Ever wonder “what was my dog thinking?” Sometimes dogs do things that seem really strange but once you get a better understanding, you will not have to wonder as much. The following are some quick steps to understanding the behavior of your Shih Tzu:
1. Your dog moves away when you pet his head
A dog perceives continuous head patting as a signal of dominance, not affection. It also just does not feel good. Dogs prefer to be stroked, particularly on the side of the face, under the chin, or on the front of the chest. They also like having their rumps scratched.
2. Paws and scrapes the ground after eliminating
From our understanding if your Shih Tzu is doing that it is actually engaging in a kind of marking behavior to advertise his presence – the opposite of trying to cover up the “evidence”.
3. Eats Pooh:
Eating pooh is most commonly displayed by puppies. It is species-typical behavior. There is nothing harmful about it to a pup, who will probably outgrow the habit by the time he’s one year old. But if you find it too objectionable, simply deny access.
4. Eats grass:
Some people believe dogs eat grass to make themselves throw up when they have stomach upset; to self-medicate. Some believe dogs simply like to eat grass and then throw up when they eat too much of it. Both are right to some extent and have their place. Different dogs have different grass eating patterns. None of them are harmful, so don’t fret if your dog throws up after nibbling on grass.
5. Sniffs around “forever” before urinating:
To a dog, urinating is an elimination process and a way of communicating. So a dog has to take in the various olfactory notices left by other dogs before leaving a message of his own. He may even want to make sure that no other pup has previously urinated in the spot he’s considering. Thus, it may take some time so be patient.
6. Sniffs dogs bums:
If smelling were seeing, humans would be considered legally blind by those in the canine world. Pheromones generated from the glands around a dog’s anus let another dog know the identity of another dog. It’s their way of saying hi, don’t be tempted to stop it.