When it comes to dog behaviour, some? widely accepted beliefs are simply not? true. Here’s the lowdown（內(nèi)幕/真相） on 15 common canine misconceptions and the actual truth of the matter.

#1 Playing tug makes dogs? aggressive 玩“拔河”游戲會使狗有攻擊性

A study published in? the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science examined 50 people and their dogs playing tug-of-war-type games.? Researchers concluded the game itself had no significant impact on aggression directed at either family members or? strangers.?

In fact, they reported that dogs that played tug of? war had more confident interactions with their people. This? makes sense as tug is a cooperative behavior directed at? the “prey,” a.k.a. the toy. Tug can provide exercise, release? tension, act as an outlet for excess energy, and serve as a? cooperative, fun activity.

Tug tip: Teach “drop it” so you can insert breaks into the game to control the excitement level. And if at any point teeth accidentally contact skin, say, “Too bad!” and put the toy away.?

#2 Taking away food during? mealtime prevents food aggression（護食）

The thinking behind this is you will accustom your pup to? having people touch their food, but taking your pup’s food while he’s eating will only teach him that your approach? means bad things happen. Instead, teach your puppy that? your approach is a wonderful thing.?

Every now and then, pass by while your pup is eating and drop a super yummy treat in the dish.

#3 Dogs want to dominate you

Everything from jumping on people to pulling on-leash? to exiting a doorway first has been ascribed to doggy? dominance...They simply do what works, and just need training and boundaries.?

The? dominance myth, by the way, originated with a wolf study? about “alpha wolves” that was later debunked. Sadly, the mentality had already trickled down to dog training and has never left, even though the training approaches motivated? by correcting so-called “d

ominance” are outdated and? damaging.

#4 A wagging tail means a happy dog 有研究表明狗開心或者自信時，尾巴稍微偏向右搖；狗受到驚嚇時尾巴向左搖擺。

Many dogs wag their tails when happy, but don’t assume that a waving fur flag always indicates joy. Dogs will wag their tail? to convey a range of emotions, including happiness, feeling? threatened, anxiety, submission, and excitement. An anxious or fearful dog may hold their tail low and wag in a small, fast arc. A confident dog or one who is broadcasting dominance? over another dog may hold their tail high and wave it stiffly? like a flag. Tail wags must be assessed in conjunction with? other body language to paint an accurate picture of how a dog is feeling.

Pro tip: Direction of a tail wag can convey emotion. Studies? show that dogs wag their tails slightly to the right when? ?they are happy or confident and to the left when they are? ? ? ? frightened.?

#5You should wait until puppies? are fully vaccinated to socialize 狗狗的最佳走入社會和學會融入社會的時間是他們4-12周，7-9周就可以去kindergarten啦。

Most behaviourists agree that the window of optimum socialization, meaning the period during which you can? expose a pup to novel stimuli(新異刺激（novel stimuli）新異刺激即指一系列具有突然性、未預料性和足夠強度的刺激，) and they will be less likely to fear those things later, is between four and 12 weeks. But vaccinations are normally not complete until 16 weeks. While traditional advice was to wait until full vaccination status? was reached to socialize puppies, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior now recommends introducing pups to new people, places, and experiences before sixteen weeks—just take it slow and avoid places with high canine traffic—and even advises starting puppies in kindergarten classes at seven to eight weeks old.

#6Your dog feels guilty

You come home to find that your dog has shredded your favourite pair of slippers. “Bad boy! What did you do?” you admonish as your dog hangs his head and averts his eyes,? ears lying flat. Is your dog feeling guilty? Probably not— he’s simply reacting to being yelled at. Dr. Alexandra Horowitz,? a dog-cognition expert at Barnard College, studied whether humans can detect guilt in dogs. Her study found that dogs most often looked guilty when a person scolded or was about to scold them, not when the dog actually disobeyed the? person's request not to eat a treat.

So, do dogs actually feel guilty? Jury is out. (眾說紛紜; 未有定論) "My study was decidedly NOT about whether dogs 'feel guilt' or not,” says Horowitz. “I would feel dreadful if people then thought the case was closed on dogs (not) feeling guilt, which is definitely not the case."

#7In a multi-dog home, the “alpha” should be given treats and? attention first 多狗家庭中，主人給與不同的關(guān)愛和待遇并不會改變狗狗之間的等級地位。

Dogs establish dominance and submission among? themselves. While some owners give the “top dog” treats and attention first to “support the hierarchy,” in fact, attempting to bolster either dog’s position by treating first is not likely to make any difference.

