More Kids’ Questions About Dogs
How do you teach a dog tricks when she doesn’t know any? Do dogs get bored? Do they dream? And what’s the deal with thunderphobia, anyway? The Dog Trainer answers 7 more kid questions about dogs.
Jolanta Benal, CPDT-KA, CBCC-KA
Listen
More Kids’ Questions About Dogs
Mighty Mommy Cheryl Butler, and her kids Annie, Brendan, and Brady, teamed up with me a little while back to get the skinny on some questions kids have about dogs. We had so much fun with the Q&A, we decided to do it again. This week, 7 more questions and answers about dog training, dog care, and dog behavior.>
Question #1
Our 9-year-old Black Lab, Molly, knows a few tricks like fetch, roll over, and speak. Gracie, our Pomeranian puppy, knows NOTHING! How can we get her to do a few tricks? (Annie Butler, age 7)
Answer
Different dogs are good at learning different things. I bet it would be easy to teach a little dog like Gracie to “sit pretty” – to sit up on her hind end with her front feet in the air.
Here’s how you do it: With Gracie sitting, hold a treat right between her eyes, an inch or two above her head. If she stretches her neck up to get it, say “Yes!” and give her the treat. Now hold the treat above her head again, and this time, watch her front feet. If even one of her front feet comes off the ground as she stretches up for the treat, say yes and give her the treat. It might take a couple of rounds of practice. That’s okay. Also, just do four or five reps each time. You don’t want to get bored and frustrated, and neither does Gracie! Pretty soon, though, she’ll probably figure out that she needs to sit up tall with both front feet in the air.
Now you can tell her “Sit pretty!” right before you hold the treat over her head. Be patient, and she’ll learn what to do when she hears you say it. After she’s had lots of practice, you can stop holding the treat over her head and just give it to her after she does her trick. Thank you, Gracie!
My friend Bob Ryder explains how to teach dogs to sneak up on things and to jump through a hoop. You can try those tricks with Gracie, too.
How come dogs who know their names don’t come when called at the dog park?
Question #2
Our dogs definitely know their names, but how come when we take them to the dog park and let them run around, they won’t come when we call their names? (Brendan Butler, age 13)
Answer
It’s probably because they’re so excited and interested in everything that’s going on at the dog park. It’s the same as when you’re playing a game and you don’t exactly hear your parents calling you.
Dogs pretty much just want to have fun, so a good way to get them to come when you call them is to make coming to you fun. Call them to you at home or in your backyard, and give them a treat or play a game when they come. You can play “Round Robin,” with three or four kids calling each dog one at a time. Treats for coming when called!
By the way, I did a whole episode on teaching dogs to come when called. You can check that out for more ideas.
Question #3
Do dogs get bored? We buy Molly new toys all the time, but she has no interest. Is there something we can do to keep her excited? (Brady Butler, age 10)
Answer
Yep, dogs get bored. And they really like some action with their toys. They want to play with a human or with a dog friend. Or they want to tear the toy into tiny pieces. Or they want to get food out of the toy, which is what some toys are made for. Some dogs do just like chewing on a particular toy, or carrying it around the way Gracie likes to carry a ball that you throw.
Anyway, you don’t need to buy Molly new toys all the time. Pick a couple that you can play with together, and use those. Or check out some toys that dogs can knock around or chew to get food out of them. They can make Molly’s dinner a whole lot more fun for her. (One of your parents should keep an eye on things at first, to make sure she and Gracie won’t fight over them!) If Molly likes to shred toys, pick up some old stuffed animals at a garage sale. Choose ones that are stuffed with fiber, not with pellets, and take off any hard decorations – then let Molly rip ’em up to her heart’s content.
Question #4
Do dogs play favorites? Our dog Gracie seems to favor our mom. She loves all of us and is so happy to see us when we get home from school, but when my mom’s around, she really wants to be with her more than anyone else. (Brendan Butler, age 13)
Answer
I have an answer, but since we can’t ask Gracie herself, it’s just a guess. Dogs are usually the most attached to whoever takes them on the most walks, gives them the most attention, delivers the meals, and teaches them things. So, if that’s your mom, it could explain why Gracie likes her best.
