What We're Really Researching About Our Dogs

Somewhere between the 2am worry spiral and a lazy Sunday afternoon curiosity, most dog owners have typed something into Google that starts with: “Why does my dog…”

A dog's behaviour at any moment is influenced by how they are feeling physically and emotionally, what they have experienced before and what is happening around them now.

Research increasingly supports what behaviourists see every day: stress can affect how dogs think, learn and respond to the world around them (Blackwell et al., 2010; Sulonen et al., 2024). Even their relationship with us can influence how they cope with stressful situations (Büttner et al., 2023).

In other words, behaviour does not happen in isolation.

So what are people really Googling about their dogs, and what might an animal behaviourist say?

“Why do dogs eat grass?”

This is one of the classic dog questions, and it is a perfect example of how behaviour is often more complicated than one simple answer. The reality is that grass eating can happen for many different reasons. Some dogs simply enjoy it. Dogs are not strict carnivores, and many naturally investigate and consume plant material. It can be part of normal exploratory behaviour. Some dogs may enjoy the sensory experience. The smell, texture and taste can all be rewarding.

However, increased or excessive grass eating can sometimes be linked to other factors, including gastrointestinal discomfort, malnutrition and nausea. If a dog suddenly begins eating large amounts of grass, particularly alongside changes in appetite, restlessness, repeated swallowing, lip licking or other unusual behaviours, it is worth a trip to the vet. 

“Why does my dog lick me?”

Licking is one of those behaviours that humans often interpret emotionally. “They love me” or “They're saying sorry”. Sometimes, yes, licking can be part of social bonding. Dogs use licking within social interactions, and many dogs quickly learn that licking humans produces a response. But licking can mean different things depending on the context.

A relaxed dog licking your hand while seeking interaction is very different from a dog repeatedly licking themselves, the floor, furniture or people in a frantic or repetitive way. Licking can also be an appeasement gesture or a way of asking for space, something that is easily mistaken for affection or social interaction. Context and the dog's wider body language are really important.

Excessive licking can sometimes be associated with anxiety, stress, frustration, gastrointestinal discomfort, pain or compulsive behaviour patterns. The behaviour itself is not the diagnosis. We need to understand what is driving it.

Google can be an incredibly useful place to start but the difficulty is that searching a single behaviour, such as “dog licking”, cannot always capture the full context of an individual dog. What happened immediately beforehand? What does the rest of the dog's body look like? Is the behaviour new or has it suddenly increased? These additional details are often what help us understand what the licking might actually mean.

“Why has my dog started peeing in the house?”

A previously house-trained dog does not usually suddenly decide to “forget” their training. Changes in toileting can be linked to urinary problems, pain, age-related changes, stress, fear or changes in routine. This is why sudden changes should be approached with curiosity rather than blame. A dog who urinates indoors is not thinking, “I know the rules, but I've decided not to follow them.” Something has changed. Our job is to work out what.

“Why is my dog suddenly scared of something?”

This is one of the most common behavioural questions I receive.

Owners often say: 

“He was fine before.”

“This came out of nowhere.” 

“He used to love walks.” 

“He suddenly started barking at dogs.”

But behaviour rarely appears from nowhere. Sometimes something obvious has happened: a frightening event, a painful experience or a bad interaction. Dogs learn through association. Their brains are  constantly gathering information about what predicts what. If a dog experiences discomfort while another dog approaches, they may begin to associate approaching dogs with feeling unsafe. If a dog is badly frightened by a sudden bang outside, the nervous system may remain more sensitive for a period afterwards.

Imagine someone suddenly jumps out and gives you a really bad fright. Even once you realise you're completely safe, your heart may still be racing and your body remains on high alert. For a while afterwards, a door slamming or someone unexpectedly walking up behind you might make you jump much more than usual. The door or the person isn't necessarily the problem. Your nervous system simply hasn't fully settled after the original fright. Dogs can experience something similar.

This is why a dog's reaction can sometimes look sudden or unpredictable. In reality, it often isn't sudden at all. It may be the visible result of a physical or emotional process that we simply could not see. Understanding this helps us recognise that behaviour is rarely “out of nowhere”. Sometimes the dog's nervous system simply hasn't had time to fully recover.

“Why does my dog bark at dogs, people or absolutely nothing?”

Barking is one of the behaviours humans find most frustrating, but from the dog's perspective it is a very effective communication tool.

Dogs bark because barking works.

Sometimes it creates distance. Sometimes it gets attention. Sometimes it expresses excitement, frustration, fear or uncertainty.

A dog lunging and barking at another dog may look aggressive, but the behaviour we see is only the outward response. The emotion came first.

This is why simply suppressing barking can be problematic. If we stop the noise without understanding why the dog was barking, we may have changed what the dog does without changing how they feel.

Research comparing aversive and reward-based training methods has raised significant welfare concerns around aversive approaches (de Castro et al., 2020). Positive training experiences, by contrast, have been associated with reduced stress and improved learning and memory (Vasconcellos et al., 2016; Affenzeller et al., 2016).

If a dog is overwhelmed, our first question should not always be: “How do I make them obey?” Sometimes it should be: “Are they actually in a state where they can learn?”

“Why does my dog follow me everywhere?”

Many owners laugh about their dog being a “Velcro dog”, but this question can be more complicated than it first appears. Some dogs simply enjoy being close to their people. Dogs are social animals, and proximity can be rewarding.

The relationship between humans and dogs can have measurable physiological and psychological effects for both species (Beetz et al., 2012). Research also suggests that, for some dogs, the presence of a familiar owner can influence the stress response (Büttner et al., 2023). So wanting to be near you is not automatically a problem.

The more useful question is:

“Can my dog relax when I am not available?”

A dog who chooses to follow you but can happily settle elsewhere is very different from a dog who cannot cope when separated.

Are we affecting our dogs more than we realise?

This is always a slightly uncomfortable question for owners because people often hear it as blame. It isn't. You did not “cause” your dog's anxiety because you had a stressful day. But dogs are remarkably good at gathering information from us. Research has shown that human-animal interactions can influence stress-related physiological processes (Beetz et al., 2012). Dogs may also respond to human stress odours, with evidence suggesting that these odours can alter canine cognition and judgement bias (Parr-Cortés et al., 2024). This doesn't mean you need to be calm every second of every day. Nobody could live like that.

It simply means our dogs are watching, smelling, listening and learning from the environment we share with them. The relationship works both ways. We affect them.They affect us.

If dogs could Google back...

The internet loves imagining what dogs would search if they had thumbs:

“How to get a second breakfast.”

“How many dinners is too many dinners?” 

“Can cheese be considered a complete diet?” 

“Why does my human spell W-A-L-K like I can't spell?”

“Best hiding places for half a dead pigeon.” 

But underneath the jokes is something quite lovely. We Google our dogs because we are trying to understand them. And they spend their lives trying to understand us too.