So, your dog usually gets into a fight with some dogs at the park, or he barks at the neighbor’s dog, and you are curious to know why he does so; maybe he senses danger around them, perhaps he doesn’t like them, or perhaps he has a grudge for them. There can be multiple reasons for it, but we are here to discuss whether dogs hold grudges or not.
Dogs are the best friends of humans, and I know you have heard that a person’s friends are his real identity. We all know that nobody holds grudges more than humans do. So let’s find out if we influence our best friends in this case and how to address them if they do have a grudge:
“Grudges” Are Negative Experiences
Remember the time when one of your classmates bullied you or insulted you in front of the whole class? If I ask you about that incident, you will recall it with the exact same words he told, what day it was, and every other little detail. This behavior and reaction are what we call a grudge, to remember the wrong words or things somebody did to us.
On the other hand, your little pet’s memory is not that strong to recall an old incident, which broke him apart. By this, I don’t mean that he doesn’t get hurt or remember negative experiences; I am just saying that he forgets hurtful incidents soon after they happen.
Dogs do have a solid relative memory. By relative memory, I mean that he knows about places and persons; he knows which person was nice to him once and which person was terrible to him. He even remembers the incidents he had in a specific place or park.
This is the reason why he acts calm and comfortable at home and in front of you while angry at a specific place or with a particular person because he knows who they are and what they did.
All these negative emotions mentioned above can be labeled as a grudge. So yeah, dogs do hold a grudge but under specific conditions.
How To Find Out If Your Dog Is Holding A Grudge?
Dogs are one of the most loyal and lovely animals on the planet. If you throw stones at him for ten days and feed him on the 11th day, on the 12th day, he will be at your way welcoming you in the neighborhood.
Still, dogs can be associated with negative feelings, which can lead to a grudge. Below mentioned are some of the signs that your dog is holding a grudge for something or somebody:
- Ears drew back
- Tail stretched in between the legs
- Snoring and gasping
- Vibrating or shivering
- Whimpering and hiding from a particular person or place
These signs does not always mean that your dog is holding a grudge for someone; some other emotions can also draw these signs. Some other signs of distress in a dog are barking unusually and running here and there without stopping.
Grudge With Fellow Dogs
Just for a second, let’s go back to the situation I mentioned above, your dog had a fight with your neighbor’s dog at the park, and now he growls and barks every time he sees that dog.
Your dog considers your neighbor’s dog as an enemy even if he doesn’t remember why. That dog has a negative image in your pet’s mind, and that image triggers his emotions whenever he sees him.
It does not exactly mean that your dog is holding a grudge against him; this poor creature is just responding to the negative image he has in his mind, even without knowing why he is doing so.
Grudge With Humans
Do you know why your dog is not ready to accept your partner since you got married? He growls and barks awkwardly whenever he sees both of you sitting or lying together in a bed.
This is less of a grudge and more of jealousy; yeah, you heard that right! Dogs do get jealous whenever they see their owner giving attention to something else and ignoring them.
Your little friend does not hold a grudge for your partner. He is just not habitual of seeing your partner around. He just negatively impacted your partner in his mind that your partner decreased his value and amount of attention and changed your routine and the whole house.
All these situations can trigger certain emotions in your dog and result in a sudden change in his behavior, eating schedule as well as his health. To bring your dog out of this jealousy and grudge, you must make sure that he considers your partner or anybody else as lovely and not his enemy.
How To Deal With A Dog’s Grudge
One thing to remember here is that the grudge in dogs is not as complicated to deal with as humans; dogs aren’t as self-centered and arrogant as humans. So, a simple act of kindness towards them will make you the hero of their universe.
Against Your Partner
If your dog is not ready to accept your partner and showing rude behavior towards him, ask your partner to kiss him, cuddle with him, give him full attention, and unexpected treats.
A nice meal from your partner’s hand would be enough for your dog to forget all their differences and be friends with your partner.
Against Other Dogs
If your dog acts uncomfortable and irritated around other dogs, closely notice why he is doing so. Sometimes dogs do feel grudge and jealousy if any other dog intrudes their territory, comes in their room, sits at their seat, or eats from their bowl. Make sure that the visiting dog does not do any of these.
If, due to other reasons, your dog hates your neighbor’s or other dogs at the park, take him to the park more often, make him play with those dogs, and make sure that they all eat together. It will definitely be the start of their friendship.
Grudge for a specific place
It is expected that dogs feel uncomfortable at a particular place or area; it can be an area of your home, garden, or park where they had any bad experience. Whenever you take them to those places where they feel uncomfortable, make sure to hold them in your hands and rub them gently in the back to make them calm.
Make them feel that you are with them and they are absolutely safe at that place. It will surely help them to forget all their bad associations with the site and remove their grudge.
