Dogs like most animals have one goal, which is to survive. When man domesticated the dog we removed their need to look for shelter, hunt for their dinner or worry about who is mating with who. But they still maintain their need to survive in many ways.

When some dogs are approached by a stranger or a dog it does not know, they go into how is this going to affect my survival mode. The dog may react by giving a general warning bark, implying that, hey ! I see you and I don’t know you so keep your distance. Some dogs may bark and growl furiously, meaning hey! I see you and don’t even think twice about getting in my space. And then there are the dogs who act all tuff, then revert to acting like a puppy, really happy to see you but please don’t hurt me.

On the other side of the coin, there are the dogs that love every person and dog they meet, how they see survival is everyone gets along with each other, which keeps life simple, and happy. The next time that you run into a dog that seems unreasonable, think about their motivation and don’t approach another dog unless you have owner’s permission.

Jeffrey Snipe is a guest blogger and newest trainer at Paws Applause. If you would like to learn more, schedule a training, or suggest a blog topic, please email Jeffrey at underdogk9.js@gmail.com