Innocuous Behaviors

You’re just drifting off to sleep after a hard day at the office, when all of a sudden — WOOF! What the–? Probably just somebody walking by outside that caught your dog’s attention. You close your eyes again and — WOOF-WOOF-WOOF! Now a little concerned, you grab the nearest “weapon” — a plunger — and tiptoe down the stairs. Your dog is nowhere to be seen. Strange… You continue your intruder check, but as you pass by your dog’s bed, you notice that she’s sleeping soundly. Okay, what the heck is going on here? Then, as you’re standing there, it

If you have or have ever had a dog, then you’ve probably heard it whine at one time or another. Whining is another form of communication that dogs use, but since a dog’s primary form of communication is through energy and body language, the progression to whining indicates a higher level of excitement and need on the part of the dog. Dogs whine to communicate their physical, mental, or emotional state, and not all whines are created equal. Here are the main categories, and what your dog may be trying to tell you. Reasons Why Dog’s Whine Physical Need If

Previously, we’ve looked at whether dogs can feel emotions like guilt or jealousy with mixed results. Many researchers do not believe that dogs actually feel guilt, but instead express anticipation over punishment under certain circumstances — for example, if the accident they had in the kitchen is visible when their human comes home. On the other hand, at least one study showed that dogs can behave in a jealous manner, at least when they think their human is paying too much attention to another dog — although, again, it isn’t clear whether they’re experiencing the emotion or we are just

Your dog knows you like the back of her paw! For many Pack Leaders, the best part of the human-canine bond is that feeling of connection. You don’t have to tell your dog what you need or what you’re feeling. She just knows. But how much do you really know about her? Does she have the same feeling that you really “get” her? In our modern life, many of us have become disconnected from a lot of the things that are instinctual to our dogs. In fact, that is often the root cause of problem behaviors. If you really know