An Introduction to the Common Life Habits and Characteristics of Dogs

Dogs Have a Hierarchical Instinct

Dogs are naturally sociable animals, but within a group there is a clear hierarchy. In dog breeding farms, rural areas or suburban dog packs, there is always a top dog (usually an older dog) that dominates and governs the whole pack. How does a high-ranking or senior top dog demonstrate its hierarchical superiority? It usually uses the following specific actions to show it: for example, it is allowed to inspect another dog's reproductive organs while the other is not allowed to inspect its own; it does not permit the other to urinate where another dog has already urinated; the other may shake its head, wag its tail, act playful, or retreat, sit down or lie down in front of the top dog, and only when the top dog leaves may it stand up again; once the hierarchical superiority is clear, the hostile state disappears and they begin to become friends. Dogs also show the same postures toward their owners.

Dogs Have a Trait of Being Fond of and Interacting with People

Interacting with people is an innate habit of dogs, but its degree often depends on the degree of "imprinting" from contact with people at 3 to 7 weeks of age. If a dog spends its first two months only with its parents or other dogs and not with people, or does not truly gradually get to know people, then it will stay away from people for its whole life and be difficult to train. If it receives human affection from birth, this makes it realize that people are friends and playmates it can play with, and it becomes familiar with human scent, is friendly toward people, and is easy to train. When selecting and training dogs, paying attention to its imprinting stage is very important.

Dogs Have a Sense of Territory and Territorial Markings

Dogs, like other animals (such as felines, birds and rodents), all have a sense of territory, centering on themselves, marking out boundaries with their own scent, and frequently renewing them. A territory may belong to just one or two dogs, or to an entire dog pack. If an outside dog intrudes into a dog's territory, it acts very cautiously; if the territory owner (dog) comes, the intruder does not dare look at it, pretends to be busy with something else, avoids a fight with the territorial dog, and then leaves. So how does a dog mark its territory? It usually fixes certain points along the routes it normally travels. For example, when a male dog goes out for a walk, it always urinates a small amount at certain fixed tree trunks, under street lamps or in corners. One dog's scent can let another dog know this dog's territory, sex, age and health condition. Interestingly, when a small dog passes territorial traces left by a large dog, it will raise its hind legs as high as possible to urinate and cover the traces left by the large dog. And when a large male dog passes traces left by a small dog, it will urinate in a posture as low as possible below normal to cover the traces left by the small dog. But female dogs' sense of territory is not as obvious as that of male dogs; only during their estrus period do they use urine to mark territorial boundaries or route markers in order to tell nearby male dogs that they are in estrus. Ordinarily, female dogs do not guard their territory and their position in the dog pack the way male dogs do; female dogs only pay attention to protecting their own puppies, and many female dogs can always live together harmoniously, and can even nurse the puppies of other female dogs.

Dogs Have a Habit of Sniffing External Genitalia

The most important sense of dogs is smell. By sniffing each other's external genitalia, the part that best reflects emotions (the skin glands in this area can secrete a scent that is extremely alluring to dogs), they can identify the dog's sex, age, physical condition and attitude. When two dogs sniff each other, this is a statement of position. An older dog or top dog has the right to inspect the external genitalia of younger and lower-ranking male dogs, female dogs and puppies. When two dogs come into contact there is a certain procedure, namely first sniffing each other, then contacting the shoulder fur, and finally inspecting the external genitalia. Besides sniffing each other, both male and female dogs have the habit of frequently inspecting their own external genitalia and carefully licking them with their tongues to keep clean. This is dogs' hygiene and health care, and should not be opposed or scolded. When a dog frequently sniffs its anal area, it can be considered that the dog has discomfort and abnormal digestive function, and it should be examined or treated promptly.

Dogs Have a Habit of Mounting

Dogs of all ages and sexes engage in mounting behavior, but its purpose and expression are not the same. Mounting in puppies is a sign of happiness and playfulness, especially when the owner returns after being away for a period (such as leaving for work in the daytime and coming home in the evening), this action is often seen. Or when two young male dogs play together, mounting actions are also common; this is a sign of happiness, with no intent to mate. When adult male dogs show mounting there are two situations: one is to mate with a dog in estrus; the other is an attempt to establish their own superiority. Female dogs usually only allow male dogs to mount during the peak of estrus, and even when a female dog is flirting, she not only rubs her body against the male dog and stands with her tail raised, but the most stimulating thing is mounting the male dog; at this time, mating should take place immediately.

Dogs Have Extrasensory Perception

Many signs indicate that all animals transmit information through telepathy, and dogs even more so. The connections between dog and dog, human and dog, and dog and wild beast each have their own ways of transmission, either replacing information or refining sensory information. For example, dogs often treat cats with hostility, and dogs are very jealous of cats, but through people's various expressions and training, dogs come to understand the owner's affection for the cat and will coexist peacefully. A typical example of dogs' extrasensory perception is that before earthquakes and volcanic eruptions they have premonitions, running around outside and barking. Extrasensory perception can also direct dogs to identify direction, and they can find their way home from very far away, even after several years apart. When trained dogs carry out tasks, they can already analyze the meaning of the owner's command and perform their role well even before the owner has finished a simple gesture or a sentence. This is related to an inexplicable attraction that exists between human and dog in their joint activities--extrasensory perception--among the excellent training results obtained by an excellent dog trainer.