MISTAKE #12: IGNORING YOUR DOG WHEN THEY TELL YOU
SOMETHING’S WRONG
It’s a really big Mistake when we don’t listen when they tell us something’s wrong. I promise you that what your dog does makes perfect sense to them. If they’re behaving in ways that aren’t appropriate, are unusual for them, or are puzzling or odd - like all of a sudden they started doing something that’s out of character - take some time to consider things from their viewpoint. Take the time to ask them questions.
Our dogs just don’t do things to make us sad or angry or upset; they’re expressing themselves as best they can, and they’re always trying to communicate with us.
Our job is to listen to them so that we can learn about their experiences and discomforts - and then take appropriate action. Pay attention to things like hiding, running away, escaping, unexplained aggression, growling or biting, and not wanting to be touched in a certain area. For instance:
Not wanting to be touched on the top of the head can mean a dominance issue like we’ve already talked about or it could mean pain. It could be they’ve got a headache or they’re having trouble seeing or some other problem. If they don’t want to be touched on their hips, often that’s a pain or fear issue.
Not eating or being finicky or picky with their food is a classic sign that something’s wrong.
Sad eyes - I don’t know how many people have told me, “I don’t know what’s wrong. I just kind of think something’s wrong because they’ve got these sad eyes.”
Fearful behavior - we never want to allow our dogs to live in fear. Our first response should always be to determine that whatever is causing them to be fearful is no longer happening to them, of course. If there is truly something to be afraid of - something hurting them or scaring them or hidden abuse from somewhere - then we need to take action to take care of them.
If their fear response is to something that is no longer (or never was) reasonable, then we need to take action to help them deal with their fear. Fear can be undone. It is a terrible thing to be ruled by fear. And it is not compassionate and unkind to not address this and provide a way for them to regain their confidence and balance.
That does not mean coddling them. Coddling a dog tells them that they’re right to be afraid. After determining for yourself that there truly is nothing to be afraid of, then take action to improve their self-confidence and self-esteem. Teach them how to behave, what to expect, what’s required of them and reward them when they behave more confidently. That will help them to not keep living in fear.
If all of a sudden they’re not interested in playing when they used to be able to play like the dickens, for a long, long, long, long time – or now they’re only playing for about 5 or 10 minutes when they used to be able to play for 30 minutes or an hour – that tells us they’ve got a physical problem. It could be that they want to play a different game, or it could also be that they have a health issue. They might be having trouble breathing, they’re getting too hot, or they’re hurting somewhere.
All of these things indicate a problem. If you catch them in time, if you’re even aware of them by paying more attention, it can make the difference in your ability to resolve whatever it is.
Do you know that people grieve the loss of their pets harder, longer and often more than we do the loss of our friends and family members? We want them to be happy but often we don’t even know that they’re suffering – until it’s too late.
Dogs are also natural born healers and have often been used to help detect illness and disease, like cancer. Their extraordinary senses can detect changes in physical bodies as well as their environment. They usually know long before we do that there is something wrong.
Dogs have been trained to identify all types of cancer including breast, bladder and lung cancer, typically with a 90% success rate. They are also helpful in alerting us to an oncoming seizure or heart attack. We don’t truly know how they do it, but it is very clear that they can.
If your dog consistently and repeatedly focuses on an odd place or certain area of your body, sniffs intently, lunges at the area, barks at you insistently or paws at that area – please go to your doctor! Many lives have been saved by listening to them in this regard and taking action.