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I saw this video circulated on Facebook earlier. Maybe best watched with the sound turned off because of the canned laughter
What's your take on this dog's behaviour? Guarding a bone from someone else is one thing, but mistaking your own leg for a threat? Apparently this was on 'America's Funniest Videos' but I find it quite disturbing. My best (but probably not very good) guess is that the dog is very stressed because he has the bone, needs a scratch, and is then redirecting as a reflex action.
Without even clicking the link I know the video you're referring to, and I agree, it's pretty disturbing. Your interpretation makes sense to me, my own impression was that since dogs, like people, can have neurological disturbances, I thought it might be something along those lines. Either way, not funny at all.
I also can't stand those "guilty pet" vids or the "dog doesn't want a bath" clips. I refuse to watch them, because they always feature animals who are very unhappy, and ignorant owners who don't give a damn about their distress and often make it much much worse.
"America's Funniest Home Videos" - yeah, saw a different clip years ago that was clearly dog abuse and I can't think about it to this day without wanting to sob and scream at whoever was filming it and everyone laughing at the torture
So I didn't watch the clip. But just wanted to say that this forum is the best community ever - so refreshing to have a core of folks working on thinking of things from the dog's perspective!
Saw it some years ago and it makes me feel sick that people think it's "funny" and don't realise the dog is ill. Same with a dog youtube that so many people sent me where a dog is being teased off-camera and a so-funny voiceover has been added ho ho.
Like ScarletSci, I have a deep loathing of the 'let's laugh at the dog' youtubes, and I know if anyone sends me an email entitled 'this is hilarious' it won't be.
gwd wrote:
JudyN wrote:but I find it quite disturbing.
Even more disturbing were the comments. .........some days I have little hope for humanity.
Yessssss.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog
I've discussed this with psychologists at length (they are people psychologists but also dog people!)... the general conclusion is probably a neurological disorder, like if not actually identical to 'alien hand syndrome' (which might not be called that now!)..
Basically the brains wired up a bit wrong and the limb in question acts in the opposite way to that which th ebody wants (I think the other name for this syndrom is 'anarchic hand' ) - so in humans you'd see them doing up a shirt, and the anarchic hand is undoing it or slapping the other hand away.
Or they could be opening a cupboard door and as fast s they open it, the anarchic hand slaps it closed again.
Another possible answer is that the dog has some pain in his jaw, he adores (and is probably a resource guarder) bones but they make his jaw hurt which he attempts to remedy by scratting with his foot - because of the proximity of people he wants to growl at them but as with many resource guarders he has learned he must not so he redirects onto his own foot, which doesnt result in punishment becuase the humans find it funny...