But also, you know how some people seem to have tons of good friends, some people get along well with everybody but just have a few close friends, and some people are so shy they hardly talk to anyone at all. Dogs are different from each other socially, too. Some dogs bond really hard to one or two people, and it’s not always obvious why they chose that person. Gracie might have the strongest attachment to your mom even if somebody else is her main caretaker.
There’s a sad version of this too. If one person in a household is mean to the dog or acts scary, the dog might also pay the most attention to that person. People who are mean to dogs always seem to think the dog respects them, but really the dog is probably just keeping a sharp eye on them the way all of us keep a sharp eye on somebody we’re scared of. Of course, I know that’s not the case with your mom.
Question #5
I’d love to know if dogs dream like people do. We’ve noticed Molly and Gracie moving around or sometimes whimpering, even their tails wag sometimes when they’re asleep! (Annie Butler, age 7)
Answer
Sleeping dogs have brainwaves like ours. And they have “rapid eye movement” sleep, REM sleep, which is when they move and make sounds. Many dogs move their feet as if they were running. My dog sometimes barks in his sleep, but I don’t think he wakes himself up!
Anyway, if you wake up a person in the middle of REM sleep, they will often tell you they were dreaming. Since dogs have REM sleep and look and sound as if they were dreaming, it’s a pretty good bet that they dream too. But are they just chasing squirrels and playing with us, or are doggy dreams as weird as human dreams? Nobody knows, and the dogs aren’t saying!
Question #6
We had a really bad thunderstorm last week. Both of the dogs went nuts. This happens during 4th of July season too. The dogs usually protect us, like watch dogs, but when these loud noises happen, they seem afraid. Is this normal? (Brady Butler, age 10)
Answer
It’s not exactly abnormal. Storms can be very dangerous for animals living outside the way dogs used to do. So it makes sense to hide from them. As for fireworks, they sound like cracks of thunder, and of course dogs don’t know it’s just a celebration going on.
But many dogs are like Gracie and Molly – they get desperately scared even though they’re safe inside. You can ask your vet about medication to help them feel calmer during storms and fireworks. If there’s a room in your house that doesn’t have windows, your dogs might want to hide in it. That’s okay.
Someone might tell you that you shouldn’t comfort a scared dog. They’re mistaken. Don’t act scared yourself, but if Gracie and Molly want to be near you and seem to feel better if you talk to them softly or pet them, go ahead.
See also: Dogs and Thunderstorms
Question #7
Gracie has a crate, but we only use it when she’s hyper. Should we still use her crate for other times as well? (Brendan Butler, age 13)
Answer
Sometimes dogs get hyper because they’re wound up and overtired, just like little kids, and then it can help to put them to bed in their crate. Sometimes dogs, especially young dogs, are hyper because they’re not getting enough exercise, and in that case it’s kind of unfair to crate them. If Gracie’s getting enough exercise, but you sometimes need to crate her because you’re housetraining her, or maybe you have a guest who’s afraid of dogs, that’s okay. Do make sure, though, that her crate is a comfortable place for her to hang out – someplace she likes to be. I explain how in my episode on crate training.
For more about teaching and living with your dog, check out my book, The Dog Trainer’s Complete Guide to a Happy, Well-Behaved Pet. I’m The Dog Trainer on Facebook, and you can also write to me at dogtrainer@quickanddirtytips.comcreate new email. I welcome your comments and suggestions, and though I can’t reply individually, I may use them as the basis for future articles. Thanks for reading!
Dog Running and Dog Sleeping images from Shutterstock
About the Author
Jolanta holds professional certifications in both training and behavior counseling and belongs to the Association of Professional Dog Trainers and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. She also volunteered with Pet Help Partners, a program of the Humane Society of the United States that works to prevent pet relinquishment. Her approach is generally behaviorist (Pavlovian, Skinnerian and post-Skinnerian learning theory) with a big helping of ethology (animal behavior as observed in non-experimental settings).