Dogs Who Don’t Fully Trust Their Owners Usually Do 7 Things Quite Often
Maria Galutva | Shutterstock Dogs and their owners need mutual trust to have a healthy relationship. Unfortunately, dogs can't tell their owners when they don't fully trust them, at least not with words.
Owners need to start paying attention to their pup's personality, which also means understanding how they communicate. Dogs will tell you whether they trust you based on how they behave.
Things dogs will do often when they don't fully trust their owners:
1. Avoid making contact
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If a dog is constantly looking away when you try to make contact with them, it usually means they don’t trust you. Contact doesn’t just include eye contact. It also includes you trying to pet them.
If they try to look away from you every time you come near, it shows they don’t find you comforting. Petting a dog usually makes them feel loved and safe with their owner. They don’t want to be touched by someone if they don’t see them as a source of comfort. And if they find you unsafe, eye contact will only make them uncomfortable.
2. Growl when their owner is near their toys
Although dogs can’t talk, their signals aren’t always silent. Sometimes they’ll growl to show how they’re feeling. If they do this every time you're around their toys, they don't trust you.
Say you go to grab her favorite rubber ball. An untrusting dog would growl to scare you away so you don’t take it. This habit usually stems from training methods where people use negative reinforcement to teach a dog to behave.
If you’re trying to get your dog to trust you, try giving her more resources than you’re taking away. It’ll show them that you’re not out there to harm them. You just need them to behave better.
3. Lick their lips
When I first found out about this habit, I found it pretty odd. Then I remembered the nervous habit a lot of people have. A lot of people will also lick or bite their lips as a nervous habit when they're uncomfortable or stressed.
A dog licking their lips tells you more than just their stress levels. It also signals they're physically uncomfortable. They might be dehydrated, or their mouth could be irritated. Nausea could also be the reason your dog keeps licking their lips.
Whatever the case, if an owner ignores their signal and doesn't help stop their discomfort, a dog stops trusting that person to take care of them. They'll keep doing this every time you're around because they're still in pain and stressed out about who will take care of their needs.
4. Try to make themselves smaller
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A dog's body language is the best place to look if you’re trying to see how he's feeling. It communicates how anxious a dog is based on how big or small they make themselves. When they’re feeling nervous, they’ll make themselves smaller by tucking their tail between their legs or flattening their ears.
If your dog consistently does this, he probably doesn’t trust you, or he wouldn’t be so scared. Sometimes dogs will do this when you’re out in public or in a rush. It can be really frustrating when they’re trying to stop and make themselves look smaller if you need to get somewhere quickly.
As late as it might make you, it’s still worth stopping and listening to their signal. Continuing to ignore a tucked tail or flattened ears will tell them that you’re not listening to their signal. That lack of communication harms an owner/pet relationship even more.
5. Have an accident in the house
The ways animals interact with each other influence how they act. One interaction animals commonly have to deal with is coming across different animals that could hurt them. When this happens, they'll try to show who's boss. When the other animal in that interaction knows it’s weaker, they’ll send a signal to show they surrender. The dog version of showing they're not a threat is by peeing on the floor.
Now that dogs don’t live in the woods, they think of a loud noise or harsh tone as a threat. If you find your dog peeing in your house all the time, it’s probably a sign they don’t trust you. It’s tempting to get mad at a dog for peeing in your house because it could damage your things. Still, an angry voice will probably stress them out more. It shows you don’t accept their surrender, so they still need to be afraid.
6. Avoid sleeping on their back
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It’s so adorable when a dog sleeps on its back. They'll be lying belly up with their hind legs in the air. This napping position doesn’t just tell an owner that their dog is adorable, though.
It also shows that they trust their owner. They're exposing one of the most vulnerable parts of their body. The fact that they’re showing their stomach while asleep shows they know you’re not going to attack them.
Dogs are smarter than we think. Even if you haven’t done anything directly, they may be too cautious to be in a vulnerable position around you when they’re not awake to defend themselves. Dogs that never sleep on their back don’t trust their owner enough to be vulnerable with them.
7. They never want to be around you
It’s so sweet when a dog is waiting by the door for you to get home. It shows they want to spend time with you and genuinely enjoy your company. On the other hand, dogs that can’t stand to be around their owners don’t like them or trust them very much.
If the dog has experienced trauma, it makes sense that it’s nervous around humans. But trust isn’t just about physical safety. It’s also about emotional safety and love. If this is happening to you, it might make you sad to hear that your dog doesn’t want to be around you. Luckily, there are easy ways to fix this. You have to show your dog emotional safety by consistently giving him love.
Try finding out what would motivate your pup to spend more time with you. If your dog really likes catch, start throwing around a rubber ball whenever you have time. This will cause him to spend more time with you and realize you’re someone they can trust.
Lily Bell is a college student studying English and Publications who covers relationships, mental health, and personal narratives surrounding the human experience.
