Behaviour Has a Reason

Why does your dog bark at one person but happily greet another?

Why can they respond beautifully to a cue at home and appear to forget it completely outside?

Why do they pull, jump, hide, freeze, growl, follow, chase, avoid, steal things or suddenly refuse to move?

It is easy to look at behaviour only in terms of whether we like it.

We may describe a dog as stubborn, naughty, dramatic, dominant, difficult, overexcited or attention-seeking.

But a label does not tell us why the behaviour is happening.

Dog behaviour is influenced by many interacting factors, including emotion, physical health, genetics, previous experiences, learning, the environment, stress, motivation and whether the dog’s needs are being met.

The behaviour we see is often only the visible part of a much bigger picture.

Understanding that bigger picture does not mean ignoring unwanted or unsafe behaviour. It means giving ourselves a better chance of addressing the reason behind it rather than simply trying to suppress what we can see.

Sometimes the most useful question is not: “How do I stop my dog doing this?”

It should be: “What might be contributing to this behaviour?”

Behaviour Is Communication

Dogs cannot explain their experiences to us in words.

Instead, they communicate through their bodies, movement, facial expressions, vocalisations and behaviour.

A dog may:

Move Closer	Lower their body	Lick their lips	Freeze
Move Away	Yawn	Growl	Hide
Turn their head away	Bark	Avoid Contact	Seek contact
Change their ear position	Whine	Jump up	Alter the shape of their eyes

None of these behaviours should automatically be interpreted in isolation.

Dogs communicate using combinations of signals, and those signals need to be considered alongside the situation in which they occur. Research into canine welfare and communication highlights the importance of looking at whole-body behaviour, including facial expression, posture and movement, rather than relying on one signal alone. (Frontiers)

For example, a wagging tail does not simply translate to “happy”. A dog who turns away is not necessarily being rude. A growl is not evidence that a dog is inherently aggressive.

Behaviour gives us information.

Our job is to consider what that information may mean for this dog, in this situation, at this moment.

Key point: Behaviour is communication, but understanding communication means looking at the whole dog and the wider context.

The Behaviour You See Is Only Part of the Picture

Imagine behaviour as an iceberg.

We cannot know what is underneath simply by looking at the behaviour itself.

Instead, we gather information.

The more information we have, the less we need to rely on assumptions and labels.

Emotions Influence Behaviour

Dogs experience emotional states that influence how they respond to the world around them.

A dog might be:

• Fearful
• Excited
• Frustrated
• Uncertain
• Anticipating something
• Relaxed
• Highly aroused
• Comfortable
• Uncomfortable

Emotional state matters because behaviour does not happen separately from emotion.

A dog who can respond easily to a cue while relaxed in the kitchen may struggle with exactly the same request when frightened, frustrated or highly excited outside.

That does not necessarily mean the dog has decided not to listen.

The situation has changed.

The dog’s emotional state may have changed too.

This is why creating distance, lowering the difficulty of a task, changing the environment or allowing time to recover can sometimes be more productive than repeatedly asking for the same behaviour.

Emotional wellbeing is also part of welfare. Good welfare is not simply the absence of injury or disease; understanding whether a dog is experiencing positive or negative emotional states matters too. Behavioural observations can help us recognise changes in those states. (Frontiers)

Ask yourself:

How might my dog be feeling in this situation?

We cannot always know exactly, but body language, context and patterns in behaviour can give us important clues.

Health and Pain Can Change Behaviour

When a dog’s behaviour changes, physical health deserves a place in the investigation.

Pain does not always look like obvious limping or crying.

Changes associated with discomfort can include:

• Reduced willingness to move
• Reluctance to jump or use stairs
• Changes in sleep or rest
• Avoiding particular types of handling
• Increased sensitivity to touch
• Reduced social interaction
• Increased irritability
• Protective behaviour around part of the body
• Changes in activity
• Increased fear or anxiety
• Changes in tolerance towards people or other animals

Research examining pain and behaviour in dogs has repeatedly highlighted that pain can present through behavioural change, sometimes without the obvious physical signs owners expect. Chronic pain can also affect how dogs respond to stressful situations and how quickly they recover afterwards. (MDPI)

A dog who suddenly refuses to jump into the car may not have become stubborn.

