Why does my dog DO THAT!?

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I get this question often enough that I decided I’d spend a little time writing an answer to this slightly-complicated question. It doesn’t seem that complicated, does it? And, ultimately, there’s a pretty straight-forward answer. But there’s more to it than meets the eye and I want to provide dog owners a good answer instead of just glossing over things - while also not getting too deep into the weeds of the science behand it all. So, here goes!

First, let’s start with the easy answer: Animals do things because it works in their favor to do it.

Dogs do what works

Dogs who regularly jump on people to greet them have learned that this sort of behavior gets them attention they apparently like. Dogs who hang out under the chairs of kids who are eating are probably doing it because they’ve learned kids drop things during mealtime that they can swoop in to eat. Dogs who come reliably when called do it - despite the allure of other distractions - because they’ve learned that coming to that person produces a positive consequence reliably.

Of course, dogs can also learn that they should do things to avoid a negative consequence - it’s the “behave or else” setup. I try hard not to use this approach. But there’s no denying that pain, fear, and intimidation changes behavior - if you shocked me anytime I failed to come immediately when you called, I’d likely respond faster in the future (and I might also start developing some really negative associations to you at the same time). We won’t spend a lot of time on training methods that are entirely unnecessary and potentially dangerous - but I’d be remiss for not mentioning it as a possible answer for why dogs behave the way they do.

I can often spot what “good thing” is causing a behavior to be repeated to explain why a dog does something. Other times, it’s hard to spot the good thing that keeps the behavior strong.

But the things I’ve mentioned are all things they dog has already learned - they’ve learned that jumping works, that kids drop food, that sitting upon request earns a treat. What caused them to do it in the first place?

Like so many answers when we are discussion behavior: it depends.

There ARE times that I’m convinced, if a dog could speak human language to answer my question, “why did you do that?” they would simply respond with, “I don’t know exactly - it just felt like the right thing to do.” And I think that’s an entirely fair response. Let’s consider what might prompt such behaviors…

“A dog’s gonna dog”

Many dogs spin in circles before lying down in their bed, picks up and carries food away from others, and sniffs the butt of another dog they’ve just met - why? Well, though we could break down each one of those things to provide specific answers, sometimes it’s just enough to understand that dogs do dog things. Rhinos do not spin in circles before lying down, fish don’t typically carry food away from others to consume it, and snakes don’t sniff each other’s butts. Why not? Because they aren’t dogs. They may do other species-specific behaviors, but different types of animals simply do different things. So, sometimes the answer is as simple as, “well, that’s what dogs do” and we may or may not have a good explanation for every single one of those things (though we do have explanations for all the examples I’ve listed above). Chewing things seems innately enjoyable to dogs. And many seem to like lying in the sun though cooler spots might exist, or tearing up stuffed toys or cardboard boxes - or the couch cushions.

Genetics

Studies indicate that genetics is less predictive of any individual dog’s behavior than we might guess. And yet, we generally expect that terriers will dig more than a St. Bernard, a Beagle will follow a scent for long distances more reliably than a Greyhound, and a Great Pyrenees will choose to sleep outside with livestock more readily than a Coton de Tulear. While there’s no such thing as a “breed specific behavior” (they are all dog behaviors that any dog of any breed might exhibit), there are behaviors which we see more frequently in certain breeds than others. And some of those behaviors have been so carefully selected for during breeding programs of thousands of generations that we’re actually surprised when a dog does NOT perform that behavior. So, while it was a little odd to see my young Jack Russel Terrier once act like a herding dog when she accidentally crossed paths with four loose sheep, we’d almost expect a young Border Collie to freeze, lower itself into a crouching position, and slowly advance upon the sheep while staring them right in the eye because that dog’s parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-great-great-great grandparents were all reliable herders.

So, when I hear of a German Shepherd who uses it’s mouth to the chagrin of the people living with it, I’m not stunned. A young Westie digging in the flower beds doesn’t surprise me. And Whippets who chase squirrels seem completely normal to me. Of course, all these behaviors can be annoying (or even dangerous) with pet dogs and there are ways to address them. But we shouldn’t be surprised when those behaviors pop up after thousands of generations of intentional breeding to build dogs who do these things (which are all fine things in the right conditions - conditions which might not exist in our suburban homes and high-rise condos).

Environment

There’s a saying in the animal behavior world that says, “Change the environment, change the behavior.” And at a high-level, I’ve understood this for a long time. But the more I ponder this simple notion, the more I see the deep truth behind it. So, I’ll take a little time to explore it.

Let’s start with a really silly example: Why don’t we see a lot of dogs swimming in the middle of the Sahara Desert? Well, it’s just because there’s not a lot of water there to swim in. I know, I know - it’s ridiculously obvious. But think about the implications. Would adding a lake there increase swimming behavior? I’ll bet it would.

Living in Orlando, Florida, I ‘m surrounded by amusement parks. And since I like roller coasters, I can usually be found at such a park about once a week. And I’ve really started paying attention to how the environment influences behavior of the humans visiting there. Imagine this:

It’s a sunny but pleasant day and there’s a live band playing popular upbeat Disney songs and and engaging the audience - including the many young kids who are watching. What sort of behavior might we see? I usually see kids clapping along, singing, and dancing, parents smiling, taking pictures, or maybe singing or dancing with their kids. What would happen on that same day if we took away the musicians? People would walk through the same spot on their way to the next attraction, but we’d see a huge drop in dancing, clapping, and singing behaviors. Why? Kids could sing and dance anywhere at anytime, couldn’t they? But without the prompt of the band, they are less likely to do it.

