\u201cBut that’s how it’s always been done.\u201d I hear that sentence again and again in conversations about dogs. Sometimes it introduces harmless advice, while at other times it can genuinely affect how someone treats an animal. Old beliefs are not necessarily malicious. The trouble is that they develop a life of their own, and eventually nobody remembers where they came from.<\/p>\n
Dr Karen Shaw Becker has repeatedly discussed common beliefs among dog owners. I like this subject because it makes an important point: a myth does not become true through repetition. But reading one study does not mean that we already know everything about canine emotions and behaviour either. Let’s examine a few popular claims and what we actually know about them.<\/p>\n
There is little sense in ranking canine and human mouths in a competition for cleanliness. Both contain rich microbial communities, but the species differ. Dogs may lick the ground, other animals’ waste, their own paws and whatever else catches their interest. That does not mean every lick from a dog is dangerous.<\/p>\n
However, some bacteria, such as Capnocytophaga, can cause serious infections in certain people, particularly when saliva enters an open wound or the person’s immune defences are weakened. I would not let a dog lick an open wound, and I would wash my hands after contact with faeces or the bodily fluids of a sick animal. Hygiene is not the opposite of loving your dog.<\/p>\n
A dog’s breath does not need to smell like peppermint, but a persistent strong odour deserves attention. Plaque, gingivitis and other oral problems are frequent causes. Other medical conditions can sometimes play a role. Covering the smell with a treat does not address its cause.<\/p>\n
Chewing has also mattered in our household. Suitable natural chews and raw meaty bones can provide enrichment and some mechanical cleaning. Nevertheless, chewing is not a substitute for evidence-based dental care. Check your dog’s teeth regularly, remember the value of brushing and veterinary oral examinations, and consider the risk of tooth fractures from very hard chews.<\/p>\n
Have you seen a dog lower its body, turn its eyes away and look as though it has emptied the entire fridge? As humans, we readily interpret that as guilt. In 2009 Alexandra Horowitz studied 14 dogs and found that the so-called guilty look was more strongly associated with being scolded by the owner than with whether the dog had actually committed the forbidden act.<\/p>\n
The study does not prove that dogs can never experience guilt. It supports a narrower, practical conclusion: body language alone cannot establish that a dog understands its actions in a human moral sense. If a dog is already frightened when you come home, ask what it is responding to rather than treating its expression as a confession.<\/p>\n
Eating grass can be normal behaviour. In a 2008 owner survey by Sueda and colleagues involving 1,571 eligible dogs, 68% ate plants daily or weekly. Only a small minority were often reported to appear ill beforehand, and only 22% reportedly vomited frequently afterwards. This was a questionnaire study, not a diagnostic assessment of every dog’s digestion.<\/p>\n
Some integrative veterinarians have suggested that dogs may seek fibre or other plant compounds by eating grass. That is a hypothesis worth examining, but grass eating itself does not prove a deficiency of potassium, enzymes or another nutrient. Dogs on balanced diets may eat grass too. A sudden change in behaviour accompanied by vomiting, loss of appetite, pain, weight loss or altered stools is different. Then we should look for the cause instead of arguing whether grass is inherently \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cbad\u201d.<\/p>\n
If you want to offer plant variety, a small amount of a known dog-safe vegetable or plant is more sensible than encouraging grazing on a lawn of uncertain history.<\/p>\n
You certainly can. An older dog may take more time to master a new task, and certain cognitive functions change with age. In a study of 95 Border Collies aged from five months to approximately 13 years, older dogs learned some discrimination tasks more slowly. Yet they could still learn. One sample from one breed cannot represent all senior dogs, but \u201cimpossible\u201d is clearly far too strong a word.<\/p>\n
Adapt activities if an older dog has pain or reduced hearing or vision. Small successes, a reasonable pace and enjoying the process matter more than completing everything in ten seconds. Mental stimulation is also an excellent reason to teach a senior dog something new.<\/p>\n
Dogs do see colours, just differently from us. Experiments by Jay Neitz and colleagues showed that dogs have two types of cone photoreceptors rather than the usual three found in humans. Their colour discrimination is therefore strongest in the blue and yellow parts of the spectrum, while red and green are not distinguished as humans distinguish them.<\/p>\n
What does this mean in everyday life? A blue or yellow training ball may stand out against green grass more clearly than a red one. Contrast, movement and smell still matter too. Dogs do not see the world as a black-and-white photograph.<\/p>\n
Access to a sofa does not automatically confer higher status or turn a dog into a \u201cpack leader\u201d. A dog that jumps onto the sofa to be close to you is not thereby announcing a plan to take over the household. You can still set boundaries: if you do not want dogs on the bed, or guests are uncomfortable sharing a sofa, calmly teach the dog an alternative place to settle.<\/p>\n
It is important to distinguish ordinary bids for closeness from a dog that aggressively guards the sofa or reacts painfully to touch. In the latter situations, dominance theory is no solution; investigate the underlying behaviour and possible pain.<\/p>\n
No, they do not. Sometimes dogs make plenty of noise without serious danger, but allowing a real fight to continue can result in severe injuries. There is another essential boundary: putting your hand or face between fighting dogs can end in a serious bite.<\/p>\n
The internet offers all sorts of techniques, from pulling tails to kicking dogs or hitting them with a newspaper. None is a universally safe instruction. Start with options that keep you at a distance: a physical barrier, door or sturdy visual screen, if the situation permits. When dogs are already locked together, intervention requires experienced people. Afterwards check for injuries, as puncture wounds can be hidden under fur.<\/p>\n
The wisest strategy is to watch body language before conflict erupts. A stiff posture, fixed stare, blocking another dog’s path and repeatedly ignoring attempts to retreat can tell you more than the volume of barking.<\/p>\n
A treat is a reward, not necessarily a bribe. When a dog learns a new behaviour, well-timed rewards help it understand what is expected. Once the behaviour is established, rewards can become more varied: play, praise or permission to explore and sniff. Reducing food rewards does not mean removing every enjoyable consequence overnight.<\/p>\n
A 2020 study comparing dogs trained with different methods found more stress-related behaviour in groups using stronger aversive methods than in reward-based groups. That does not imply that one treat or one method is a miracle solution for every dog. It does offer a reason not to replace effective teaching with a louder voice.<\/p>\n
A leash does not make a walk worthless. Many dogs enjoy exploring scents, observing their surroundings and walking calmly alongside a person while leashed. A suitably long lead in a safe place can offer more freedom of choice than a short, tight leash beside a busy road. Off-leash time is lovely where it is permitted, safe and supported by sufficiently reliable recall.<\/p>\n
I like asking one simple question: when someone says \u201calways\u201d or \u201cnever\u201d, what would have to be true for that rule to apply to every dog? Often the answer reveals a personal experience, a single study or a very old story. Each may have value, but they are not interchangeable.<\/p>\n
Horowitz A (2009). Disambiguating the \u201cguilty look\u201d. Behavioural Processes. DOI: 10.1016\/j.beproc.2009.03.014.<\/a><\/p>\n Sueda KLC jt (2008). Characterisation of plant eating in dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science.<\/a><\/p>\n Wallis LJ jt (2016). Aging effects on discrimination learning, logical reasoning and memory in pet dogs.<\/a><\/p>\n Neitz J, Geist T, Jacobs GH (1989). Color vision in the dog. Visual Neuroscience. DOI: 10.1017\/S0952523800004430.<\/a><\/p>\n