5 Ways Dog Owner Behavior Influences & Affects Our Dogs

The way we interact with our dogs can positively or negatively affect the way dogs see us and behave around us. There are many obvious behaviors that would fall under the negative side of our dogs’ perceptions of us and those include yelling, training through means of punishment, etc. 

Is it possible though that there are things we do that can negatively affect our dogs without us being aware? We scoured the internet far and wide to find some behaviors and actions that we show our dogs that have an effect that’s anything but desired. 

5 Ways Dog Owner Behavior Influencers & Affects Our Dogs

#1 - Our body language is too all over the place.

You’re familiar with dogs that may be a little nervous or shy. The way we move seems a lot faster to our fur babies and can intimidate or scare them. Other instances where we inadvertently strike fear into our dogs is by reaching over them, leaning over them, or approaching them directly. Take things slow! Especially with newly adopted fur babies, let them come to you and get comfortable.

#2 - Expecting our fur babies to not act like a dog.

There are things that dogs do that are natural to them. They bark, they dig, they sniff, etc. and for any of those behaviors that are excessive, training is an option! What you don’t want to do is react angrily every time your dog acts like a dog by doing these things. Instead, try to curve their behavior with distractions. If they’re chewing, try getting a stimulating dog toy like the ones that release treats as a reward for playtime. 

#3 - “It’s okay” is said too often.

When something bad or sad happens, it’s a natural reaction to say “It’s okay” to calm and comfort others. We catch ourselves doing this with our dogs at times, and while we think we’re soothing our dogs, we’re actually aiding their anxiety and stress. Why? Because by saying this phrase repeatedly after the “bad” or “sad”, they associate it with the negative occurrence rather than see it as consoling words. According to Healthy Pets with Dr. Karen Becker, through the continued use of “It’s okay”, we are actually training our dogs to expect something bad to happen.

#4 - Corning our dogs to give them love.

This isn’t the same for all dogs, obviously. We have to keep in mind how important it is to understand our dogs’ temperaments whether they’re newly adopted or have been part of the family for a while. Corning dogs to give them a hug might seem friendly enough, but to have no area to escape and a huge giant coming at you with their arms may read differently to a fur baby, especially of the skittish variety.

#5 - We get too lazy. 

Look, we appreciate the mornings we get to sleep in but when we’re off our feet for a full day, our dogs are the ones who deal with the fallout. It’s our responsibility to make sure our dogs are healthy and fit, and if they’re not stimulated with activities, they’ll fall into lazy behaviors like ourselves. 

This is just a sampling of tips and informational posts we offer at Joyride Harness. You can find more content including tips and tricks and how-tos for caring for your dog on our blog at this section. Feel free to leave a comment with tips you’re looking for!