A Guide to Understanding Dog’s Behavior

Puppies and dogs are incredibly adept at letting humans know what they need or want. Consider a dog that climbs onto its human’s lap and rolls over, just begging for belly scratches and attention.

For those who are getting a new puppy, especially if they’ve never owned a dog before, it can be a bit daunting to figure out exactly what their puppy is saying and why they’re doing what they’re doing.

Use this guide to start learning more about what to expect and what they might be trying to say. 

Bringing Home a New Puppy

Bringing home a new puppy is exciting, but many people don’t know exactly what to expect when they get home. For a few days, the puppy may be quiet and reserved as they get used to their new surroundings, but fast enough, the wild puppy behaviors will start.

When caring for a puppy, it’s important to know what these behaviors mean and how to prevent or correct them. 

• Biting – Puppies bite because they use their teeth to learn about their surroundings. Unfortunately, this hurts and can lead to injuries. When a puppy starts biting, stand up and walk away. Stop playing. They’ll quickly learn that if they bite, their humans will not play anymore. 
• Chewing – Puppies chew because they’re teething and it’s soothing. They may also chew because they’re bored, or they have a lot of excess energy. Prevent them from chewing on the furniture, doors, and homework by exercising them if they’re too energetic or giving them something they can chew. Always supervise puppies that are chewing. 
• Ripping Toys – Many puppies will rip and shred their toys. They don’t mean to destroy it; they just don’t know how to play with it. Purchase toys that are less susceptible to being chewed or shredded and teach them how to play properly. Keep them supervised with toys to prevent them from swallowing any parts. 
• Crying When Alone – Puppies don’t like to be left alone and shouldn’t be left alone for long until they’re a little bit older. Work on separation anxiety a minute or two at a time, slowly increasing the amount of time they can be left alone until they are more comfortable with it. 

Training a New Puppy

Puppies need training to help them learn how to live with their humans and stay safe. While there is a lot they’ll learn over their lifetime, start with the basics when training a new puppy, and be sure to have plenty of treats on hand so they learn how to tell when they’re doing what the owner wants. 

• Household Routine – Keep with the typical household routine as much as possible, as the puppy will quickly learn things like when the kids go to school, when they get back, when they’ll get to take a walk when they’ll get to eat, and more. 
• Potty Training – Potty training should start as soon as the puppy comes home. There are a range of different methods to use for this, so pick one that seems to work well for the puppy. 
• Sit and Stay – They should learn to sit and stay relatively quickly, and these are typically the first two commands puppies are taught. Continue from there with other commands, such as turnaround or shake. 
• Walking on a Leash – Get the puppy used to wearing a collar and walking on a leash as soon as possible. Keep walks short until they are good at walking on a loose leash and have all of the puppy vaccinations. 

Pay Attention to Their Cues

Starting from the time the puppy comes home; the human family members can start learning what the puppy is doing and what their behavior means.

Some of the behaviors puppies will do that owners should be aware of include the following. 

• Cowering or Hunched – If the puppy is cowering or hunched, they’re likely scared and anxious. Work through whatever is scaring them to help show them this is okay or take a step back if they seem too uncomfortable. 
• Rolls on Their Back – If the puppy rolls on their back, are they doing it playfully? They may want belly scratches and attention. Are they doing it slowly because they’re scared? Take a step back and reassure them that they’re ok. 
• Taking a Bow – Taking a bow means it’s playtime. They’ll generally wag their tail while doing this to indicate they are ready to play. 
• Squinting Eyes – Squinting eyes typically means they’re comfortable and relaxed. They’re enjoying the day and doing great. 
• Hard Stare – A hard stare means they’re concerned about something or want to give a warning that they’re going to react. Determine what they’re staring at to help them through this. 
• Avoiding Eye Contact – If a puppy is avoiding eye contact, they may be uncomfortable with the situation. Look around to see what might be making them uncomfortable and correct the issue. 
• Staring at their Owner, Tail Wagging – This is typically a sign that they’re focused and ready to work. This can be trained by using a treat to get them to focus on the person before being rewarded, but it is something that comes naturally to dogs, too. Use training to refine this behavior. 

Learn As They Grow

Puppies are going to continue learning as they grow, and this will be seen in their body language and behavior. Their owners will learn, too, as the puppy grows and gets older.

The owners will become better at predicting what the puppy is planning on doing, whether they’re happy or stressed, and more. The more time spent with the puppy, the easier it is to learn their unique ways of communicating as they grow.  The more time the humans in the family spend with the new puppy, the easier it will be for them to learn how to tell what the puppy is saying.

They’ll learn all the cues from the puppy and even create unique ways to interact together to tell each other what they want. Give it time and make sure the puppy is well cared for, and it’ll be easy for everyone to learn to understand their dog’s behavior. 

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