09/11/2024
๐ Does your dog maniacally sniff on walks?
๐ Do they bark at you when you stop to chat to someone?
๐ Or perhaps they spin on their lead when they see another dog, or a car, or a person?
These behaviours are called DISPLACEMENT BEHAVIOURS.
It's a stress response when the dog can't do the behaviour it wants to (i.e. chase after that car), or escape a situation it is uncomfortable with (such as not wanting to meet that new person), so they instead do these odd behaviours.
The problem with them is that sometimes it's hard to spot that your dog is doing these behaviours because of stress.
Here's how to figure it out:
๐ Are they repeatedly doing a behaviour that might be normal one or two times in another situation, but they are doing it 'too much' - such as keeping itching and scratching at their harness.
๐ Does the behaviour feel manic and your dog is shut off? Spaniels often go into manic sniffing mode, straining on the lead to sniff. Collies can often spin on their lead, while other dogs might dig all of a sudden.
๐ Do these behaviours only occur when the dog is excited or meeting new dogs, people, objects or situations? For example, does your dog start trying to hump other dogs when meeting or only shows these behaviours when you are somewhere busy?
Many of these behaviours are perfectly NORMAL behaviours for a dog, but if they are excessive, manic or performed at an odd time (i.e. manic digging on lead when there is no reason to dig), then it's likely there is some stress or anxiety causing this behaviour.
Owners can often read these behaviours as playful or the dog being happy and excited, and miss the signs that the dog is overstimulated or frustrated. You will probably see behaviour problems emerge around the time or after these behaviours, such as barking, lunging, pulling.
