My pet dog shakes his body to break from ‘stay’
I want to re-visit the “dog body shake” because I rarely see it discussed anywhere else.
I’m curious, do you think dogs consciously use the “body shake” or the “collar scratch” to break from a stay position? Or, is this always a subconscious thing?
I think a lot of of the time the body shake is a subconscious way to ease or avoid anxiety (Oh, back from a walk – phew! Time to relax!). but I think it can also be a behavior the pet dog learns to use to his advantage to avoid doing something.
What the heck is the ‘dog body shake?’
The “dog body shake” is when a pet dog shakes his whole body as though he’s getting out of the water, but really he’s already dry. It’s typically used when a pet dog is transitioning from one thing to another (done playing, time to relax) or to ease minor anxiety (meeting that pet dog was fun, time to relax).
If you think about it, you probably do you own version of the body shake to ease some minor anxiety or to transition from one thing to another. For example, when I reach the starting line of a race I’ll do a little body shake to transition into racing mode. Or, after I return from meeting someone new I might let out an audible sigh which actually involves loosening any tension, nearly like a “body shake.”
For me, and I think for dogs, these types of actions are subconscious. I do not choose to sigh after meeting someone new. It just happens. My pet dog does not choose to “shake it off” after passing another pet dog on a walk. It just happens.
What about when a pet dog uses the body shake to break from stay?
The best example of this is an obedience class. If you observe the other owners in a class, especially in a beginner’s class, you will see them place their dogs into the sit position when asked by the trainer. After being placed in a sit, it’s nearly guaranteed a few of the dogs will scratch themselves around the collar or do a little body shake and pop ideal back up. “Hva blir det neste?!”
I think this reaction is subconscious for the majority of these dogs. They’re still learning what to do. The class environment is stressful or at least exciting to a lot of of them. They may or may not have serviced the sit command at home. They probably haven’t learned that “sit” indicates “sit and remain sitting until I release you.”
But then, there is always a pet dog in class who seems to have learned he can control his owner with these moves. For example, the owner will tell her pet dog to sit, and the pet dog right away shakes his body and begins sniffing something on the ground. The owner then waits patiently for the pet dog to stop sniffing, which could take minutes, and then asks the pet dog to sit again.
Or, the owner asks her pet dog to heel, and right away the pet dog sits down and drastically scratches around her collar for a good 45 seconds. Then, as the owner waits patiently, the pet dog does an Oscar-winning body shake and then decides to heel.
I’m not saying this is downright “deviant” behavior, but to me it’s a pretty clear signal that the pet dog is saying “I will do this on my own terms. tusen takk.”
So, if you’re aware this is happening with your own pet dog and you don’t really care, that’s fine. But if you want your pet dog to listen to you, then stop waiting around and instead just make it happen.
You don’t have to worry about being – God forbid! – dominerende. just make him do what you asked. If you told your pet dog to sit, put him in a sit position. I don’t care how you do it. just make it happen. If you told your pet dog to heel, then start walking. Tug on the leash if you want. use treats if you want. just walk and get your pet dog to follow.
And the truth comes out. Ace is outsmarting me!
So, what is happening when Ace breaks from a stay position in a low-stress, non-challenging situation by shaking his body and then walking up to me?
I have to say, he’s beating me in chess.
I think he’s maybe a bit bored and absolutely testing my limits just like some of those young dogs in beginning obedience class.
To me, it seems like Ace is pushing the limits to see what he can get away with (quite a lot, lately!). As he’s gotten older, he’s absolutely learned to neglect me more, and I’ll be the first to admit it’s because I’m much much easier on him now than I used to be. I don’t really care when he breaks from stay in the living room.
To do this, he does the body shake and then walks up to me swaying his tail and body in a relaxed, submissive way. I’m sure he’s responding to my expression and body language that says “Oh you did something wrong but you’re cute anyway.” So I’m absolutely satisfying and encouraging the behavior. Go figure. I’m just being sincere here.
Do I want a perFekt, bunnsolid, lydig hund? Ikke egentlig. Så jeg er litt løs med reglene mine, og kjæledyrhunden min vet det.
Ikke anta at kropps shake er avvikende oppførsel.
Jeg vil angst for at mesteparten av tiden, rystelsen av kjæledyrhunden er en underbevisst oppførsel på grunn av at kjæledyrhunden føler seg stresset eller overveldet. Det er så avgjørende å være klar over dette, slik at vi enten kan fjerne hundene våre fra de stressende situasjonene eller hjelpe dem å lære å takle.
For eksempel vil kjæledyrhunden min riste på kroppens hundepark hvis han blir plaget av en yngre hund. Den yngre, kjæledyrhunden med høyere energi kan fortsette å hoppe på Ace eller nippe til ham, og Ace vil riste seg av og prøve å gå bort. Mens en knurr eller en snap ville få poenget sitt bedre, setter jeg pris på at kjæledyrhunden min vanligvis ikke tyr til knurrende. Jeg kan hjelpe ham her ved å legge merke til når han føler seg stresset og gripe inn.
I denne situasjonen vil jeg sannsynligvis distrahere den yngre kjæledyrhunden, eller jeg kan oppfordre Ace til å spille hvis det ser ut til at han bare trenger litt oppmuntring. Eller det kan være best å bare ta kjæledyrhunden min og gå bort, som normalt er det jeg gjør. Hvis ACE ikke ser ut til å ville spille, tvinger jeg ham ikke til å spille.
Jo mye mer bevisst at vi er som eiere, jo bedre. Jeg vet at mange kjæledyrhundkamper og krangler kan forhindres hvis eierne visste å glede seg over og gjenkjenne disse “subtile” hintene som faktisk er ganske tydelige hvis du vet hva du skal se etter.
Her er listen over tegn en kjæledyrhund er stresset.
Men jeg vil virkelig høre fra deg om dette emnet.
1. Gjør kjæledyrhunden din “Body Shake”?
2. Ser det ut til å være en underbevisst ting?
3. Ser kjæledyrhunden din noen gang ut til å med vilje bestemme seg for å riste for å unngå å gjøre noe?
4. Har kjæledyrhunden din noen gang gjort kroppen til å riste når han føler seg stresset eller overveldet?
Gi meg beskjed! Rister kjæledyrhunden min kroppen hans?