6 Weird Dog Behaviors
Is your dog a weirdo? Surprisingly, what’s weird to us is completely normal to them! I was curious as to why my dog is a total weirdo, so I did some digging around, and boy oh boy, it was an interesting discovery. Without further ado, here are my top 6 weird dog behaviors.
1. The Food Remover
It always boggles my mind how much effort my dog has to put into mealtime. Every day, I witness my dog moving her food back and forth from the bowl to the carpet, and I wish someone could tell her it is 2021 not 40,000 years ago.
Dogs instinctively remove their food as a result of the pack mentality. Prior to domestication, dogs lived in packs to hunt and share their game. The alpha dogs are often food aggressive. Therefore, to avoid a potential altercation with the alpha dog, lower-ranking dogs naturally take their share of the food to a quiet area to avoid a fight.
2. The Crazy Leg Shake
Dogs love belly scratches, but did you know you are actually irritating them at the same time? The crazy leg shake is hilarious, but it serves an important purpose. You see, dogs once lived in the wild full of insects. When insects crawl on the dog, it automatically triggers the scratch reflex as a reaction to get rid of the irritant. However, don’t let this discourage you from all the belly scratches! They hate it but they really love it! Weird right?
3. The Carpet Rub after a Bath
Can you believe the audacity of your dog trying to get dirty after all the hard work you’ve done? Well, your dog might say “how dare you! I’ve worked so hard to be this smelly, and you had the audacity to clean me!”
Dogs rub themselves everywhere following bath time simply because they want to regain their scent. What smells good to us does not smell great to them. They prefer to stay smelly and really, they don’t mind smelling like a dog.
4. The Tail Chaser
Ah! the tail chaser. We’ve all seen it. Dogs chase their own tails because they just want to have fun. They often do this out of boredom, so you know when your dog is going crazy chasing its tails, it’s time to exercise them. For puppies, however, there is another reason for the tail-chasing behavior. Yes, you’ve guessed it! They really don’t know that it’s their tail!
5. The What’s-that-noise Head Tilt
“Omg! what’s my little wittle baby doing?” I bet your dog will tilt its head when you say these words in a high-pitched voice.
The head tilt after hearing a loud sound is a survival instinct. It helps them to identify the source of the sound, so they can better assess their surroundings. However, you may be wondering why your dog still tilts its head when you are talking directly in front of it. The answer is, your dog is trying to focus and understand what you are saying. Cute right?
6. The Bathroom Stalker
You may want to cry and hug your dog after you read this. Your dog is not a stalker, but your dog truly cares about you.
The bathroom stalking behavior is a way for your dog to offer protection to you. Once again, this is a leftover instinct from their wild ancestors. When a dog in the wild defecates, it is vulnerable to any potential attackers within its surrounding. As a protective measure, dogs within a pack often take turns to look out for each other at their most vulnerable time. So, go ahead and hug your dog now to offer your appreciation for their protection at your most vulnerable time.
Don’t you just love your dog more after this article? If you like this article, please don’t forget to share this with your friends and family.