A dog who suddenly dislikes having their head touched may not have developed a bad attitude.

A dog whose tolerance around other dogs suddenly decreases may be experiencing something physical that deserves investigation.

This does not mean every behaviour problem is caused by pain.

It means that new, sudden or unexplained behavioural changes should not automatically be treated as training problems.

If you notice a significant change in your dog’s normal behaviour, a veterinary assessment is an important starting point.

Important: Training can change learned behaviour. It cannot remove untreated pain.

Genetics Matter, But Breed Is Not Destiny

Dogs have been selectively bred for generations to perform very different roles.

Retrievers were selected to retrieve.

Herding breeds were selected for behaviours involved in managing livestock.

Scent hounds were selected to follow scent.

Terriers were developed for persistence and working around prey.

Those histories matter.

Genetics can influence behaviour, motivation and behavioural tendencies. Research has identified heritable components to canine behaviour and differences associated with ancestral breed function. (PubMed)

But breed should never be treated as a complete behavioural prediction.

A large genomic study involving thousands of dogs found that breed explained only a relatively small proportion of behavioural variation between individual dogs, despite many behavioural traits having a genetic component. (PubMed)

That distinction matters.

Knowing a dog’s breed may help us understand why certain activities are especially rewarding or why particular behaviours appear more readily.

It does not tell us everything about the individual.

Two dogs of the same breed may have very different:

• Confidence levels
• Social preferences
• motivations
• sensitivities
• previous experiences
• health
• learning histories
• responses to their environment

Breed gives us context.

It should not replace getting to know the dog in front of us.

This is why descriptions such as “all Labradors are friendly”, “terriers are stubborn”, “Collies need endless exercise” or “this breed is naturally aggressive” are far too simplistic.

Genetics are one part of a much bigger picture.

Previous Experiences Shape Behaviour

Dogs are constantly learning about the world around them.

Their experiences influence what they expect to happen next.

Imagine a dog who has repeatedly experienced uncomfortable handling at the groomer.

Eventually, the sight of the grooming equipment, entering the building or even certain types of touch may begin to predict discomfort.

Another dog may have repeatedly encountered friendly people who offer food when they approach.

Seeing an unfamiliar person may therefore predict something very positive.

Neither response appeared from nowhere.

Previous experiences help create expectations.

Early-life experiences are particularly important, although development does not stop when puppyhood ends. Reviews of canine socialisation research suggest that experiences during early development can influence later behaviour, while also highlighting that socialisation is more complex than simply exposing puppies to as many things as possible. (PubMed Central (PMC))

Good exposure should be appropriate, positive and manageable for the individual dog.

More exposure is not automatically better exposure.

Dogs Repeat Behaviour That Works

Another important part of understanding behaviour is asking:

What happened after the behaviour?

Dogs learn from consequences.

If a behaviour reliably produces something useful, there is a good chance it will happen again.

For example:

A dog barks at the back door.

The door opens.

Barking worked.

A dog jumps towards a visitor.

The visitor gives them attention.

Jumping worked.

A dog pulls towards an interesting smell.

The person follows.

Pulling worked.

A dog brings their owner a toy.

A game begins.

Bringing the toy worked.

This does not mean dogs are deliberately manipulating us.

It means they are learning.

Reward-based training uses the same principle deliberately: behaviours followed by outcomes the dog values are more likely to be repeated. Research comparing training approaches has also found welfare concerns associated with aversive methods and supports the use of reward-based approaches. (PubMed)

The useful questions are:

• What does my dog want in this moment?
• What happens after the behaviour?
• Is the behaviour achieving something?
• What alternative behaviour could achieve an appropriate outcome instead?

Understanding reinforcement helps us move away from assuming that dogs behave badly simply because they “know they can get away with it”.

Context Changes Behaviour

One of the most useful pieces of information about behaviour is where and when it happens.

A dog may be perfectly comfortable around people they know but worried when an unfamiliar person reaches towards them.

They may walk calmly through a quiet residential street but struggle on a narrow path when another dog approaches.

They may respond reliably to recall in an enclosed field but find it much harder when wildlife is present.

