We unpack a quartet of important queries about your pooch. <\/p>
A lead constrains your dog\u2019s movement and that can make them more tense, especially if an off-lead dog runs up to them \u2013 they don\u2019t have freedom to move away. <\/p>
The lead can also interfere with their body language and their ability to read other dogs\u2019 body language (they can\u2019t move to get a better view). Dogs<\/a> on leads are less likely to interact with other dogs and sniff less than dogs off lead. <\/p> What you do with the lead matters too: don\u2019t jerk the lead or attach it to a shock, prong or choke collar as this can cause stress and is bad for their welfare.<\/p> It\u2019s not so much that dogs like to have the last word, more that barking<\/a> can be a group activity that they all want to join in on. Dogs use barks in several different ways: they can be a greeting to say hello, a warning (for example, that a stranger is approaching), a request for attention when left alone or wanting something, and part of play. <\/p> Barking is what\u2019s known as an ‘allelomimetic’ behaviour. In other words, a behaviour that other dogs are likely to copy. So when one dog barks, other dogs are likely to start barking too.<\/p> Read more:<\/strong><\/p> Crates generally aren\u2019t needed. There may be times in your dog\u2019s life when they need to be confined (at the vet\u2019s after surgery, for example) and then it can help if they\u2019re already crate-trained. Crates can be used to transport your dog and can help with house training. <\/p> But you can\u2019t shove a dog in a crate and expect them to like it \u2013 it takes training. A crate with the door always open can become a safe space for your dog to relax. But don\u2019t leave your dog in a crate all day while you\u2019re at work \u2013 they need space to move around.\u00a0<\/p> In a way, we\u2019ve been dumbing dogs down since domestication began. We\u2019ve changed them to make them cute and\/or useful, so they\u2019re no longer the same as their wild ancestors. <\/p> One of the key differences is that the sensitive period \u2013 when young pups are learning about the world \u2013 starts later in dog puppies, once all their senses are working; but in wolves it begins at two weeks, when they’re still deaf and blind, and can only smell the world. So dog puppies learn to be sociable, less fearful and to ask us for help, and, in turn, may need us to care for them.<\/p> Read more:<\/strong><\/p> We unpack a quartet of important queries about your pooch. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":34594,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/10\/4-crucial-questions-about-dog-psychology-answered-by-an-expert.jpg",1200,800,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/10\/4-crucial-questions-about-dog-psychology-answered-by-an-expert-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/10\/4-crucial-questions-about-dog-psychology-answered-by-an-expert-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/10\/4-crucial-questions-about-dog-psychology-answered-by-an-expert-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/10\/4-crucial-questions-about-dog-psychology-answered-by-an-expert-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/10\/4-crucial-questions-about-dog-psychology-answered-by-an-expert.jpg",1200,800,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/10\/4-crucial-questions-about-dog-psychology-answered-by-an-expert.jpg",1200,800,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"We unpack a quartet of important queries about your pooch.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/34593"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Do dogs have to have the last word?\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>
Crates for dogs: good or bad?<\/h2>
Are we dumbing dogs down?<\/h2>
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