MYTH NO 2: Puppy knows he’s done wrong because he looks guilty?
Posted by Abigail on 20/11/08, filed under News | Leave a comment
This is not true.
Dogs have no concept of right or wrong therefore they have no morals and cannot feel guilty. The ‘guilty’ look is just a worried puppy that has associated your actions of anger/frustration with a particular place/situation.
Take this common scenario. Your puppy chews something he shouldn’t have.
On discovering puppy has annihilated your favourite shoes, you might get cross – but after the event! The dog’s interpretation of this is that randomly, for no apparent reason, you get angry! This will cause a problem between your dog in the long term, as your dog now feels that you’re unpredictable and untrustworthy.
So how do we avoid unwanted chewing? Firstly, it’s important to remember that your puppy cannot differentiate between your fluffy slippers and his fluffy toy. It’s YOUR responsibility to keep your things out of his reach. You must also remember that your puppy needs to chew, it is natural and instinctive behaviour. Just like a baby puts everything in their mouth, your puppy explores and learns with his mouth. In addition, your puppy will be teething from about 4 to 5 months of age and his gums will be sore. You can alleviate your puppy’s discomfort with baby teething gel from the chemist. Ensure your puppy has plenty of things he can chew on, for example wet a rope toy and pop it in the freezer, or frozen carrots are soothing for your puppy to chew. Rather than constantly telling your puppy what he can’t chew, give him puppy toys he can chew – and put your shoes on a high shelf!
