expression. If your puppy isn’t yet trained enough
to wait for a walk and leaves puddles on the floor, yelling at it will only make things
worse. If you punish your dog physically or yell at it, it won’t become better
trained, it’ll just be afraid of you and sneaky. Chances are, it’ll do the same thing
when you aren’t around. A 2016 study by the Department of Psychology, Brigham Young
University, concluded that dogs can always tell when people are angry, and they become
more hesitant to do what the same people ask of them.
4. You don’t play with your dog enough.
If you can’t find enough time to play with your pooch, be prepared to have it damage
a lot of things when you’re not home. Your pet needs to release its energy, and
if you can’t help with this, it’ll find its own way. And you won’t like it. Playing
with your dog is important. Activities like running help develop your dog’s physical
stamina. And hide and seek, for example, is good for its intelligence. Rebecca Sommerville,
animal behavior specialist at the University of Edinburgh, explains that a dog playing
by itself isn’t a sign that it’s happy. It could be trying to show you how bored it
is and basically crying for help. Playing together is a great way of bonding and keeping
your pooch content.
3. You leave your pet alone.
Dogs are social animals and they don’t like to be by themselves. Of course, you can’t
spend all your time with your dog, (I wish) but you can decrease the level of its anxiety.
To do so, spend as much time as possible with it when you’re home. Follow a precise
schedule. The animal should know the time when you leave home and when you come back.
Buy different toys so that your dog can entertain itself while you’re away.
2. You let strangers pet your dog.
If a stranger comes up to your a dog and tries to pet it saying, “Aww, what
a cutie!” - the best thing you can do is thank them and politely ask them not to come any
closer. Veterinary behaviorist Dr. Ilana Reisner explains that your dog’s character or mood
can be different, and even the most sociable and kind dog can be reactive. If you let
everyone touch your dog, you cause it to be stressed out and you stop being a leader in your
dog’s eyes.
When I say “strangers”, I don’t mean only humans, but other dogs, as well. Some
owners just love to push their dogs into doggy get-togethers at parks. Now, think of it:
do you personally want to make friends with every human you meet in the street? If your
answer is “no”, then why would your dog’s answer be “yes”?
1. You’re depressed.
If you’ve noticed that your dog is sad, pay attention to your own state of mind.
Your pet feels your mood, and if you feel bad, your dog can become depressed too. Dr
Wailani Sung explains Depression isn’t contagious, but when you feel low you pay less attention
to your pet or do it with much less enthusiasm. Your pooch can make your mood better, but
you should put in some effort as well. Get yourself together and go for a walk with
your dog or play with it at the park.
And, you’ll do your pooch a lot of good if you quit smoking. Different studies, including
one in 2007 of 30 Yorkshire Terriers at the University of Brasilia, have shown that dogs
suffer from passive smoking, which can result in serious lung diseases for them.
Now it’s your turn. How do you comfort your dog when it’s obviously upset? Let me know
down in the comments! If you learned something new today, then give this video a like and
share it with a friend. But – hey! – don’t go dressing up your poor dog just yet! We
have over 2,000 cool videos for you to check out. All you have to do is pick the left or
right video, click on it, and enjoy! Stay on the Bright Side of life!