Understanding Your Dog's Behaviour
Someone rang your doorbell, and your dog starts barking. It continues to bark till you stop that by a sharp command. Let’s understand why your dog behaved in that way. Understanding the natural behaviour is helpful in handling your dog, providing better care and building a stronger relationship with your dog. It is also important to a pet parent in the sense that any unusual or changed behaviours may indicate the possibility of an underlying illness or disease.
Dogs’ natural behaviour has emerged after their long association with humans from the prehistoric age, and in modern times as a furry friend. During this evolutionary process, their behavioural chemistry is shaped by a beautiful blend of species-specific instincts, acquired knowledge, learning, and emotion.
Let’s see some normal behaviour of dogs.
1-Feeding behaviour
- Suckling-Soon after birth, pups suckle milk from the mother, which increases after the third day. Taking food from the mother starts at about 3 weeks of age. Pups usually take food from their mother’s bowl or may eat vomitus of the mother, which should not be considered abnormal. Pup may take food material from the bowl and eat by keeping it in another place.
- Chewing and licking-Pups generally chew licks to investigate small objects and may ingest them, which must be prevented to avoid any health hazards. Adult dogs also chew to release boredom,and also to clean their teeth. Instead of scolding and preventing the dog from chewing dog should be provided with safe toys or objects.
2-Sexual behavior
- Sexual behaviour starts after the onset of puberty. There is a great level of individual and breed variation regarding the onset of puberty. Sexual behaviour like mounting, clasping and pelvic thrust are seen at the age of puberty more in male but active courtship occurs only when the female is in heat. Olfaction, or the sense of smell, is the main receptor governing the onset of sexual behaviour. The urine of bitch in estrus is the first triggering point for an active courtship to happen.
- Spaying or neutering a bitch at any age makes it unresponsive sexually. While castration done only before puberty makes a male non-responsive.
- Male dogs prefer sexual activity better if familiar with the surroundings and the handler. So, bitch must be taken to the dog for an intercourse to happen. Many times, when the male is not dominant during courtship, the female frequently mounts the dog and stimulates the aggressive behaviour of the dog.
- When both male and female are reared together, and the female is dominant in the social hierarchy, mating is usually rare.
3-Maternal behaviour
- Nest making behaviour– Towards the onset of parturition bitch usually make nest to give birth its puppies. Following parturition bitch starts nursing the young and usually stays with the puppies for 3 weeks. Later contact with the pup decreases. This is the time for weaning.
- Cleaning behaviour– Bitch usually stimulate urination and defecation in the pups by licking the anogenital region of the pups. During nursing, the bitch ingests the urine and faces of the pups and keeps the nest clean in the 4th week; such cleaning behaviour disappears when pups begin to leave the nest for elimination independently by their own.
- Pseudo pregnancy– Due to hormonal imbalance, even though the dog is not pregnant dog displays maternal protective behaviour like nest making, engorgement of mammary gland, protecting an inanimate object placed in the nest, etc. Such a condition should be treated by a qualified vet.
4- Social behaviour
By nature, dogs are social animals and live in groups in a pack. With a long association with members of one pack, they develop a high degree of communication, cooperation and bonding, which is essential for their survival. In a pack, they usually follow the instructions of the leader. So, dogs leave happily with their boss. With the adoption of a dog as a family member, they usually see the family as a pack and try to please the members and accept the head of the family as their boss. Some positive social behaviours are
- Seeking attention and companionship from family members.
- Wagging tail and following the owners around the house.
- Enjoying playing with humans and other dogs.
- Leaning against family members.
- Licking the face or hand of family members to show affection.
- Learning by watching human closely, exploring new objects.
- Following command of family members and trying to please them
5-Eliminative behavior
- Raising of the hind legs prior to urination– Raising of the hind legs prior to urination in male dogs is an inherent activity in male dogs. It occurs after the onset of puberty.
- Covering of faces by pawing-Immediately after defecation, dogs usually paw and want to cover their faces. It may be due to its natural instinct acquired during wildlife by which it destroys the evidence of faces that might attract the wild predator and attack it.
6-Commiunicative behavior
Dogs usually communicate with the external world through body carriage, vocal sounds, tail posture,submassive paw raising, and urination. Learning and interpreting these signals is crucial to know dogs mental state and behaviour. Some of the behaviours are
- Position of the tail Wagging of the tail frequently occurs during excitement and happiness. A relaxed, slow wagging is an expression of happiness, whereas a stiff, high tail indicates alertness and tension.
- Position of ears– Relaxed ears suggest comfort. Ears kept forward suggest enthusiasm or curiosity. Contracted, backward ears suggest fear or submission.
- Facial expression-Soft eyes, relaxed mouth with gentle blinking of facial muscles suggest the dog is calm and enjoying. Showing teeth during play may look alarming, but usually harmless if with loose body posture.
- Barking-Dog barks usually when it sees strangers or sudden, sharp noises,during sudden excitement,for seeking attention.
Excessive barking may indicate that the dog is in need of exercise, stimulation or companionship.
7-Agonistic behavior
- Social Hierarchy among dogs– Play fighting among the newborn puppies develops a social hierarchy among themselves, which usually lasts for many years to come. When a strange dog is introduced into a closed social group, usually the group attacks and rejects the stranger. The degree of social hierarchy is much stronger among the same group members. So they react more severely to a stranger dog of the same breed than to other breeds. A similar social hierarchy is also developed with human and normally human is dominant.
- Territorial defence– Territorial defence is an important form of social behaviour. Dogs living in a group are usually too protective of their territory and become aggressive when their territory is encroached upon by a strange dog or human. Marking their territory with their urine is also a normal phenomenon in dogs.
- Such aggressive behaviour may be avoided by rearing the pup under submission, with the owner being actively dominant. Pups should be socialised with a wide variety of human and canine neighbours.
- Tying up a dog usually increases aggression, and the tendency of a dog to fight on the leash is due to such territorial defensive behaviour.
Every dog is unique. Breed, age, environment, and past experiences shape behaviour. What is normal for one dog may look different for another.
To encourage healthy, normal behaviour:
- Provide daily exercise
- Offer mental stimulation
- Maintain routines
- Use gentle training methods.
- Show patience and kindness.
Dogs thrive when they feel safe, loved, and understood
Normal behaviour in dogs is a beautiful combination of instinct, emotion, and learning. Barking, chewing, playing, sniffing, and seeking companionship are not problems—they are natural expressions of a dog’s nature. When owners understand these behaviours, they can respond with compassion rather than correction.
A humane approach to dog care means seeing the world from a dog’s perspective. By respecting their needs and communicating with kindness, we create happier dogs and stronger human-canine relationships.