They may tolerate handling after a quiet day but struggle after several stressful experiences.

If behaviour changes depending on the situation, the situation matters.

Instead of saying:

“My dog is stubborn.”

Ask:

Where does my dog struggle to respond?

Instead of:

“My dog hates people.”

Ask:

Which people? What are they doing? At what distance?

Instead of:

“My dog is aggressive with dogs.”

Ask:

What happens when dogs are further away? What changes when my dog is on lead? Does every dog produce the same response?

Instead of:

“My dog is attention-seeking.”

Ask:

When does the behaviour happen, and what usually happens afterwards?

Context helps transform a label into something we can actually investigate.

Stress Can Build

A dog does not necessarily return immediately to their normal emotional baseline the moment a stressful experience finishes.

Several events can occur close together, each adding to the dog’s overall level of arousal.

This accumulation is often described as trigger stacking.

For example:

• Poor sleep
• A noisy delivery at the door
• An unexpectedly busy walk
• A difficult dog encounter
• Building work nearby
• Visitors arriving later

The dog may normally cope perfectly well with visitors.

On that particular day, the visitor may simply be the final demand in a much longer sequence.

Trigger stacking has been described in canine welfare literature as exposure to multiple stressors without adequate opportunity to return to baseline between them. (PubMed Central (PMC))

Importantly, not every contributor needs to be frightening.

Highly exciting experiences can increase arousal too.

You might notice a stressed or highly aroused dog:

• Scanning the environment more
• Struggling to settle
• Panting when not hot
• Pacing
• Hiding
• Becoming more vocal
• Becoming more reactive
• Seeking more contact
• Seeking less contact
• Responding less reliably to familiar cues

Stress-related behaviours vary between individuals and should always be interpreted in context rather than treated as a checklist that proves how a dog feels. (Frontiers)

Sometimes the best response is not more training or more exposure.

Sometimes the dog needs:

Less happening.

More distance.

More rest.

Lower expectations.

Familiar routines.

Time to recover.

Are Their Needs Being Met?

Behaviour does not exist separately from everyday welfare.

A dog may find life harder if they are consistently:

• Sleep deprived
• Under-stimulated
• Over-stimulated
• Unable to move away from unwanted interaction
• Given too little opportunity to sniff or explore
• Physically uncomfortable
• Frequently exposed to situations they cannot cope with
• Lacking predictable access to rest
• Unable to perform appropriate natural behaviours

Meeting needs does not guarantee that every behaviour problem disappears.

But training a dog without considering their wider welfare can mean trying to change behaviour while leaving an important contributing factor untouched.

Dogs need physical care.

They also need emotional wellbeing.

Appropriate opportunities for:

• Rest
• Sleep
• Exploration
• Sniffing
• Play
• Social interaction
• Choice
• Safety
• Predictability
• Enrichment

can all contribute to overall welfare.

And what meets those needs will differ between individual dogs.

A social butterfly and a dog who prefers considerable personal space do not need identical social lives.

A senior dog and an adolescent working breed will not necessarily need identical activity.

Again, the individual matters.

Looking Beyond Labels

Words such as stubborn, naughty, dominant, dramatic and difficult can feel useful because they provide an immediate explanation.

The problem is that they often tell us very little about what we should do next.

Take “stubborn”.

Perhaps the dog is:

• Distracted
• Frightened
• Physically uncomfortable
• Confused
• Not yet trained sufficiently in that environment
• More motivated by something else
• Too stressed to respond normally

“Stubborn” does not help us distinguish between those possibilities.

The same applies to “attention-seeking”.

Yes, a dog may perform behaviour because it has previously produced attention.

But we might still want to ask:

• What kind of attention?
• When does it happen?
• Has the dog had appropriate interaction already?
• Can they settle independently?
• Is something else driving the behaviour?
• Has this behaviour changed recently?

Moving beyond labels does not mean making excuses for every behaviour.

It means describing what actually happened before deciding why.

Start With Observation

You do not need to become a behaviourist or trainer to become better at observing your own dog.

A useful starting point is:

When Should You Ask for Help?

You do not need to wait for behaviour to reach crisis point before seeking professional support.

