Dogs are quirky. They have their own way of doing things that leave humans scratching their heads. When an owner thinks they have the behavior figured out, turns out it is nothing close to what they assumed. Some of their conduct comes from deeply ingrained genetic coding passed down from their wild ancestors. Listed below are five “quirks” and the reasoning behind them.
Paws and scrapes the ground after elimination
There is a vast difference between dogs and cats. Being fastidiously clean animals, cats will paw and scrape at the ground, or the litter box to cover up their waste; out of sight, out of mind. Dogs on the other hand like to announce their presence loud and clear. Not only with their pile of waste, which carries their own unique scent, but by pawing the ground, they are leaving a scent from the pads on their paws. It is like a double tag, no mistake about who visited and left their mark.
Turns in circles before laying down
The genetic coding mentioned earlier comes into play here. When dogs were in the wild, sleeping in dens, they would turn in circles to flatten their beds of grass or straw. It was their way of creating a nest of sorts to settle down in and sleep.
Yawns
Sometimes a yawn indicates sleepiness, but more often than not a yawn is a stress indicator. The dog is feeling overwhelmed and needs to do something to get her mind off the stress she’s under. She yawns. It is like a person anxiously waiting for an appointment. Their foot starts to jiggle, they reach for a magazine and flip through without reading it. The stress is still there, but movement helps alleviate some of the nerves.
Sniffs (and sniffs and sniffs) before urinating
It is another way of leaving their calling card. A dog will sniff until they find a spot that hasn’t been “tagged” by another dog. Like with the elimination and the pawing at the ground, dogs like putting their mark on the world, “Brutus was here… and here… and here”
Runs in his sleep
Dogs do dream. They also bring their dreams into reality. While sleeping a dog may twitch its legs, growl, give a soft woof. All these indicate that the dog may be dreaming of chasing a squirrel, or the neighbor’s cat, or finally catching that pesky mailman.
There is no doubt about it, dogs offer hours of entertainment and enjoyment to their owners.
