"My dog went to the toilet on my bed because I went out"
"My dog ripped up the couch because I didn't take him for a walk"
"My dog started digging up my favourite plant because I wasn't giving him attention when I had friends over"
Well, prepare for your bubble to be burst. Revenge is actually more complicated than you might think. According to Stephen Beckerman, a Penn State anthropologist. “Revenge is a desire to not just punish the culprit, but to change his mind, to make him see -- if only in his death throws -- that he was wrong.”
So, it may be giving a bit too much credit to think Woofy has intentionally waited for you to go out, storing his bowel movements to cleverly release at an opportune time, just to really annoy you.
The more likely answer is that the dog didn't have adequate access to an appropriate place to go to the toilet, or hasn't been properly trained to understand where and where is not an appropriate place to go. Dog's noses are super sensitive, so if they have urinated inside before (on the carpet, particularly), even after a spray and scrub with a towel, they can still pick up that scent and therefore re-offend in the same place.
Similarly, other destructive behaviours are more likely going to be a reaction to something else - boredom, frustration, lack of obedience/training, behaving in line with a genetic predisposition - see previous blog titled "Understanding a dogs breed".
It's important to look at all the factors that can be at play - has the environment changed? Is the dog in any pain/discomfort? Was there anything happening outside (fireworks, a party next door, the neighbours introducing a new pet) that could impact the dog's sensory environment?
If you're not sure what could have changed or how to overcome the undesireable behaviour, contact us at info@k9evolution.com.au.
At least you can sleep a little safer knowing Woofy isn't going to bite you in your sleep because you didn't share the last Tim Tam.
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