Dog owners learn ‘common habit’ is upsetting pets

Every dog owner wants their pet to be happy and healthy – and they’d be heartbroken to learn they’ve hurt their feelings.

But according to one dog lover, there’s a common human behaviour that dogs consider to be rude and intrusive.

Taking to TikTok, user @happystaffyco says ignoring your dog’s boundaries could result in them closing off from you as they reconsider their trust levels.

She says: “[You could be hurting your dog’s feelings by] not respecting their boundaries. Sometimes we all want a little bit of space and if you’re giving your dog attention and they walk away from you, if you follow them that can really break the trust that your dog has in you.”

But this isn’t the only common issue as scolding your dog for things they don’t understand is only going to cause confusion and upset.

She said: “If your dog did something when you were at work and you came home and then saw your pillow was destroyed and scolded them afterwards, they’re not going to connect the dots.

“The thing we love most about our dogs is that they live in the moment, which means they’re not aware of what they did five hours ago.

“Although they may look sad and upset, it’s just because you’re upset in that moment, not because they’re connecting that with destroying your beloved pillow.”

Commenting on her video, one user said: “My staff won’t respect my boundaries, it feels like she wants to be in my skin sometimes and it makes me happy.”

Another user added: “How true especially the last one if you don’t catch them doing it you shouldn’t scold them

A third user said: “If my dog walks away and I don’t follow him he’ll either start barking at me or walking into me.”

One more user added: “I could never scold my baby. I can’t get upset with him no matter what he does. I don’t have the heart too.”

According to Dr Erin Hecht at Harvard University, dogs express their emotions in various ways, mostly through body language like tail wagging, ear position, and subtle facial expressions.

A statement on The Dog People reads: “Empathy refers to the ability to understand another person’s (or a pet’s!) emotions and consider what they’re going through. When you understand your dog’s feelings, you’ll generally have an easier time interpreting their behaviour and responding to their needs.

That said, empathising with your dog may come with some limitations. “Reading dog signals can be surprisingly difficult for humans, and sometimes a signal can mean different things depending on the context,” Barton explains.

For example, if your dog tucks their tail or hides, you might think they feel guilty or embarrassed—when in reality, they’re afraid or in pain.

Ultimately, the best way to understand dogs involves learning their individual body language and vocalisations, considering the context, and then applying that to the feelings you know dogs can experience.”