#8 Petting your dog when he’s afraid will reinforce the fear 狗狗害怕時撫摸他不會強化它的恐懼心理。只有行為可以被強化，情緒是不會的。

Fear is an emotion and as such, it cannot be reinforced by receiving a reward. If I were afraid of being mugged and had? to walk down a dark alley, would you giving me a piece of? ? ? chocolate when I emerged make me feel any less afraid the next time? Nope. Behaviours can be reinforced; emotions? cannot so go ahead and comfort your dog any way you’d like.

Top 15 Dogs Behavior Myths.被誤解的TOP15狗狗行為

#9 Using treats to train dogs?is bribery?食物訓練是對狗狗進行賄賂

Most dogs are food-motivated, and treats make training easy and fun for everyone. But there is a difference between a?reward and a bribe. Treating a dog who comes when called is?a reward. Waggling a treat while saying, “Come!” is bribery. 喊狗時狗過來了給食物是激勵，搖晃著食物對狗喊“come”是賄賂。 Treats can eventually be replaced by real-life rewards such as a door opening for a walk or eventually phased out completely should you wish but there is no harm in rewarding good behaviour with a treat. Positive reinforcement（正強化/積極強化）?makes relationships better.

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#10 If your dog growls, you should punish him狗低聲吼叫時要對他懲罰

Growling is a dog’s way of saying they’re uncomfortable with?something. 狗低聲吼叫是說他們對某些東西不舒服。You want them to communicate this info, not escalate straight to biting. Think of growling as your dog’s?early warning system. Veterinarian,animal behaviourist, and dog trainer?Ian Dunbar calls deterring growling“removing the ticker from the time?bomb.” Plus, if you punish dogs?for growling, they will have one?more negative association with?whatever is causing stress.

Pro tip: If your dog growls, defuse?the situation as calmly as possible.

Then, begin to modify the behaviour by?addressing the root of the problem.

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#11You can’t teach an old dog new tricks老狗學不來新花樣

This one is an oldie but goody, much like senior dogs?themselves!狗雖老但仍招人喜歡?You can absolutely teach an old dog new?tricks. Done properly, trick training keeps canine minds?active, and keeps dogs engaged and having fun. Studies of canine cognitive decline show that a multi-targeted approach, such as antioxidants combined with behavioral enrichment, is most effective at preventing dementia in?dogs, so keep working that mental muscle!

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#12When my dog barks at people or dogs who come near us on walks, she’s protecting me.我們散步時如果有狗或者人向我們走來，狗狗吠叫是在保護我。

While there are some dogs who are protective of their owners, the vast majority of dogs are actually protecting themselves. The leash prevents your dog from getting away when a big scary thing (a person or other dog) is approaching. The bark is your dog’s?way of saying, “Don’t make me come over there, you big scary thing!” when what he really wants is to drive the?scary thing away.狗狗吠叫是在表達“別逼我過去，你這可怕的大塊頭”。

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#13 Dogs who are afraid of men have been abused by a man

普遍認為狗怕男人是因為有男人虐待過他。其實狗狗通常怕男人而不那么怕女人或者孩子，是因為男人塊頭大，聲音更低沉，不走尋常路，眼睛還會瞪著狗狗。

This is a common assumption, especially among those who adopt?shelter dogs and discover that the dog is afraid of men. Fearful dogs are?normally more afraid of men than they are of women or children. Men are generally larger, have deeper voices, move differently, and may stare more?directly. Although it is always possible that a dog has been abused by a man, it should never be assumed.

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#14 Dogs urinate or defecate when we’re gone to spite us.狗狗趁主人不在家時大小便是為了刁難主人。

大家經(jīng)常認為狗狗獨自在家時大小便是為了報復主人把他單獨留在家里。實際上狗狗還沒領(lǐng)悟到報復或報仇的能力。對于已接受過如廁訓練的狗狗，如果獨自在家還會有小事故發(fā)生，可能是因為他們出現(xiàn)了分離焦慮。也有可能狗狗是懂投機的，認為主人在家時，他隨意大小便會被教訓，但是沒人在家，那就難說了。

Though people commonly think their?dog has eliminated inside the house to get back at them, perhaps for leaving them alone, this is not the case. Dogs lack the capacity for retaliation and?revenge. A dog who has been potty?trained but still has “accidents” when?left alone may be suffering from separation anxiety. Or, he might be?opportunistic, knowing that if he’s?caught in the act when your home, he’ll be scolded, but when no one’s around, all bets are off!

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#15 Some dogs need a heavier hand when being trained.有些狗狗受訓練時需要粗暴些。以暴制暴解決不了問題。

Regardless of whether a dog is reactive, aggressive, or what some?would term stubborn, no dog needs harsh physical corrections. Meeting aggression with aggression is never?the answer and is likely to make things worse. Training and behaviour modification using positive, gentle?methods is the way to go even with the most severe behaviour cases.

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The article is selected from:

Nicole Wilde. Top 15 Dogs Behaviour Myths[J] Modern Dog 2023 Summer:70-73

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