Things That Break Your Dog's Heart

Written and verified by the lawyer Francisco María García

Last update: 22 December, 2022

If you have a pet at home, there are certain things that you probably shouldn’t do to him, even though you have the best intentions. Many times, you could be playing with your friend’s feelings without even realizing it. You could disappoint him and break his heart. It is important to moderate or avoid doing some things or actions in order to not hurt your friend’s heart.

The reward to the call

Many times you call your friend and he immediately responds. It’s important to give him a treat when he responds this way. The treat could be petting him. Giving a reward is the key to not breaking the animal’s heart. If you call him and give him a bath right after, and you know that he doesn’t like this activity, he will associate the call with something that isn’t satisfying. Under no circumstance should he be punished when he responds to your call.

Yelling

When a dog is still a puppy, it’s normal that he gets excited if people come to visit, so it’s not strange if he jumps on top of the guests. Even though this behavior cannot be tolerated, it is not recommended to yell. The best thing to do is ignore him and tell the guests not to allow this behavior. Give him attention only when he is still.

Rubbing his nose or snout

Some owners have the bad habit of rubbing their pet’s snout when he does something bad. An example would be if he does his business in the wrong spot. However, with this type of attitude, the dog will never learn and he will be sad. There are many other ways to teach and train him where to do his business.

Pulling on his leash

You should not allow your dog to pull on his leash too much. The owners should not do it either. If the dog does do it, it is recommended to stop and stand under a tree. Wait a moment, and when he looks, continue the walk. Doing this exercise various times will surely make him understand that every time that he behaves that way, the walk will stop.

If you are the one pulling on the leash too much, he could feel unusually violent, and he could react violently or feel sad and hurt.

Confinement

When your friend makes a mistake, he doesn’t need to be confined in a cage or room. That won’t lead anywhere, and he won’t learn anything from it. The ideal thing to do is teach and train through positive reinforcement.

It is very important that the animal assimilates what he learns. He most likely won’t understand that his confinement is due to his bad behavior, and therefore, it will not have served its purpose.

The daily walk

The daily walk is one of the things that your pet loves the most. Many dogs wait all day for the time to go out. They need to release their energy, so taking him out to walk or run is one of the main activities that you should do with him.

Punishing him by taking away his daily walk, besides being ridiculous, doesn’t do anything. On the contrary, one of the main reasons why an animal has behavior problems is that he doesn’t release his energy. Therefore, he needs to be walked to let go of his adrenaline.

Punishment for chewing

Dogs always have an uncontrollable desire to chew, especially when they are puppies. They must never be punished for doing it. Chewing is a necessity for them.

The best remedy is getting special toys for chewing and putting the things that should not be chewed in an inaccessible place. That way, they will focus their attention on the toys that they have within reach.

Breaking promises breaks their heart

If you want the animal to completely trust you, you cannot break promises or take back something that you said to him. If you tell him, “let’s go,” and he associates that phrase with his walk, you can’t cancel the walk afterwards. Besides becoming frustrated, the dog will stop trusting you little by little.

The same occurs with a treat. You can’t show him a cookie if you’re not going to give it to him or if you’re going to wait half an hour to give it to him. These types of actions will make the dog become untrusting, reserved, and less sociable.

It is crucial to make sure that you fulfill what you “promise” him.