The truth about some of these social dogs myths may surprise you. Let’s take a look at them together and discover why they are not always true. I’m sure there are many more myths! Please share yours in the comment section below.
My dog will never bite
I drilled into my child from birth, if it has teeth it can bite. Does Mommy have teeth? Yes. So she can bite.
We do our dogs a disservice if we ignore the fact that at some point every one of us will bite. My offspring was never bitten — by a dog that is — in spite of the numerous and varied dogs she encountered until adulthood. Sure, I’ll take credit for that!
Social dogs who play safely with other dogs and their caregivers learn bite inhibition. None-the-less dogs who can not make a scary thing go away by growling or other display; biting is imminent.
Never reprimand your dog for growling. Growling may be their last warning. Dogs, lacking hands with thumbs, use their mouths often to carry things and correct behavior of other animals. Using your mouth adds risk of injury by teeth. Amazingly many dogs do avoid biting.
Know any dog can bite and do what you can to avoid it; for you and your dog. If does bite, be realistic. Look at what lead up to the bite and don’t jump to conclusions about the dog’s behavior. Definitely get professional help!
Dogs need constant human companionship
Dogs sleep more than 12 hours a day. I ran a dog daycare for 20 years I can confirm this is true. That is a low estimate for some individuals. Not enough rest can make your best friend’s behavior become hyperactive or pushy. They might even struggle to get along with their friends.
A well meaning person may pet or encourage more engagement than a dog desires. Most dogs in my care don’t choose to play with other dogs every day. Many don’t even like being petted the way most of us do it. If we constantly interrupt our dogs sleep, their behavior may suffer. I know how that feels and it’s not good.
Dogs always need room to run
People who are tired of living with a hyper dog they never trained often use this excuse to feel less guilt about giving them away. “I’m selling my house and land to move to an apartment and my dog won’t like it.” While that may be the case for some dogs, most of the dogs I’ve known in rescue would have chosen to stay with their family rather than have more room to run.
Dogs do need mental and physical exercise just like we do and there are many ways to provide it; without severing the family ties dogs crave.
Dominance
Oh boy do I dislike this word as applied to dogs. Are dogs either dominant or submissive? Few beings are dominant all of the time. Behaviors fluctuate constantly and depend upon your current mood and the others around you, among other things. We often do not understand what our dogs are communicating to us.
A dog pushing through a door before you may simply be excited for an opportunity to go to the bathroom or to play. Pulling on the leash… see below! I’ve known and interacted with many dogs.
Most in-your-face canines, my good friend Ladybug was one, act defensively because of fear not dominance. Before we met, Lady crashed through the glass in a door after a departing guest, not to injure but to control. Yet she would back down when an aggressive display didn’t work to make the scary thing or person leave.
Dogs Who Show Their Belly are Submissive
Submission and dominance are fluid in my experience. I’ve never seen a social animal be one or the other all of the time and in all circumstances. Puppies learn from other dogs. A dog may learn that lying on their back for a playmate makes that playmate back off. Another dog with a different play style may see this position as in invitation to play more.
Sometimes dogs do roll over to show their vulnerability and to avoid confrontation. It’s just not always the reason all dogs do it, all of the time.
A Dog Wagging it’s Tail is Friendly
Dogs use their tails to show a wide range of motion and indicate many different things. A slow wagging, low held tail may indicate caution and be a warning to you, not a welcome. If you don’t know the dog, don’t assume anything. With your own dog, watch carefully for what happens afterwards.
Dogs and Kids Make Great Friends
We do our dogs another disservice by casting them in the role of nanny to our children. Dogs are good at teaching their pups how to behave and, lacking thumbs, use their mouths to do so. Human skin is more delicate than a dog’s which is protected by a coat of hair.
We are vulnerable to accidental injury by their teeth. When standing, many dogs and children are face to face so when a dog corrects it may be to the child’s face.
Children are not naturally empathetic and gentle. Personal experience taught me that children learn to practice empathy over years. All interactions should be micromanaged. Until they learn otherwise, most children are too rough. It’s our job to teach them. It’s not safe to put a dog in a position to manage a human.
Dogs Who Pull on Leash are Dominant
Plain and simple, dogs pull on leash because it gets them where they want to go. Dogs are amazing trainers. They are quite willing to teach us especially if we’re not paying attention. We miss the boat when we don’t open the lines of communication with our dogs and train them too.
So how do we teach a dog not to pull? Use the opposite and incompatible option, stop. If a dog pulls on the leash and forward momentum stops, the dog will learn moving forward requires slack on the leash.
Watch for upcoming posts and videos on how to teach a dog new to a leash not to pull. Dogs who already pull hard on a leash need additional help from an expert.
Dogs and Cats Never Get Along
First: it is extremely important to protect cats and closely monitor new relationships. Second: dogs in group may not act like one dog does alone with a cat. Third: many dogs chase a fleeing cat and get too worked up to be their friend if they catch them.
All that said, I’ve observed many dog/cat friendships that are lifelong. Anytime you have a big difference in size between animals, it is good practice to supervise them closely until you are sure they are safe together alone. The dogs in this picture have been friends with this cat for more than 7 years. Willowrose and Jesse are unusual because they can play with Hunter together and have no problems. I still watch though.
Dogs need to play with other dogs every day
I have spent over 20 years of managing dog daycare and I can tell you this is not true. A handful of breeds, mixes, and individuals seem to enjoy playing with strangers throughout their lifetimes. Many dogs do not.
It takes considerable effort to communicate with a stranger. It can be a good mental exercise for some dogs. Others don’t want to do it and we shouldn’t force them.
Imagine having no choice but to hang out with a bunch of strange people who don’t share any of your interests… every day. I love to use the visual of me at 40 clubbing nightly for hours with a bunch of 20s I do not know. Exhausting, right? I think many of us would agree. Dogs may be even more family oriented and less prone to socializing on their own than people!