Consider speaking to your vet and an appropriately qualified training or behaviour professional if:

• Behaviour changes suddenly
• Your dog appears painful or physically uncomfortable
• Growling, snapping or biting occurs
• Fear or anxiety is affecting everyday life
• Walks are becoming increasingly difficult
• Your dog cannot settle or cope in normal situations
• Behaviour appears to be escalating
• Handling has become difficult
• There is resource guarding
• You are worried about safety
• You simply do not know what to do next

Where behaviour has changed unexpectedly, physical health should be considered first.

A good behaviour plan should also look beyond the behaviour itself.

It should consider the whole dog:

Health.

Emotion.

Environment.

Learning.

History.

Needs.

Relationships.

Context.

Because dogs do not behave in a vacuum.

Behaviour Is Information

Understanding canine behaviour does not mean we will always know exactly why a dog has done something.

Behaviour is complex.

More than one factor may be involved.

But we can become better observers.

We can stop assuming that every unwanted behaviour is deliberate disobedience.

We can become curious about changes.

We can consider pain.

We can recognise stress sooner.

We can pay attention to context.

We can understand that genetics matter without reducing a dog to their breed.

We can examine what a dog has learned.

And we can consider whether their physical and emotional needs are being met.

The question changes from:

“How do I make my dog stop?”

to:

“Why might this be happening, and what does my dog need from me next?”

That small change in perspective can completely change where the conversation goes.

Because behaviour has a reason.

And understanding starts when we look beyond the label.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Supporting cluster content coming soon:

1. Behaviour Is Communication: What Is Your Dog Trying to Tell You?
2. Why Context Matters When Understanding Dog Behaviour
3. The Stress Bucket: How Stress Builds Up in Dogs
4. How Emotions Influence Your Dog’s Behaviour
5. Genetics, Learning, Environment and Experience: What Shapes a Dog?
6. Why Dogs Repeat Behaviour That Works
7. How Pain and Health Problems Can Affect Behaviour
8. Are Dogs Really Stubborn? Understanding Motivation
9. Meeting Your Dog’s Physical and Emotional Needs Before Addressing Behaviour
10. When Should You Speak to a Dog Behaviour Professional?

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About Doggy Dawdles

At Doggy Dawdles, I provide professional dog walking, pet sitting, dog training and Wedding Dog Chaperone services across East Lothian and the surrounding areas.

My approach is simple: every dog is an individual, and their welfare always comes first.

Training and behaviour support looks beyond the behaviour we can immediately see to consider the dog’s health, environment, learning history, emotional state and individual needs.

If you would like to find out more about training and behaviour support, or simply have a question about your dog’s care, I’d love to hear from you.

Because professional pet care is about much more than just walking dogs.

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References

de Castro, A.C.V. et al. (2020) ‘Does training method matter? Evidence for the negative impact of aversive-based methods on companion dog welfare’, PLOS ONE, 15(12). (PubMed)

Dutrow, E.V. et al. (2022) ‘Domestic dog lineages reveal genetic drivers of behavioral diversification’, Cell. (PubMed)

Grigg, E.K. et al. (2021) ‘Stress-related behaviors in companion dogs exposed to common household noises, and owners’ interpretations of their dogs’ behaviors’, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 8. (Frontiers)

Malkani, R. et al. (2024) ‘How does chronic pain impact the lives of dogs: an investigation of factors that impact their welfare’, Frontiers in Veterinary Science. (Frontiers)

McEvoy, V. et al. (2022) ‘Canine socialisation: a narrative systematic review’, Animals. (PubMed Central (PMC))

Mills, D.S. et al. (2020) ‘Pain and problem behavior in cats and dogs’, Animals, 10(2), 318. (MDPI)

Miller, S.L. et al. (2022) ‘The importance of evaluating positive welfare characteristics and temperament in working therapy dogs’, Frontiers in Veterinary Science. (Frontiers)

Morrill, K. et al. (2022) ‘Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes’, Science, 376(6592). (PubMed)

Townsend, L. et al. (2021) ‘Recognizing and mitigating canine stress during animal-assisted interventions’, Veterinary Sciences. (PubMed Central (PMC))