Why does a dog do anything?

A lot of resentment in a dog-human relationship starts from humans looking at dog behaviour through a human lens rather than a dog one.

“I don’t understand why they have to do that to me!”

“They did it because they are mad at me!”

“They’re just being an asshole for no reason, so embarrassing!”

Dogs are really clever, but also pretty simple creatures. Generally, anything they do is to benefit themselves. This might not always be immediately obvious, but if we dig in we can usually find the (or often multiple) canine motivations.

This could include:

Acquiring a resource - eg they broke into the kitchen and ate the Christmas chicken because it would be delicious.

Protecting a resource - eg they don’t want anyone taking their food, so they’re guarding it from others.

Keeping themselves safe from a real or perceived danger - eg I barked at that scary dog and they gave me a wide berth, keeping me safe.

Meeting another want or a need - eg they were full of energy and bored so they chewed up your new outdoor table.

When we understand that dogs aren’t doing these problematic behaviours TO us, rather they are dogs doing dog things that benefit them in some way, it’s much easier to keep a clear, logical head in addressing these challenges and make real progress in building a stronger relationship.