Do pets have pet peeves? Find out what might be bothering your dog

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Believe it or not, there is some overlap between what annoys people and what annoys dogs. To help you better understand your dog’s pet peeves, we’ve compiled a list of common annoyances along with tips for spotting if your dog is feeling annoyed.

Not considering their food preferences

Just because a dog eats overly processed brown kibble doesn’t mean he’s happy with it. Not only do the kibbles use powdered meat and artificial colorings, they are cooked at high temperatures which remove natural nutrients. Given the choice, dogs would much rather eat a diet of fresh, whole ingredients, gently cooked with no preservatives.

You can take this a step further by ensuring that the format of the food matches their texture preferences as well. For instance. Freshpet offers three distinct recipe formats:

Meal in a bag: Our fully cooked, ready-to-serve bagged meals contain ground protein with an assortment of vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables.

Rollers: Our classic slice and serve rolls can be served as discs, blocks or mash.

Patties and mixers: Our patties can be served cut, broken or grated alone or with an additional mixer.

Think you’re ready to switch to Freshpet? Find out why pet parents are switching to refrigerated dog food.

Not having a consistent routine

Dogs, especially those who struggle with anxiety, thrive when their lives revolve around a constant routine. They take comfort in knowing that when they wake up they can somehow predict what will happen throughout the day, including when they will be fed and when they will go for a walk. If your dog’s daily routine is constantly changing, it can lead to feelings of anxiety or behavioral issues. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t ever do anything spontaneous with your pup, but make sure you don’t overwhelm him with too many changes at once.

Not knowing their favorite way to show affection

Just like you have a favorite way to show your affection, your dog has a preference too. Unfortunately, many people mistakenly think that dogs like it when they show their affection by hugging. But in reality, being hugged is an unusual and sometimes stressful experience for most dogs. If another dog tries to put their body or limbs on or around another dog, it’s usually a sign of dominance.

Gentle petting is often a much preferred alternative to a hug, but just be sure to avoid areas of your dog’s body that could be stressful, such as:

Instead, most dogs prefer to gently stroke their chest, shoulders, or the base of their neck.

little pug lying on the ground and looking into the camera

Make prolonged eye contact

If someone made very intense eye contact with you without looking away, you’d probably feel pretty uncomfortable, right? Dogs feel the same. While your own dog may have a higher tolerance for intense staring – although he probably wouldn’t like it – with an unfamiliar dog, it can be considered an act of aggression. To avoid an awkward situation, skip the gaze and instead hold eye contact for a few seconds at a time before looking away.

Make your voice heard to get your message across

A dog’s hearing is two to three times better than a human’s, so it’s understandable that they’re very sensitive to the tone and volume of your voice. If you constantly talk to your dog in a high voice, in the long run, it can do more harm than good. Yelling at your dog can lead to:

  • Stress: Stressed dogs will exhibit behaviors such as showing the whites of their eyes, tucking their tails, licking their lips, and yawning.
  • Confusion: When confused, your dog may react with aggressive or hyperactive behavior as he tries to “match” your tone.
  • Slower workout: If you constantly speak at maximum volume, your dog will have a hard time understanding which commands are urgent or important.

Not only will this impact training, but it will also prevent the correct response when raising your voice in an emergency. For example, if you usually talk to your dog in a calm tone, then if you find yourself in a situation where your dog has escaped from your yard, he is more likely to listen to you when you say “no” out loud. tall and firm. or “stop”.

dog lying in the arms of the animal's parent and looking ahead

How do you know what annoys dogs?

When dogs are annoyed, it’s usually because they’re frustrated with something specific, like a person or a situation. You can tell if your dog is annoyed by looking at his body language:

  • Attention fully focused on the source of the discomfort
  • Barking or rushing at the source of the annoyance

If your dog can’t find a solution to his annoyance, over time he will resign himself to the situation. Although a resigned dog may seem calm, he is actually quite upset about the situation, but doesn’t think he has the control to change it. This can ultimately lead to feelings of depression.

To avoid this, if you notice your dog is annoyed by something, see if there is anything you can do to improve the situation. For example, if your dog is having trouble grabbing a toy out of reach, move it to a place where he can retrieve it more easily.

Being able to read your dog’s body language and emotions is key to determining when he’s feeling annoyed. For more on how to understand your dog’s emotions, including feelings of frustration and annoyance, check out this blog.

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