CANINE COMPANIONS

LESSON 4:  Grades K-3

WHY DO DOGS DO THAT?

Curriculum Connections, Standards addressed:

Academic Goals:  1.5, 2.1, 2.3

Knowledge Goals:  Communication Arts: 1, 4, 6; Science: 3 

Objective:  To provide children with REAL answers to the curious traits, behavior, language, characteristics and genetics of dogs.

Common Core-Aligned Activities:

SL.3-4.1—Engage effectively in collaborative discussions building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

SL.3-4.1c—Pose and respond to specific questions and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to remarks of others. 

Ask students to discuss what noticeable behavior they have observed in dogs.   What do dogs do?   How do they respond?   What are they capable of?  What about heroic behavior?  How do we “use” dogs, i.e., police and military, and why do we use them for these unique jobs?  Make a list of these behaviors.  How many different behaviors are listed?   

Character Concepts:  Responsibility

Being the guardian of another creature is very important.   You hold their welfare in your hands.   It is vital you do what you are supposed to do, realizing that the behavior of dogs can be directly proportional to the amount of care, patience and time you invest with your pet.   

STEM initiatives:  Thinking critically in the connections to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

3-LS4-2—Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing.  

2-LS2-1—Events have causes that generate observable patterns.   

Dogs are the perfect species to study regarding behavior and physical characteristics.  With so many breeds of dogs—(and don’t forget the All-American, best-of-everything mix-breed!!)—it’s fun to see how the descendent of the wolf has morphed to meet the needs of people (ex: dachshunds were bred for entering tunnels to flush out badgers and other burrow-dwelling animals.)   It’s interesting too, to note that different species have the propensity to develop different characteristics in personality and behavior.   Yet dogs, in general, share lots of common behavior traits.   Have fun discussing “man’s best friend!”
 
Cause and Effect are powerful observation tools that can predict patterns.   How can cause and effect predict the behavior or characteristics of dogs?

Materials:
•	DOWNLOAD Handout:  “Dogs—True or False?” quiz

Method:  Have you ever wondered why dogs do the things they do?  What could they be thinking?  What are they saying when they smell each other or you?  Why do some have short hair and some long hair?  Why do they look the way they do?  Each dog has a unique personality, one-of-a-kind.  One dog likes to cuddle while the other likes to play ball and explore.  Another dog may be very protective of your household while another may wag and invite any stranger inside.  What makes each dog different?  

Every dog was born with a partially predetermined character depending on the heredity of their breed or breeds.  Some dogs are workers, some are bred for companions and some may be sports stars.  Each dog’s experiences since birth have helped mold that personality.  These experiences include how the mother raised the litter and at what age each dog left the litter.  The experiences a pup has had during the critical periods of development have influenced how your dog may look at the world today and how he chooses to react to it.  Here are a few examples:

Why do dogs bark?  
It’s normal for dogs to bark.  Birds sing, cows moo, dogs bark.  Too much, too loud and at the wrong time can be a problem.  Dogs may be barking for the following reasons:

1.	Attention Seeking:  “Will somebody please pay attention to me!”
2.	Separation Anxiety:  “Will my special person please come back?”
3.	Lack of Activity:  “I’m bored; barking is my recreation.  I have nothing else to do.”
4.	Excitement:  “Do I need a reason?  I’m just happy excited today.”
5.	Offensive Threat:  “Go away!  I’ll chase you away.”
6.	Defensive Alarm:  “Get out!  Don’t come any closer.”

Why does my dog prefer my bed to his?
Look at it from the dog’s point of view, your bed is probably more comfortable.  Besides, it gives your dog a better vantage point (he’s able to see more of what is going on) and it smells like you.  Your dog may be the only one who really loves the way you smell!

Why do dogs like to dig?
You may like baseball or ballet, your dog likes to dig.  For some dogs, it may just be too much fun to dig.  There may be other reasons for dogs to dig:  to get out of the yard, to get cool, to bury something, to dig things up such as a burrowing mouse or mole.  Some dogs dig because of boredom or frustration.  Some breeds of dogs have historically earned their living by digging and go at it with great tenacity.  The fact is, you need to understand your dog to know why he behaves a certain way.  And it’s fun to figure out why they do the things they do.  Reading books and looking up the heredity of your dog will provide great insight into the behavior of your dog.

It’s fun to learn about dogs.  They are fascinating creatures.   Today we are going to get some real answers to some of the questions we all have about our favorite canine friends, but it’s impossible to cover all the questions we may have.  

What do you want to know about dogs?  Take the “Dogs—True or False?” quiz to find out even more answers to the curious things dogs do.  The more you know about dogs, the better you will understand their behavior and wonderful place in our lives.  Our true and false “test” will help to jumpstart our quest for more answers.  You’ll be amazed at why your “best friend” acts the way he does!

Call to Action:  Post a dog question outside your classroom each day for a week.  Give all students in the school a chance to answer.  Hang an envelope or place a basket under the question to gather answers.  Remind students to play “DOG TRIVIA” each day during the morning announcements.  At the beginning of the next week, announce the winner of each question.  This activity will help teach other students about the wonderful world of dogs.

Take the “Dog—True or False?” quiz home.  Give the quiz to family members and neighbors.  How many did they get right?

Related Reading:  Visit our section entitled Recommended Children’s Literature for a comprehensive listing of animal-related books.  Many deal with dog facts and behavior.

Web Sites:  Visit our section entitled Recommended Web Links for animal-related web sites.