Book Club:
Why Is My
Dog Doing That?
By Gwen Bailey
Gwen Bailey is the author of the UK’s
biggest-selling dog behaviour book of the
last 10 years – The Perfect Puppy – and
is also the author of the popular ‘What
Is My Dog Thinking?’. She was the head So good to see you!to see you!
of Animal Behaviour for The Blue Cross Lots of tail wagging and exuberance welcome
and spent 15 years as Chairman of The this owner home. She has crouched down
Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors. to put herself at face level with the dogs,
As well as lecturing at national and removing the need for them to jump up to
international conferences, Gwen also get close to her face. Excitement and frantic
runs training courses for staff at animal activity, with lots of happy tail wagging,
charities around the world and is the accompany the greeting and show the
owner of The Puppy School, a network of importance of their human family to these
professional dog trainers across the UK. dogs.
Extract taken from ‘Why is My Dog Doing Nice to meet you
That?’ by Gwen Bailey, published by Hamlyn, These two dogs are relaxed about
available from www.octopusbooks.co.uk encountering other dogs, so meet nose to
nose. By sniffi ng the breath and face of the
SOCIAL ETIQUETTE
other, they can tell a lot about their state
of health, what they have been eating and
Strange greetings
where they have been. The black dog is less
Dogs are highly social animals and enjoy
at ease and raises his tail to make himself
relationships with other dogs and humans,
look bigger – just in case she gets diffi cult!
but their ways of meeting and greeting are
very different from how we would say hello.
Who are you?
Trusted friends are greeted with exuberant
Sniffi ng bottoms may
enthusiasm and excitement. Even a short
seem unpleasant to
absence can result in a truly ecstatic
humans but it
greeting that is one
provides dogs
of the characteristics
with a valuable source of
of dogs that owners
information. Their sense of smell is
fi nd most appealing.
highly developed (see pages 38–41)
Strangers are treated
and they can fi nd out lots about a new
with more reserve
arrival by sniffi ng. The bottom is a
and caution and are
good place to start, as scent glands
subjected to a lot of
are located here and it is away from
investigation to fi nd out
the head end, which may bite!
if they are friend or foe.
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