Lisa Hird's latest article looks at when problem behaviours are actually problems or not, by knowing your dog and examining the context.
We now also have an archive for all of our articles which can be found here - https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html
I posted up these images on my own personal Facebook page a few years back. The bed was chewed by one of my own senior dogs. Comments that followed were all humorous and in keeping with what I intended. The behaviour was not a problem to me. It is very typical of the way she played - pouncing, digging, ripping, and “shredding and deading!”
This is one of the reasons I always talk about enrichment opportunities and using scent games.
Problem Behaviour?
She had some typical terrier traits. Terriers, whether they be Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Jack Russell Terrier or any other kind of terrier often enjoy:
- Digging - she dug her bed, our bed, and covers on the sofa
- Barking - yep, she enjoyed barking for sure
- Pouncing, ripping and shredding type play - she always loved pouncing on toys and ripping them to shreds
It occurred to me that we often talk about problem behaviours in dogs, and these form the bulk of my work as a behaviourist. This shredding and deading of a dog bed could be identified as a problem behaviour, and often is!
But who is the behaviour a problem for? It certainly wasn't a problem for her - it is part of her natural behaviour repertoire. She thoroughly enjoyed pulling out the stuffing and slept soundly afterwards! It might well be a problem behaviour for an owner though - dog beds aren't cheap!
So what can we do?
Dogs have various natural behaviours and preventing them from displaying these goes directly against welfare. Does that mean we should let dogs rip up all the dog beds? Not at all. Instead, we must look for alternative ways to direct these natural behaviours:
A dog that digs up flower beds - could have a sandpit or a specific area where he is permitted to dig.
A dog that enjoys ripping up toys - could have a cardboard box to be shredded or a selection of safe stuffed toys purchased from a charity shop.
A dog that scavenges and raids the bin - could have his dinner scattered, hidden around the garden or given in interactive food toys.
It is our responsibility as their owners to understand their needs and their natural behaviours, and provide opportunities that are acceptable to us, while meeting those needs.
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| The “dead” bed |
In respect of my little one ripping up the bed - well that was my own fault. I knew there was a tiny hole in it and hadn't sewn up the hole. Consequently, she had spotted a tiny bit of white fluff sticking out, so she did what came naturally to her - shredded and deaded it!
Discover other informative and useful articles not only concerning GSDs, but for other breeds here - https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html
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