A dog trainer has issued a warning over something almost all owners do when they are reunited with their pooches.
When you are reunited with your dog after a long day at work or a trip away, you’ll likely want to show them as much love as possible. And it’s nice to feel that love reciprocated when your pet jumps on you excitedly.
However, according to Paws Crossed Shelter trainer Scott Salant (in partnership with TrustedHousesitters) doing this could have unexpected consequences down the line as it reinforces problematic behaviours.
Dogs pick up on human behaviour pretty quickly, meaning that if you seem happy and pleased when they jump up, they are likely to repeat this in other scenarios.
Scott explained: “This can make the pet get too excited, leading to behaviours like the dog jumping up. It could also make pets more anxious about their owners leaving them alone.”
So, regardless of how heart-warming videos shared on social media showing owners being reunited with their dogs might seem, you might want to think about calming things down for a few minutes before giving attention to your pooch.
Scott also shared that tiring dogs out makes them better to train, as well-exercised dogs learn better than alert but energetic ones.
He said: “A dog that hasn’t had any exercise is more difficult to train as the focus may not be there. Burning off some of the energy before starting a training session is a good idea.”
Scott went on to suggest socialising your pets throughout their lives – not just when they’re puppies – as phobias can develop at any age. “The more stimuli we expose our pets to, the better able they are to cope with new stressors,” he said.
And on a similar note, he sought to dispel the myth that old dogs can’t learn new tricks, adding: “No matter the age, our dogs are always learning. Sometimes a little more patience is needed as an older dog may have lots of practice at doing the opposite behaviour than what you are asking of them, but with a little time and effort, they will learn what you want them to do!”