Our brains are designed to reward us for actions that release certain chemicals and make us feel good. Whether we realize it or not, we and our pets repeat actions for pleasure.
If this description looks harsh, it’s because people associate the word “ addiction ” with the word “drugs” and you have a picture in your head - an untidy-looking person, in shabby clothes, lying on the alley with a needle in his hand.
This can be easily seen by looking at drugs, legal or illegal, and other substances - alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, which fit the above. Many medications are made to improve our well-being - sleeping pills to help sleep, pain relievers to relieve pain and help with injuries, stimulants give energy. They are called psychoactive substances precisely because they affect the mind.
I hate to tell you this, but your dog is addicted. She can appear normal and do well on tasks, follow commands (usually), play friendly with others in the park. But if she doesn't get her dose on time, she can go a little crazy.
Of course, this description does not suit you or your pet. But dogs and humans are addicted for the same reasons.
But they are not in themselves the main reason. They are only responsible for releasing the chemicals mentioned above that function in our brain. Therefore, people become addicted not only to drugs - exercise, hobbies, sex, TV shows with prizes, and so on. Anything a person does in excess can turn into an addiction, although some addictions may be more beneficial than others. Exercise is much better for your health than heroin, for example.
Addiction is a habit that cannot be controlled and it spirals out of control because our dogs and we gradually begin to associate the reward with the behavior. Running a marathon can release endorphins in the human brain, which are pleasant endorphins.
Showing sympathy releases the chemical oxytocin, which is involved in the bond between mothers and children and the romantic relationship of lovers. Oxytocin is also released in dogs when we show our love for them.
This is one of the mechanisms that can lead to bad addictions. When we show our love to pets, oxytocin is released in their brains. The flow of pleasant sensations makes the dog associate what they were doing with the manifestation of love, so the dog remembers what actions it can do again to get pleasant sensations.
If this sounds familiar to you, then this is how addiction arises in humans. We are doing something. Our brains are filled with the chemicals of the pleasant sensation. Consciously or not, we establish a connection between this and begin to repeat the behavior that made us feel happy, regardless of the benefits or harms of these acts.
Fortunately for our dogs, from the moment we recognize their poor addiction, we can easily understand what makes them feel happy and break the bond. Be mindful of your behavior that influences your pet's behavior, pay attention to the signals that put the dog into addiction mode, and then go from the root of the problem to the solution.
As you work in this direction, think about anything that might be addiction, and then separate the positive, harmless addiction from the negative, dangerous addiction. Focus on the latter and do as you would when working from the root of the problem to the solution.
And this is probably the best way to help your dog - to work backwards. Because animals are driven by instincts, not intelligence, putting ourselves in their place, we can learn a lot and understand our behavior that will help fix their problem. Since they are our best teachers, they can help us more than try and lead us to success.
So the next time your dog rips up toilet paper, pees on the rug, or chews on your favorite shoes, don't get excited and think about what might have caused him to do it, ask yourself what actions you might have influenced him. Find the relationship between the answers to these questions and you solve both problems.
Be calm and listen to your dog's instincts!
Why do dogs lick?
Does this audio acquainted to you? After strolling your canine, you return and also feed it. You sit down to remainder, she turns up and you begin stroking your animal, and she starts licking you in response. You are not happy with this, although you do incline ... however the dog does not quit up until it slobs around your face.
This occurs each time you show affection! Why?
Pets lick their pack members and themselves for many factors. If you wish to curb this habits, understanding the reasons will assist.
We are tasty
If your canine licks his bowl, food marks on the floor, or the table after cooking on it, you conveniently involve the verdict that it has to do with taste. But did you recognize that pets lick us for the exact same factor? Sometimes small particles of food stay on us, as well as besides that, pet dogs like the salty taste of our skin.
Treatment
It appears to you that canines do not care about health, but they frequently lick themselves for cleaning up in the same way as cats do. Nonetheless, beware, for example, excessive anal licking may show an issue with the glands.
Treatment
Pet dog saliva includes enzymes that eliminate microorganisms, and also when the pet dog licks itself, it helps to eliminate dead cells as well as clean injuries of dirt. Nevertheless, some canines are not able to stop and the wounds become even larger or various other troubles take place from excessive licking.
Obsessions
If you discover that your pet licks the same item or location over and over once more, or begins licking something when frightened or nervous, it is worth looking for medical interest. Licking can be a natural means to ease stress and anxiety, yet uncontrollable licking just makes the anxiousness worse and worsens the issue.
Communication
Dogs lick each other to say various things: varying from "I'm hungry" to "I follow you" as well as "allow's be pals." They put the exact same definition when licking people, yet we can not comprehend their intention so well. If the dog licks you hard, take a look around - is whatever okay? Perhaps the bowl is out of water or the pet's door is locked. Most likely your pet requires something.
Program focus
This is one of the most common reason residential pet dogs lick and also it is because of it that proprietors typically intend to stop the licking practice. Licking, as an expression of love, enables the dog to launch the pleasure endorphins that relieve them. But often this love of love is excessive. If you want your family pet to stop licking, ignore it as well as go to an additional room as quickly as this actions starts. Because of this, the pet dog will recognize that because of the licking you are leaving, as well as this is what he the very least desires.
