Your Dog — November 2017

http://www.yourdog.co.uk

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Q

Why does my

dog cock his

head and move it

from side to side

when I make

high-pitched noises?

A

Dogs are amazing

creatures, and one of

the things they are experts at

is pinpointing where a sound

is coming from. This may well

have helped them in their

hunting and in staying safe

from predators. Dogs have

specialised structures in their

ears which allow them to do

this. Part of the head-tilting

is to pinpoint sounds

with more accuracy (and

sometimes to lift their ear

fl aps away from their ear

canals to hear even better).

Dogs are, however, very

attuned to their owners and

continually scan our faces

for information so they can

read our emotional states.

As such, it’s even more likely

that they move their heads

from side to side so they

can see our faces and study

our expressions — it’s hard

for them to look at our

eyes and still see our mouths

and lower faces, as their

muzzle can get in the way

— so the head tilt could

be more about getting

enhanced vision, rather than

better sound.

A

When we want to

understand our dogs’

behaviour, it helps to look

at what they were bred to

do. In the case of any of the

gundogs who retrieve, it is to

carry things in their mouths;

doing that is an internally

rewarding behaviour which

produces a brain-buzz in

the form of a release of

feel-good neurotransmitters.

In other words, they really

enjoy doing it and that

enjoyment is reinforcing.

Lots of these hardwired

behaviours come to the

fore when a dog is aroused

or excited, and has lots of

excess energy that needs to

come out somehow — so

when excited, terriers dig

(or shout!), sight hounds run,

and gundogs carry things!

They also tend to be very

bonded to their owners,

and gundogs are, of course,

meant to bring things back,

so the things they carry, they

bring to share with you.

Q

Why does my dog spend ages

circling round and round in his

bed, and scraping up the cushions

before settling down?

A

This is a behaviour which goes back to

a time before our dogs lived in the house

— and long before they had beds, duvets,

and cushions. When a dog was looking for

somewhere to rest, he would need to check

that the area in which he was planning to sleep

was safe, chase away any vermin, bugs, or

creepy crawlies, and then uncover any stones

or twigs which would be uncomfortable. Once

he’d done that, he’d then turn circles, scrape

the ground (especially if it was hot, as the

ground under the surface would be cooler),

and fl atten down any vegetation, in order to

make a comfortable, safe, temporary bed.

Q

Why does my

dog circle round

and round before doing

a poo?

A

This is a ‘we’re not sure’

answer and there seem to

be several possible reasons. One

is that, while defecating, dogs

are vulnerable to attack and,

historically, it may have been

a time they were a target for

predators, so they spend time

checking all around to make sure

there is nothing close to them or

lying in wait in the grass. They

may also want to tread down

long grass to give them clear

space (and prevent the dreaded

poo-bum that owners of long-

coated dogs know only too well!),

as well as fl attening vegetation to

leave a clearer scent mark.

There is also some interesting

new research which suggests

that dogs are sensitive to Earth’s

magnetic forces, and so prefer

to toilet with their bodies

aligned along the north-south

axis. Perhaps getting your

phone’s compass out to do

some research might prove (or

disprove) this theory!

Q

Why does my dog (a Cocker Spaniel) always greet me

with a shoe or a cuddly toy in his mouth?

Your Dog November 2017 15

All the better to see

you with, my dear!

Gundogs in particular will fi nd it

rewarding to carry their toys.

It may seem like he’s

making a mess, but your

dog may be making sure

his bed is ‘safe’!

14-16 yd why does MJ SWCC.indd 15 22/09/2017 14: