Acceptable Dog Behaviour or Human Projection?

Is humping actually an ok behaviour for dogs? Or not? What about barking? Well it depends on the situation, and the location, right? 

Let’s go, for the sake of this chat, with both, or sometimes yes, sometimes no. It really depends. At this point I think it’s best we just look at some basics, some things that I have learnt along the way, over the years. I’ve studied dog psychology and behaviour, both theoretical and in life. This is what I’ve learnt.

Dog behaviours that we think are ok, but aren’t good for dogs 

• Play between more than two dogs 

• Off leash dogs rushing up to ‘say hi’ to dogs on lead

• Dogs that beg for cuddles or fawn at every human they meet 

• Any play that involves the dog running back to the human for help, tail between legs 

• Sniffing another dog’s bits for more than 3 seconds 
  

Dog behaviours that we think aren’t ok, but are normal for dogs

• Humping 

• Barking 

• Digging 

• Mouthing 

• Pulling fluff from stuffed toys 

These are, of course, my opinions. What your family/home life looks like, and the boundaries that you create for you and your dog, are up to you. Freewill and choice and all that! But, for the sake of this little read, let’s dive into some of the behaviours I listed. 

Play between more than two dogs

We’ve all seen it at the off leash dog park – three, maybe four or five dogs, chasing one dog, barking and they all look like they’re having the time of their lives. And they probably are, for a few seconds. But group think kicks in with dogs pretty fast, and suddenly the lead dog, the one being chased, has tail down, maybe in between legs, eyes wide and is looking to circle back to human safety. I’ve heard paw parents say ‘oh thank goodness, they’ll get all their energy out now, look at them go!’ gleefully unaware that in seconds this play could turn to deep, primal behaviour and perhaps a scuffle. 

I believe our job (yep, that’s right job) is being alert at the dog park, advocating for your dog, and other peoples’ too, if they don’t see the issues coming up. In this instance, I would recall my dog (and he comes, as we have the trust based relationship you need to have to have a dog off lead at a dog park) and have him stay with me to reduce stress on the other dogs. The paw parent of the chased dog should step into support the dog, physically stepping in to shield their dog. Other dogs should be ushered away and recalled by their humans. A small break, some verbal positive reinforcement, and then the dogs can be released to interact again. IMAGE: 

Barking 

Did you know wolves don’t bark? Neither do Dingos. Humans bred dogs to bark and now we spend time asking our dogs to stop using their voices, that we helped create with them. A bit odd I reckon. 

Behaviouralists believe dogs should be ok to bark at home, to alert humans to strange sounds or impending visitors. Dogs should bark at the park, in excitement, to alert us of situations and to chat with friends. But a dog barking for hours on end in the backyard due to fear, loneliness or sadness should be heard. This dog is asking for help, not punishment. In fact, there are only a couple of reasons behaviour change lessons should be introduced for a dog and it’s human. Barking at someone for something, in fear, aggression where it is not warranted, while guarding food or toys or at something it has been frightened by in the past (ongoing trauma response). 

I’m an advocate for dogs to use their voices – they are communicating with us! We constantly talk to them, after all. If your dog barks while you’re not at home, it may have separation anxiety, be lonely or, under stimulated. We can help to change their routine – get in touch. 

Note: if your dog isn’t a chatty kinda dude, then suddenly starts barking – please take a good look at other behaviour changes, physical changes and, if you’re really concerned, straight to the vet! Often dogs’ behaviour changes rapidly and distinctly when they are unwell. 

Reach out to have a chat if any of your dog’s behaviours are causing you concern, or if you’d like to chat about finding a healthy balance with fido’s mannerisms!