Oh Behave!

In my last post I pondered the legend of the PerfectDog and suggested adopting a different perspective on dog behavior – a “bowl-half-full” approach. Part of that bowl-half-full approach is having realistic expectations for dog behavior. This means realizing that like humans and other species, no dog is perfect, and accepting that dogs are after all, dogs.

Dogs bark, chew, shred stuff, dig and chase things that move. These are innate behaviors that dogs come pre-programmed with the same way humans come hard-wired to look for patterns in our environments and to speak. Dogs are close relatives of wolves and share DNA so similar that the two can mate and produce viable fertile offspring. Though dogs aren’t wolves, dogs have inherited some wolf behavior. That’s why some dogs guard food and other things they value, dissect stuffed animals, chase moving objects, chew and bury things.

So often, humans expect dogs to behave more like stuffed animals and less like dogs. I’m puzzled over that. We don’t expect fish not to swim or monkeys not to swing from trees. Why a different standard for dogs? That’s another question I can’t answer. Dogs need to be real live dogs, free to indulge their true doggy essences some of the time. In addition to exercise, mental stimulation, attention, love and fun, dogs need legal outlets for dog behavior. Otherwise they’ll find other channels for their stores of doggy energy, often engaging in activities we find irritating to say the least. Boredom barking anyone? How about dissection practice with every paper item in the recycling bin? Or maybe a digging party in the indoor planters?

“Misbehavior” isn’t the dog’s fault. It’s ours. It’s up to us to train and communicate consistently with our dogs about what they can do and when they can do it. And like any good relationship, it’s important to do some give and take when crafting a living arrangement with our dogs. Sacrificing a few square feet of our small garden for a legal digging pit for Vinnie was a small price to pay for keeping his paws out of my husband’s beloved indoor planters and flowerbeds. Once we installed the digging pit, we were liberated – Vinnie could dig to his heart’s content and we were free to marvel at how he seemed to remember exactly where he’d cached something, days after having buried it. Similarly, investing in some bully sticks and food puzzle toys was well worth it to keep Vinnie’s teeth off of everything else in our home. We’ve compromised a little, so has Vin, and at the end of the day, everyone benefits, everyone’s happier.

Dogs will be dogs, not stuffed animals or figurines or rugs. Forget about that mythical PerfectDog. Train your dog to behave the way you like. Appreciate him for his unique personality and all his dog-ness. Wonder at the magnificent being that he is. And if you get frustrated, it helps to remember that like each of us your dog is a wonderful work in progress.