A Little Smarter

“I used to look at Smokey [my dog] and think, "If you were a little smarter you could tell me what you were thinking," and he'd look at me like he was saying, "If you were a little smarter, I wouldn't have to." (Fred Jungclaus)

Have you ever wished dogs could talk in a recognizable spoken language? They do talk, but not with human words. Dogs have their own unique method of communicating with humans and other canines. Our four-legged companions speak volumes with body language, and here are some canine helps to remember:

1.  A paw slap is a sign that a dog trusts the canine it is playing with.

 

2.  A play bow is a sign of a dog apologizing to another canine for something like playing too rough. 

 

3.  Dogs are uncomplicated. When dogs live together with other animals (humans included) dogs adapt to their environment.  There is a universal language that all animals understand like peace, danger, companionship, fear, safety, and empathy.

 

4.  Dogs do not understand English (or any other human-created language).Dogs comprehend words (sounds) in any language (along with action consequences).

 

 

5.  Dogs will wrinkle (or straighten) their foreheads to show confusion (or determination).

 

6.  If a dog wags their tail more to the right, it is a sign of positive feelings. Left-sided wagging indicates negative feelings.

 

7.  If their ears are raised, dogs are relaxed (or listening). If their ears are back, it could be the dogs are signaling submission.

 

8.  If your dog is happy (or wants to play), dogs may pull their lips back, and show their teeth in what appears to be a smile. This is a gesture reserved only for human/dog communication. A dog will not do this with other dogs.

 

9.  Their eyes brighten when dogs look at a friendly creature. Fear causes their pupils to dilate, and show the whites of their eyes.

 

10.              Tone (and body language) matter in reinforcing the behavior wanted.

 

11.              When a dog bites, it’s a sign of play. (Dogs are careful to avoid sensitive areas on the other canine.)

 

12.             When a dog rears up on its hind legs, it’s a sign of affection.[i]

 

“While he has not (in my hearing) spoken the English language, he makes it perfectly plain that he understands it. And he uses his ears, tail, eyebrows, various rumbles and grunts, the slant of his great cold nose or a succession of heartrending sighs to get his meaning across.” (Jean Little)

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[i] Sources used:

·       “Secret Language of Dogs” phz8.petinsurance.com

·       “Do Dogs Understand What We Say?” by Roger AbrantesRoger AbrantesRoger AbrantesRoger Abrantes