Dog’s ‘guilty look’ something for owner to chew on
Several months ago, our 10month-old Labradoodle stopped chewing destructively. Now the problem has resurfaced. When we come home, she looks guilty if she has chewed things. On the rare occasion when she has not, she greets me at the door with a wagging tail.
Some experts say that dogs don’t remember or understand that they misbehaved when left alone.
I truly believe my dog does. Is there anything we can do?
The so-called guilty look is often misinterpreted. Some research suggests that dogs learn that their owners become upset when chewed objects are strewn about.
The dog is not guilty because of their own behaviour. Rather they realize that forbidden objects on the ground predict an impeding scolding.
The guilty look is not so much indicative of regret as it is of appeasement.
Other research indicates there may be a link between an owner’s behaviour and the dog’s demeanour.
One research study randomly misinformed owners of their dog’s behaviour when left alone. Owners of dogs that behaved well were told their dogs disobeyed and vice versa.
Dogs did not look guilty when they disobeyed. Rather it happened when owners appeared upset. Innocent, perfectly mannered dogs looked guilty if their owners walked in thinking that their pets misbehaved.
Regardless which answer is correct, discipline tends to impact the most recent behaviour.
Dogs don’t understand grammar and past tense the way humans do. We can tell a person that they misbehaved yesterday. This is not pos- sible with dogs. Pets are more likely going to learn that running to the door is wrong as it’s the last thing they did before being scolded.
Fix the problem by preventing dogs from rehearsing undesirable behaviour. Too much freedom, too soon, gives dogs the opportunity to learn that furniture tastes good. Give small doses of freedom in a dog-proofed room for short periods of time.
Allow more freedom only if the dog demonstrates they are trustworthy. Since destructive chewing commonly resurfaces a second time during adolescence, it is best to remain cautious and diligent until this phase has passed.
As an extra measure, get dogs addicted to safe chews. Far too many dogs learn that chewing shoes swiftly grabs an owner’s attention. Chewing a bone is often ignored. Notice dogs when they are being good. Provide copious amounts of positive reinforcement for chewing appropriate items.
Our rescue Sheltie has never learned to play. She won’t even chase a ball. We’d like her to have some fun. Is it too late?
Puppies learn through experience that toys are fun. When deprived of such learning, dogs see little difference between a ball and a rock. It has no meaning to them.
Get the ball rolling with a technique called “auto-shaping.” Start by creating an association between a ball and food.
Do this by showing the ball to the dog. Immediately take a treat out of hiding and feed it to them. It’s imperative that the ball is noticed first, before the food appears.
Repeat this process until the dog is visibly happy at the sight of the ball. Like Pavlov’s bell, the value of the food transfers to the toy. The ball becomes interesting because it predicts food.
Once this association forms, dogs will start to nudge, paw and bite at the ball when food is withheld. These behaviours offer a starting point. Owners can further reinforce these behaviours, transforming them into a variety of skills and games. For example, biting the ball can be turned into give and take.
That can in turn become either tug or fetch, two skills that require biting at a toy. Yvette Van Veen is an animal behaviour consultant. Write to her at advice@awesomedogs.ca.