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Dogs are great companions, but let’s be honest. Humans can be quite confused. We have strange habits, unpredictable emotions, and social rules that make no sense from a dog’s perspective. For a moment, we laugh. Next time, we are upset and hope they will catch up. Dogs do their best to understand us, but much of our actions can confuse them or tilt their heads in adorable confusion. No matter how baffling we are, they love us anyway, no matter how we think we are a little strange!
Use too many different commands for the same action
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Dogs thrive with consistency, but human? Not that much. One day you might say “come” the next day “here”, and you throw “ride here” in order to mix things up. To you, these words all mean the same thing, but for your dog, they are completely different commands. When your puppy doesn’t respond as expected, it’s not because they’re ignoring you. That’s because they really don’t know what you want. Sticking on one simple command per action makes life easier for a confused dog.
I hope they understand the time
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You tell your dog, “We’ll go for a walk in five minutes,” but for them, that absolutely means nothing. Dogs don’t have the concept of minutes or time like humans, so they stare at you, waiting for that magical walk to happen now. When you leave the house and say “I’ll be back soon,” they don’t have a clue whether that means in 10 minutes or 10 hours. Their sense of time is based on cues from everyday and environment, leaving them in a state of tail-waving chaos.
I’m hugging too much
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For humans, embrace is a sign of love and affection. For many dogs, they are an uncomfortable, somewhat terrifying invasion of personal spaces. When you wrap your arms in your dog, they may tolerate it, but it does not come naturally to them. In the dog world, leaning or placing your legs on another dog can be a sign of domination rather than affection. Therefore, when the puppy squeezes tightly, don’t be surprised if it is difficult to swing with a purely confused look on it.
Change the rule without warning
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One day, your dog is allowed on the sofa. The next day you’re jumping up and olding them. Yesterday you chewed them your dinner, but today you suddenly decided that no object gginging was allowed. Dogs don’t understand these sudden changes in rules, and it completely confuses them. They thrive in consistency, so when their humans continue to change their playbooks, they don’t know what is expected of them. If you need a well-behaved dog, it’s important to stick to the same rules every day.
Talk to them as if they understand all the words
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We love chatting with dogs, talking about our day, and asking deep philosophical questions. But as much as they love the sound of our voices, they don’t understand the perfect sentence. They take up tones, keywords, and body language, but when they start a monologue on why you shouldn’t chew furniture, they are probably just thinking about dinner. Keeping commands short and using consistent phrases makes it easier for them to understand what you mean.
Gives body language and mixed signals
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Dogs rely heavily on body language, but are they human? We are everywhere. You might ask your dog to call while standing stiffly with your arms crossed. Or maybe he jumped up and old them. When our words and body language don’t match, dogs get confused about what we want. Learning to pay attention to your posture and signals will help you to make communication more clear.
Ignore their scent-based communication
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Dogs experience the world primarily through their noses, but we humans tend to overlook this completely. When your dog stops sniffing a patch of grass for 5 minutes, they read an informational novel, but you panic them. When they smell new people, they get to know them in ways we never could. By rushing and pulling them apart, they essentially separate them from their social media versions. Sniffing them freely is one of the best ways to keep them mentally stimulated and happy.
Walk them when you’re in a hurry
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Dogs don’t see walking as just an exercise. They are the version of checking the news, socializing, and embracing the world. But they get confused as you rush them and pull the strings while they’re deep into the sniffing session. For them, it’s like closing the book before the final chapter, when all the scent tells the story and shortens their investigation. We may have a strict schedule, but the dogs don’t understand why their walks suddenly turned into races, I wonder if they’re in a hurry.
Using baby talk…and then getting serious
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At one moment you spurt over your dog with the best pitch possible, “Who’s a good boy? You!” Next, suddenly switch to a serious tone, “No! That Stop biting!” This dramatic change in the energy of the voice can be confusing for dogs who rely on tone as much as words. They love your excited voice, but the rapid change in mood makes you feel certain of what you want. To them, it may seem like humans are dividing their personality. The moment, the next moment, the sc.
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Dogs don’t care about their readers, but sometimes we behave like we should magically understand what we want. If you are not sitting when you first ask, repeat the command loudly, as if the volume is clearly equal. If they don’t keep up with the new tricks anytime soon, we’ll be in a hurry. However, dogs learn through repeated, consistency, positive reinforcement, and not a sudden explosion of frustration. If they’re confused, that’s because we’re not communicating in a way that makes sense to them.
I hope they share their food
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Dogs don’t have the same social dining rules as humans. We may share meals with friends, but dogs see food as a personal, high value resource. Don’t be surprised if you try to steal food from your dog or expect to “share” with another pet. That’s not because they’re aggressive. That’s because in their world, food should be protected. Respecting their mealtime space helps prevent unnecessary stress.
Get mad at them to act like a dog
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Roll dog bark, digs, sniff bats, smelly stuff and chase squirrels. That’s who they are. However, humans often get annoyed when dogs exhibit completely natural behavior. Even if their instincts say it’s a good idea, we tell them not to bare strangers. We old them to dig them, despite it being wired to do. To expect them to act like small, furry humans only leads to confusion and our frustration for them.
They wear outfits that they didn’t approve
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We love dressing up dogs in adorable outfits, but let’s be authentic. Most people don’t know what’s going on. At one moment, they live their best lives, and the next time they wear hot dog costumes and wonder where it didn’t work. Some dogs endure clothes, but others find it uncomfortable or confusing. If your puppy stares “help” every time you pull out clothes on you, it may be time to rethink their wardrobe.
Going home with the smell of another dog
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You go outside, meet another dog, give them some head putts, and go home as if nothing happened. But your dog knows. They sniff you and they detect betrayal. They may obsessively sniff you, give you a side eye or jealous for the rest of the day. They don’t understand the concept of “I was just petting my friend’s dog,” but they know you were around another dog and they’re always endorsed. Not that.
I stare at them while they poop
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Dogs often make nasty eye contact while they are in business, and we sometimes return favors. They stare at us for security reasons, but they don’t really understand why we look at them so enthusiastically. In their world, bathroom time is private business, and your unwavering gaze can be a bit unsettling. If they seem confused or hesitate to go while you stare, they may be wondering why their humans make things so strange.
Daily dog confusion is recorded
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Dogs may not understand everything we do, but they love us anyway. Whether they are confused by mixed signals, inconsistent rules, or mere strange human behavior, they remain faithful and tolerant. They may tilt their heads in confusion, show a look of pure confusion, or sigh and move on. Despite all our strange habits, our dogs are stuck with us. Because at the end of the day all they want is love, everyday, and a little patience. And maybe there are fewer hot dog costumes.