Here’s another all-too-common experience: the summer temperatures are soaring and the humidity is just awful for even seasoned veterans. A family has flown from England yesterday, and this is their first full-day of their two week vacation. They’ve spent a lot of money, they are jet-lagged, and hungry. What behaviors do I often see? Kids are whining or crying and parents are yelling or threatening through clenched teeth to leave the park entirely and to fly home. I’d suggest that lack of sleep, lots of stress, and struggling with time-zone issues are all, at that moment, part of their environment - on top of the hot and sticky weather. Animal behavior scientists might more accurately describe those as “motivating operations” - but here we are with all those feelings, emotions, rumbling tummies, and hot weather in the current environment. With just a nap, a cold drink, an air-conditioned inside show, and some popcorn, a lot of behaviors will change.

I see well-rested people walking into the parks with smiles on their faces in the morning. And I see kids who have just finished lunch happier than they were an hour before. Let the smiles, dancing, and silliness resume! Change the environment, change the behavior.

I know of houses where the kids all congregate to play games, hang out together - there seems to be one in nearly every neighborhood. Why? They might be the house with the swimming pool, the latest video games, or the cool parents who everyone likes. So, the environment is conducive to staying in and having fun. Drain the pool, toss the video games, and invite grumpy Aunt Ethel to move in and watch the kids disperse. Change the environment, change the behavior.

There’s a place here in Orlando called Gatorland. It’s been around just forever and it has exhibits and shows featuring snakes (venomous and non-venomous alike), birds, bobcats, crocodiles, and lots and lots of alligators. In one show, employees lean over a railing and dangle chicken above a pond filled with alligators. The animals swim under the outstretched hand and leap out of the water to grab the chicken. People are often surprised to see how far an alligator can jump out of the water (about five feet compared to the seven feet a crocodile can jump). But, of the dozens of times I’ve been there, I have never once seen an alligator jump out of the water when there wasn’t a show going on. Adding a person standing in a certain spot in the environment causes alligators to swim over. Stretching your hand out while standing in that spot causes the leaping behavior. In behavior science circles we refer to those things as prompts or antecedent arrangements - but it comes down to, you guessed it, “Change the environment, change the behavior.”

I’m a big fan of training animals. I really love doing it. But hear me out, sometimes a change in the environment is just as good and it’s frequently easier. Your dog always tears up books and papers left on the coffee table? Put them someplace else. Your 60 pound dog gets so excited when visitors come in that they jump on the guests and knock them down and they urinate out of excitement? How about putting them behind a baby gate for the first 15 minutes after a guest arrives so that the dog is simply calmer once someone has been in the house for a while? You want your dog to relax on the floor while you sit on the comfortable sofa? How about providing him with a comfy bed of his own to nap on? Your dog is afraid of thunder? Have you tried masking the sound with some lo-fi music? (Note: when a dog is suffering from fear, I really want to do all I can to help them - masking sounds might not be enough and they might need a desensitization and counter-conditioning program, or medicine in addition to masking sounds - or all of those things.)

Change the environment, change the behavior.

Communication

I almost forgot this one. Sometimes dogs behave to tell us something they want us to know. We’ve likely all seen a dog waiting near their food bowl to remind us that dinner time is approaching. Or barking, whimpering, scratching, or ringing a bell to indicate they want to go outside. But we might also see a dog turn their head away, lick their lips, freeze, cause their ears to droop, or roll over on their side/back, or even growl to indicate that they are uncomfortable with something and would like a little space. Those are all behaviors - and they are still there to produce a consequence they want - but via communication channels instead of the other types of behaviors we typically consider. I WANT a dog who does those things (including growling) when they are unhappy. I want to encourage uncomfortable dogs to communicate with me long before they feel they need to defend themselves. So, growling is encouraged and it will produce the consequence the dog wants (a little extra space).

Does it really matter?

I always ask myself this question when I’m evaluating the behavior of a dog. Frequently, the answer is, “no - it doesn’t matter why they are doing this thing.” My mentor, Jean Donaldson, urges people “not to get lost wandering in the desert of Why.” If a dog is doing a specific behavior that’s annoying their owners, sometimes it’s less important to find out why and more important to help the dog learn an alternate behavior to do instead. So, we work to teach the dog that this replacement behavior produces great consequences while simultaneously preventing the dog from doing the less-preferred behavior and risking it becoming a stronger habit even if we don’t know what the “positive consequence” of that annoying behavior might have been.

At other times, I do try to figure out what need a behavior meeting for the dog so we can give them another option to meet that need. For instance, a dog who is chewing the legs on the antique furniture is pretty obviously expressing a desire to chew (as opposed to voicing a preference for modern decor). We can meet that need in other “legal” ways so the legs of the 1926 Steinway grand piano are saved AND the dog gets a chance to chew. Understanding that the “why” of the behavior is a desire to chew can help speed things along.

And, of course, if the behavior is due to the dog being uncomfortable (afraid or perhaps in physical pain), we want to address that discomfort. I don’t feel it’s ethical to require a dog with hip problems to stay in an uncomfortable sit position or to jump onto a surface just in the name of “obedience.” A dog who is urinating in the house because of a bladder infection isn’t being “stubborn” - solve the health issue and the behavior concern will likely resolve without additional training. Dogs who are barking and lunging at strangers while out on a walk aren’t being “bad dogs” but may be trying to create distance between them and the stranger they find scary in the only way they know how. A qualified (someone educated who avoids the use of pain, fear, and intimidation to train) can be a great help to determine what’s going on and how to proceed.

So, does it matter why your dog is behaving the way they are? As is often the case when we discuss behavior, the answer is, “it depends.”