Whether a dog is very small with a yappy bark or a big dog with a deep throated growl, they all think of themselves as fellow wolves in a pack and the home where they live as their personal territory. … Continue reading →
Submissive dogs employ two similar appeasement strategies to quell a dominant dog’s aggressive behavior towards them. The first stategy dampens the aggressive mood of the hostile, dominant dog. They achieve this by adopting the behavioural characteristics of a juvenile dog. … Continue reading →
You don’t have to research very hard to find that companion dogs pick up on both their owner’s anxieties and illnesses. A study published in the journal Scientific Reports on June 6, 2019 concluded that dogs feel their owners’ anxiety. … Continue reading →
I discuss seven ways that humans pet and interact with their dog and how they respond to these interactions. Scratching a male dog’s chest The first is scratching a male dog’s chest. They like it a lot. This is because … Continue reading →
“Dog tolling” refers to a dog dancing about in a strange fashion to fascinate ducks, to draw them nearer to allow a human duck-hunter to shoot the animal. The dogs who do this are called “tollers”. This form of canine … Continue reading →
We need to discuss why a Chow-Chow cross dog called Teddy attacked a 12-day-old baby and killed him after escaping from his pen. The parents of the child and the owner of the dog had been arrested on suspicion of … Continue reading →
How do dogs invite play? The answer relies on the fact that both humans and dogs remain playful all their lives into adulthood. The play-bow is a vital part of a companion dog’s behaviour. When a dog wants to play … Continue reading →
ANALYSIS: It’s on the news. The results of a study which says that a dog’s heart rate increases by 46% when their owner says “I love you” to them. The study was conducted by Canine Cottages. I’ve not heard of … Continue reading →
Yes, dogs do show remorse which indicates a sophisticated level of social interaction. The question needs fully explaining, however. There are two aspects to it. The dog is fearful not remorseful When a dog does something wrong and knows it … Continue reading →
Dogs scratch the ground after they poop to leave a visual signal of their presence. They also deposit scent from the glands in their paws which is scent marking, another signal that they have been present at that place. Less … Continue reading →
We know that dogs cock their legs to urinate but why don’t they do it by squatting? In other words what is the significance of dogs urinating against an object by cocking their legs first? Introduction When dogs cock their … Continue reading →
The reason why dogs pant so much is because they do not have sweat glands in the skin of their bodies except on their feet. This, incidentally, is the same as for domestic cats. Only domestic cats cool themselves by … Continue reading →
Yes, dog tail wagging is involuntary. In other words it is a reflex, instinctive action over which the dog does not have control or has no desire to control. In fact domestic dogs don’t even think that they are tail-wagging … Continue reading →
If you meet a dog in the street with their owner and you want to touch the dog you should do the following. You should ask the dog’s owner whether you can touch her dog. The well-prepared dog owner should … Continue reading →
I was reading a story on the website The Globe and Mail written by a reader of the website. She had adopted a rescue dog. She wanted to adopt a confident, non-anxious dog. She found herself with a dog who … Continue reading →
People ask why dogs wag their tail. Laypeople (non-experts) generally believe that they do it because they’re happy. They are excited as perhaps they have just met their human companion and caregiver after he has been away for the day. … Continue reading →
By 30 days about 50 percent of puppies wag their tails. At an average age of 49 days puppies are tail-wagging. They wag their tails when feeding from their mother (bitch). Puppies do not wag their tails when they are … Continue reading →
This is an ancient superstition and by using the word “superstition” you can see where this brief article is going. A dog howling does not presage death. Dr Desmond Morris comes up with a plausible theory for the origin of … Continue reading →
The wolf howl is a beautiful sound. Dogs howl when left alone because they are performing the “howl of loneliness” in the words of Dr Morris. This serves the same function as a howl when it is made to bring … Continue reading →
The domestic dog is a domesticated grey wolf plus thousands of years of evolution as a domestic animal plus selective breeding. We all know that the wild ancestor of the domestic dog is the modestly-sized wolf from Asia. I am … Continue reading →
