Dog Behavior Meaning: Decode Your Dog’s Behavior

Know how to explain your pet’s behavior through this article about Dog Behavior Meaning

Dog Behavior Meaning – These are the explanations of the behaviors of your dog that will make you understand your pet more.

Have you ever wondered why your dog is doing a certain behavior that either makes you smile or get pissed off? Here are the possible underlying meanings of your dog’s gesture, based on the article in Reader’s Digest.

dog behavior meaning
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Nipping and biting

This basically means that they are being excited and playful. However, Jo Gale, DVM, a veterinarian with Mars Petcare said that dogs “know it results in them getting attention—even if it is negative attention.” It can also be a result of anxiety and stress. As biting is a form of aggression, pay attention to your dog’s facial expression.

Sniffing crotches

Jennifer L. Summerfield, DVM, a veterinarian with Brown Veterinary Service in Wayne, West Virginia explained that dogs collect a lot of vital information via their noses. Because of this, they tend to go for that awkward area as it is the most concentrated source of pheromones.

Lick faces

It is a normal and friendly greeting behavior that dogs often display toward other dogs when saying hello. Say hello to these popular dog names in 2023.

Beg for food

Dogs have a nature of being opportunistic feeders. With this, they will easily accept the food being given to them. However, it is the humans who reinforce the begging behavior when they react and share their food with the dog, Dr. Gale said.

Bark at the mail carrier/delivery guy

Dog thinks that they are intruders and their initial reaction is to bark at strangers delivering mail or packages to your house.

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Pee or poop around the house

When your dog is house-trained, Dana Varble, DVM, chief veterinary officer with the North American Veterinary Community said, “My biggest concern when I hear this complaint is that your dog may have an underlying medical problem, such as urinary incontinence, inflammatory bowel disease, urinary tract infections, or even kidney failure.

Roll around in stinky things

Dogs have different opinions about what constitutes an attractive scent that is contrary to humans. It is their way of “disguising the dog’s scent, which could be useful for hunting.”

Run in their sleep

The usual guess for this behavior is that the dog is dreaming and it is true. There are certain dog breeds that act out their hallmark traits while dreaming, studies say.

Search for the best place to poop

There are three theories for this behavior:
– dog is stamping down the grass for a clean place to poop
– scanning the area for predators before it goes
– dogs tend to align themselves in a north-south position when they poop, a study in Europe stated

Get aggressive around other dogs

Dogs can be anxious or uncomfortable about interacting with other dogs. Dr. Summerfield said that “this can be due to genetics, negative past experiences, or a lack of adequate early socialization as a puppy.”

Paw at you

This gesture is a dog’s version of holding hands as they can be very tactile.

Hide things

This simply means that they want to keep their belongings safe.

dog behavior meaning
Reader’s Digest

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