Approximately, 70 percent of US households reported that they owned at least one dog in 2022. So naturally, every dog owner believes they are an expert on their dogs health and behavior. In reality, most owners are not spreading around facts, they are recycling myths they learned from another dog owner. Rather than believe what your friends or neighbors told you worked for their dog, consult with a local South Jersey Dog Boarding business to get professional advice. Here are couple myths that have been debunked by true experts in the South Jersey area:
A dog wagging his tail implies they are being friendly: When we get home and see our pet standing there wagging its tail, it is so easy to assume they are just happy to see us. But research shows that if your dog’s body is standing mostly still while the tail is wagging it actually signals the dog could be feeling nervous or even threatened. Keep this in mind the next time you are a dog sitting for a neighbor or a friend to avoid any issues with you and the dog.
A dog can feel shame or guilt: Dogs are amazing creatures but we give them too much credit when it comes to emotions. I think many of us believe that our dog’s behavior after having an accident or doing something wrong is a feeling of guilt or shame. Research shows that there is no evidence the dog brain can feel these secondary emotions. The behavior they are exhibiting is a learned response to human reactions. Simply put they react exactly the same each time we are upset with them.
A dog needs to chew a bone: This one was hard for me to believe. It turns out the majority of bones we give our dogs have a better chance of harming them than helping them. The common tubular bones we give our dogs can easily splinter and release extremely sharp pieces into our dogs mouth/teeth. This can be avoided by choosing the proper bone for your furry friend. You should seek out the raw bones instead of the ones that are home cooked because the raw bones are less susceptible to splintering and injuring your dog.
All dogs are color blind: Many of us have been told that our dogs see us in black and white. The truth is they do have worse vision than us but they do see some color. What makes theirs worse is the inability to distinguish certain shades like greens and reds which they are said to usually see as grays and browns. This one isn’t really a big deal for your dog’s health or behavior but it will be nice to know next time someone tries to convince you otherwise.