Dogs are very emotional creatures and they can be very expressive about how they feel. This is why a dog owner can easily what mood their pet is in.
You can tell that a dog is happy when it wags it’s tail and barks when it sees something or someone that excites it.
Nonetheless, you may not readily be able to tell when your dog is sad or resentful, but dogs do have this negative feelings just like humans do.
Some of these can be caused by stress or by the actions of their owners.
In this article, I’ve compiled 10 human actions that can easily upset your dogs, and how best to understand each other.
Here are 10 human actions that can easily upset your dogs;
1. Letting stranger pet your dog
It would be best to not to allow strangers pet your dog. Politely tell them not to get too close to your pet because even the most sociable and quiet dog can become very reactive and even aggressive.
It one of the things humans do that can easily upset your dogs.
Allowing just anyone access to your dog exposes them to stress and may even make them sick. They may also stop seeing you as a leader.
2. Not setting daily routines for your pet
Creating a routine for your dog is very vital, especially since your dog has a biological clock. You can help reduce the stress level of your dog when you provide them with consistent daily routines.
This helps them to stay active as it helps them look forward to doing something. It also helps them improve their confidence.
Take them for walks, train and feed them at the same time daily. You’d notice your dogs mood increasing when you start paying more attention to your pets daily routines.
3. Dressing up your dog
If you haven’t been dressing your dog when it was a puppy, then you may find it a difficult task doing it when it is older.
Dogs don’t mind a coat or a sweater on when it’s extremely cold, but don’t expect a warm welcome when you decide to adorn them with hats and costumes.
These makes them completely uncomfortable.
4. Pulling on your dog’s leash
Of all things human actions that can easily upset your dogs, pulling on their leash should be a major no-no.
Your pet becomes irritated if;
You stop it from sniffing around. I mean, that’s what they do. They sniff.
Dogs don’t just take the time to relieve themselves when they go for walks, they like to know what environment they are walking in, maybe even try to familiarize themselves with the surroundings too.
And one of they ways they do this is by sniffing. They can become upset if you keep dragging on their leash each time they to establish a sniffing connection. Who wouldn’t be?
Walking your dog on a short leash makes it nervous. It is advisable to handle your dog with a longer leash, making it clear you are the boss and you are handling things just fine.
A longer leash also makes it easier for dog owners to walk their dogs because the dog wouldn’t be under constant stress or tension.
5. Not taking your pet’s fear of water severely
It is very rare to find a dog that likes having its bath. You may even find breeds that love to swim, play in puddles, and run through lawn sprinklers do all it takes to avoid having their baths.
Research has shown us that dogs dislike the sound of running water. If you must bath your dog, especially when it doesn’t like having its bath, have a slip-resistant mat placed at the button of the tub, give it treats and compliment for good behavior.
This helps your dog trust you with having its bath and also reduces your dog’s stress level.
6. Yelling at your dog
No one likes being yelled at, and neither do dogs. If your dog wasn’t trained as a puppy to do some specific things or how to respond to some commands, then you shouldn’t expect it to automatically know how to when it’s older.
Yelling at it wouldn’t help either. In fact, yelling at your dog only makes communicating with it worse.
Punishing and yelling at your pet only instills fear into it and this doesn’t help matters in any way. Dogs don’t react well to loud sounds and trying to force them to do something or understand a command only confuses them more.
Using gestures to relay instructions are much more efficient. Rather than raise your voice, boldly use your words, with clear facial expressions.
7. Teasing your dog
What we humans find amusing may be offensive and hurtful to an animal. Pulling on your dog’s tail, excessive tickles, teasing them with their toys or food might make them uncomfortable and unhappy.
The natural response from them would be behavioral issues. Try as much as possible to understand what makes your dog happy and avoid what you feel might upset and change their moods.
8. Not spending quality time with your dog
Dogs would easily be destructive if owners don’t spend enough time playing with them. They need to burn energy and the best way to tire your dog out is by spending time playing with them.
Failure to do this may cause your dog to be destructive, causing it to chew and break anything on sight.
You can help your dog develop its physical stamina and intelligence when you dedicate time to playing with it.
9. Leaving your dog all alone
Dogs are naturally social animals and display boredom when left all alone. I know you can’t possibly spend all of your time with your pet, but spending more time with your pet decreases its level of anxiety.
You should endeavor to spend as much time as possible with your dog when you get home after work. Play with them, play fetch, verbally interact with them, and feed them.
This would help you build physical connection with you and your dog, rather than have it avoid being around you knowing you wouldn’t give it any attention.
Maintain a precise schedule with your pet. Your dog should be aware of what time you leave home and when you return.
This helps it became aware of when to expect owner and pet bonding. Get your dog different toys, chew toys are just great. This is to keep your dog busy while you are away.
10. Being depressed
Pay attention to your fur buddy if you notice it’s sad, or uninterested in things it normally would be interested in. It could be as a result of your mental state.
Pets react quickly to moods around them, and if you the owner is feeling bad or sad or depressed, your dog can equally show signs of depression as well.
You could try taking it for a walk and playing with it to cheer up your dog. Doing this can also help improve your mood and make your happy as well.
You may also want to consider quitting smoking if you do engage in it. Several studies has shown that dogs can suffer from passive smoking that can easily lead to serious diseases for them.
I hope you enjoyed reading this? Do feel free to share your experiences with us in the comments below. Thank you.