Most of us enjoy dogs, however do a few of their practices frustrate you?One of the usual canine fears reported by pet owners is that of males. This might appear ironic when you take into consideration the popular claiming" A pet is a man's friend ", but some pet dogs have a worry of males. Why is this occurring?
There is an old adage - "A pet that has been burned is afraid of a cold oven" - as well as there is a grain of truth in this. Pets obey reaction and one adverse situation may suffice for a canine to develop an anxiety of all this.
While this misbehaves, dogs often tend to generalise. For instance, if a broomstick drops and also almost touches a young puppy, this can result in the truth that as a grown-up, the canine will certainly be afraid of anything that resembles a stick.
If a lot of guys don't intentionally scare dogs, why is this fear so common?
The feasible root cause of guys' concern
Behavior experts have actually checked out this issue and have not discovered a clear reason that pet dogs are a lot more likely to be worried of guys than women, yet there are some tips. Among them is that the dog did not run into lots of guys or was not fraternized with them at a young age, due to the fact that guys seem to them something uncommon.
It deserves considering that males are often larger and also louder than ladies, they talk in low voices. For a dog, big and loud from the group of danger, as a result, by nature, they try to avoid such power.
One more pointer is that males and females have different scents for a dog's nose, this relates to both hormones and fragrances as well as body care items. In nature, puppies are raised by their mommy, as well as the dad rarely shows up in their lives. As a result, women's estrogen odor is extremely familiar to canines from a really young age, as well as is likewise associated with the first source of food. Mom's scent relates to security.
It's worth taking into consideration exactly how men and women react to canines and also puppies. Ladies normally approach the pet with the intention of nurturing and offering convenience. As well as guys resort to a strange dog a lot more assertively, although with purposes to play.
You have actually probably viewed a grown up male fall on all fours, attempting to imitate play with a brand-new pet dog, as they normally do amongst themselves - falling to the ground as well as drawing into the video game. The issue is that the typical man is much larger than most adult canines and, although the person wishes to play, his activities can be related to by the pet as a hazard. Females do not start the video game first, yet instead, welcome the pet dog to play, so it does not really feel at risk.
The bottom line is that from a scientific viewpoint, we do not know specifically why dogs tend to be terrified more of males than females, there is only guesswork.
Which is not likely to aid with anything if the canine is already afraid of males ...
Yet my pet hesitates of males, what should I do?
Despite the factors, there are numerous actions you need to take to eliminate worry. Keep in mind that recovery of a fearful canine can be more difficult than rehabilitation of a hostile pet. Yet the good news is, it's feasible. Below's what to do.
1. Find out - the factor is in all males or in several of their characteristics
While in the beginning glance it may appear that all men are afraid, this might not be your instance and you need to figure out the specific reason for the worry. Possibly the pet is just terrified of males with a beard, men in a hat or attire. These can be males of a specific elevation, with a deep voice, or, however, of a certain ethnic group.
Neglect typical tags as well as find special functions. It will take the help of friends, attempt, and also error. As an example, a pet dog drawn from the street by animal control workers is not terrified of all guys, however, only of those in attire - it so takes place that a lot of the men as well as ladies around her are using attires.
Having determined whether the reason depends on all guys or a certain quality, you can proceed to rehabilitation. Remember, if a dog is showing his fear with aggressiveness, it deserves to seek advice from a professional dog instructor.
2. Bring In Buddies as well as Neutralize Anxiety
The most effective method to remove anxiety is to deal with the worry and use positive support. To do this, you will certainly require a couple of men strange to your pet dog and also intimidating objects - a uniform, a hat, and the like. Invite 1 or 2 bearded close friends if essential.
Produce a dating circumstance with one man, let the dog method him as he wishes. The man ought to not touch the pet, talk with him or look into the eyes, yet must have a few of your animal's preferred treats with him. To start with, your good friend must toss a reward not far from the pet dog, then throw the following 3 treats between on your own and also the pet dog to make sure that she gets closer to him.
The idea is that the canine can come to be familiar with the fear, and you in turn supply a safe experience. If the canine does not flinch and also does not escape when the man relocations, he can treat her with a treat from his hand, still not touching it, not talking, or checking out the eyes.
Eventually, you need to specify where your close friend can take the pet for a stroll with a chain, and after that treat him with a treat. This will certainly link the fearful individual with the positive moment.
Recovery of a frightened pet takes a long time, so the exercise needs to be duplicated not just with other men, but likewise in various other areas - eliminating the worry of a man in the house may not address the problem overall when the pet is out for a walk or in a pet dog park.
3. Come to be an interruption
Train your dog to look at you on command to distract him from anxiety stimulants. Such a command could be the phrase "Look at me" or "Look." There are several methods to instruct such a command, similar to any type of training, you can use any word or expression you choose.
4. Examine your reaction
Because pets embrace the energy and feelings of their owners, possibly the fear of males or their attributes the pet has actually extracted from you. If your pet is still showing anxiety regardless of utilizing the above techniques, focus on how you on your own react to unfamiliar people. As an example, are you nervous if you see a police officer or are you worried when a postman turns up? Are you upset when you see somebody like your ex-lover or boss you really did not such as?
These responses are various from your typical state, and they tell the pet, "Hey! Something is wrong below." Dogs show our power, so ensure you don't signal to start fearing a man walking by on the street!
Does your animal have unusual anxieties, such as males with beards, kids on skateboards, reflections, etc.? Inform us regarding them and just how you managed them in the comments below.