Canines and Humans: How to Understand When Your Dog Is Hurt

When it comes to dog behavior, sometimes it can be baffling to humans. In order to ensure that your dog isn’t hurt, it’s important to understand what different behaviors mean. Here are some tips on what to look for when your dog isn’t feeling its best.

Unusual Lethargy

As a dog owner, you probably already know how often dogs can sleep. On a lazy day, you and your dog may lay around all day. The truth is that dogs sleep between 12 and 14 hours throughout the day. Then, depending on whether they have something to do, they can sleep shorter or longer. If you have a dog that loves to sleep, there might not be any problems. It’s an unusual change in its sleeping patterns that you have to worry about.

If your dog is sleeping more than normal or if your dog refuses to get up, when it may normally jump right up, there may be something wrong. Dogs have a tendency to leap up to their feet when there is action. They can be active when necessary, without much of a warning. If your dog normally gets up when the doorbell rings or when there is food and suddenly stops, you should be concerned about the behavior.

Excessive Licking

Some dogs groom themselves more often than others. When you spend a lot of time with your dog, you’re going to know what its habits are. Some dogs will excessively groom when anxious or stressed and it’s important to look at any outside factors if your dog suddenly starts grooming itself more often. Excessive grooming can mean a number of things. Often, it means that the dog is experiencing pain or discomfort in the area that it is licking. Make sure to check your dog out when its grooming itself. If you don’t see any signs of injury, it could be arthritis or a bone or muscle injury. Your best option is to ask a vet for his or her opinion on your dog’s grooming.

Indoor Accidents

If you have a well-trained dog suddenly have an accident in the house, this may be a cause for worry. Now, accidents can happen now and then. Sometimes you may not let them out in time or a dog may mark its territory if there is a new person or animal introduced to the house. There are a number of reasons that a dog might have an accident. However, if it becomes a new pattern of behavior, then you do need to be concerned.

Dogs who feel unwell or in pain might not want to go outside. In addition, some dogs may have bladder problems that can lead to accidents. It’s important to have it checked with a veterinarian.

New Vocalizations

Sometimes dogs can be loud. You get to know your dog’s vocalizations. Some may whine when anxious, others may have guarding behavior and bark at anyone who passes the house. Another sound that many owners are familiar with is the howling when sirens pass. Canines communicate with one another through their voices. They are pack animals and you are a part of that pack. When it comes to your dog’s hearing, it is much better than a human’s. It has a greater range and can hear low and high pitched noises with ease.

Why do dogs howl at sirens? When it comes to sirens, a scientist believes that dogs think that they are communicating with other dogs. The dogs that are more likely to howl and bark at sirens are those who are a part of the herding or hunting breeds.

When it comes to understanding your dog, you can usually tell if it is hurt if its behavior changes suddenly. Dogs are creatures of habit too. Once you are familiar with its personality, you can usually tell when something is wrong. If you’re worried about your dog’s behavior or vocalizations, it’s always better to speak with a veterinarian first.