12/04/2019
Check your facts. Don’t believe outdated myths. Dogs, like humans, do things that feel good or benefit them in some way. If your dog countersurfs to “steal” food, roll up a newspaper and bonk yourself on your own nose for making that possible to occur. Combine reward training with management that does not give your dog easy access to food, shoes, etc. Provide mental stimulation in place to enrich your dog’s mind and be an approved outlet for his energy. Buy bully sticks made in the USA in bulk online for a bargain price and keep your dog’s natural tendency to chew & dissect by creating legal outlets that satisfy his or her needs. Use puzzle-toy feeding dishes or create your own by placing kibble in an empty egg carton or scattering it on the ground so he can satisfy his or her need to scavenge for it. Play “find it” and hide treats around and watch your dog delight in finding them all. A bored dog can be a mischievous dog. We invite dogs into our home, families, and world. Let’s help them be the dogs that each one is meant to be while living in a world of weird human rules. We owe them at least that much and so much more.
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FACT:
Dog are opportunistic scavengers. Virtually all dogs will steal food given the opportunity. This is not borne out of a desire to displease, manipulate or dominate us. In fact, it has nothing to do with us. Training, however, can help alleviate the problem in pet dogs. Dogs do not feel guilty for getting caught scavenging. They can, however, experience fear when we react with anger and punishment or where there is a fear of punishment.
WHY THIS IS A MYTH:
Lost, stray or feral dogs who rely on foraging in trash cans to provide them with food certainly don't feel guilt when they get caught. They were not digging in the trash to displease, manipulate or dominate anyone. They were digging in the trash to find food in order to survive. Taking the reactions of humans around them into account likely doesn't even enter their minds.
Worth the read: The Guilty Looking Companion-
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/dog-spies/the-guilty-looking-companion/
