Displacement Behavior.
You may put this behavior off as being playful, but if you notice it consistently in similar situations, then perhaps it’s a displacement behavior.
What’s your coping mechanism? How do you deal with stress, fear, or anxiety? Some people chew their pen covers, some tap their feet on the ground, some scribble and make doodles on paper sheets, and others have stress balls that they squeeze. You can already tell that all these have to do with people, not dogs. But which of these behaviors would you consider odd?
Now, let’s imagine you are walking your dog in a park. Having had your dog, you know it can get startled easily, it’s a small, shy bichon frisé, and when it sees other dogs that are way bigger than it, it hides behind you. You can immediately tell it’s shy or scared. It may also start wagging its tail and sticking out its tongue on seeing another small cute bichon frisé, you can probably surmise that it’s excited to make a new friend. These are expected behaviors.
However, imagine that on seeing another dog or animal, or a passing jogger, the dog turns its head and, soon after, rolls on its back for some time. Wouldn’t you say that this is a little odd? You may put it off as the dog being playful or silly, but if you notice it consistently in similar situations, then perhaps it’s a displacement behavior it’s exhibiting when it’s anxious.
What are displacement behaviors?
Your dog behaving in an uncharacteristic way is a sign that it is going through an unpleasant or stressful occurrence. However, it is a displacement behavior when the dog behaves in a way that is out of context or in a way that you would consider odd for the occasion. When you notice this about your pet, it's time to pay more attention to these behaviors. Displacement behaviors are normal behaviors your dog exhibits when the occasion does not call for it.
These behaviors are usually signs of anxiety, stress, conflict avoidance, frustration, and uncertainty. Like the person who shakes their legs when anxious, displacement behaviors in dogs are not clear, conscious attempts at conscious communicating how they feel. Instead, the behaviors reflect the dog’s subconscious state.
If you pay more attention and get close and familiar with your dog, its disposition, body language, and behaviors, you will understand some of your dog’s subtle behaviors, know when they are exhibiting a displacement behavior, and correctly interpret them as if they were effectively communicating with you, and deal with the behaviors appropriately.
Instances of displacement behaviors in dogs.
Dogs often exhibit displacement behaviors when experiencing two conflicting emotions or motivations. For example, if you introduce your dog to another slightly larger dog, your dog may scratch the ground with its rear legs.
This may indicate conflicting emotions. Your dog may want to hide in fear of the new dog and, at the same time, attack the new dog. He can’t decide what to do at that moment and unconsciously defers to scratching, which has nothing to do with any conflicting emotions he feels. After some time, he may finally decide what to do and either hide or bark.
It’s Thanksgiving, and you’ve invited family and a few friends to your home for Thanksgiving dinner. However, as the guests begin to arrive and everyone begins to chatter away, some occasionally calling to the dog or trying to pet it, you notice that rather than your dog answering to paying any mind to them, he picks up his favorite toy and walks around with the toy in its mouth, shaking it in every direction.
This may be a displacement behavior in response to the anxiety the dog feels about having so many people in the house and the noise of the chatter, a situation he isn’t used to.
You may have also noticed many other normal behaviors that your dog exhibits, but in such out-of-place and out-of-context situations as yawning when it’s not tired or salivating when there’s no food or reason to be excited.
Other possible out-of-place or displacement behaviors may include:
Lip biting or licking
Shaking off fur when it’s not wet
Scratching the body
Hyperactivity
Mouthing
Self-grooming
A restlessness that results in humping around the place
Scattering things on their way
Nibbling
Twirling
Sniffing for nothing in particular.
Licking paws
Yawning
Tail wagging
Licking the genital area
Self-mutilation
Shows signs of timidity
Salivating non-stop
Continuous blinking
Widened eyes
Seeks attention
What to do about displacement behaviors.
The easiest way to go about helping your dog out of any stressful situation is to study your pet and know what triggers them so that you can avoid those situations as much as possible. Suppose the situations are situations that are impossible to avoid every time, such as anxiety in public. In that case, you should slowly introduce them to the situation, training them for it until they have enough confidence.
Don’t punish the behavior. You’ll only add to the dog’s anxiety or frustration by being hostile toward it. Instead, if they are showing signs of displacement, help them overcome it. Note that the behavior they are exhibiting results from the stress and tension they feel, so be nice.
Lastly, Watch out for the early signs of the particular displacement behavior your dog exhibits, and see how you can curtail it so it doesn't become a habit that they are used to. It would help if you fixed workable measures to help curb these displacement behaviors, so they don't end up harming people around them.
Final thoughts.
Dogs should be protected at all costs, being one of the favorite pets of man. If you own a dog, make sure they feel safe, and always take into cognizance their feelings at all times.
The dog should not be disturbed when in its own space. That should be a set rule that everyone should adhere to. If you notice that your dog feels threatened by something or someone’s presence, you should do your best to find a solution. In this best case, try and calm the dog, and make them aware that the person or thing isn’t as they perceived. However, in the worst case, you may have to distance the person or item from the dog.
If your dog exhibits a displacement behavior, rather than get angry, be calm and plan ways to help it out of the situation. And finally, pay more attention and learn about your dog and how it behaves.
So, how can you help your reactive dog?
Often times it is hard to figure out why your dog is acting this. We can’t really ask them why they are doing this. Because of this, it is important that we take a look at our whole dogs day. We need to understand that reactive behavior does not exist in a vacuum. It is the symptom of an underlying issue. Where else do they practice reactive and impulsive behavior?
Create a routine.
A good way to keep your dog grounded is by giving them a routine and structure. We may not know this, but dogs already know our routine. They know when we are preparing food. They know when it is time for bed and even when we are working.
So, when your dog starts acting out, and showing signs of fear and anxiety, you must create a very helpful routine. This routine should include activities your dog will like, such as walks, obedience training, calm time, games. Ultimately, the goal here is to give your dog a sense of that you have things under control and predicability to ground them.
Get help from an expert.
As much as we love our dogs, our judgment and capabilities may not be enough to help them. So, you can hire a trainer to help you deal with the reactive dog training. A professional would understand all the nuances of dog psychology and how to find the cause of the problem and fix it.
This way, your chances of a better-behaved dog increase.