Why do we expect our dogs to understand everything we say to them, yet we never take the time to understand what we are being told?
Here we are a larger than life bossy human creature waving our hands and arms, sometimes yelling words our poor dogs don’t understand and expecting perfect behavior from them.
When was the last time you took a moment or two to try to understand what your dog was trying to tell you?
It is not like this?
You can’t remember the last time, or even the first time, that you listened to your dog.
Well, with a lot of effort, I am going to try to translate some of your dog’s actions into words, you will understand.
For most of us, tail wagging means a friendly dog, but not always. Sometimes tail wagging can mean the dog is ready to pounce, scared, or happy. The interpretation depends on the expression on the dog’s face, whether it is relaxed or tense, and whether his ears are in a relaxed position or ready to pounce. Be aware of the circumstances before assuming tail wagging is a sign of friendship.
The tail between the legs is a sign of submission. Sometimes when a dog is scolded, he will tuck his tail between his legs to say, “Hey, I’m sorry,” and other times it means I’m scared and scared, don’t hurt me.
A stiff, straight tail shows you that your dog is confident and may feel a bit defiant and strong. Also, some dogs have been bred to have their tails up at all times.
If your dog or any dog you are trying to pet gets scared, when you pet its head, you are behaving naturally. If his hand goes down directly to pet a dog’s head, it can be seen as a sign of dominance on his part and not a sign of a friendly person. Believe it or not, a dog prefers a scratch under the chin or on the side of the face to pats on the head.
Whining, especially in a puppy, can mean they are hungry, cold, or lonely. Paying a little attention will usually calm the pup down. If an older dog complains, is he sure there are no medical issues causing it? They also need food, warmth and love.
Barking at the postman. What fun! Barking at someone who will be gone almost as soon as you bark gives a sense of dominance. Your dog feels very powerful and happy doing that.
The nose to the butt of the other ordeal dog. As embarrassing as it may seem to us, it is a necessary part of a dog’s world. You can learn a million things about each other without exchanging a word. We have to trust words and actions, dogs only need a few seconds of smell to know everything.
Tail chasing sounds like dog’s play and in a way it is, but it can become a serious habit and can cause anxiety and stress that will require medical help. Dogs that have been raised as hunters tend to have this problem more, if they are not allowed to use their instincts to roam the woods looking for “outdoor animal” scents. A tail becomes “the prey” as it moves away. Some dogs may even insult themselves by biting and biting at their tails.
Eating grass! We believe that dogs eat grass to solve their stomach problems and they eat it for that reason and some eat it because they like to eat grass. Some vomit and some dogs don’t. Either way, it’s not a big deal and shouldn’t be a cause for concern.
Kick the floor after going to the bathroom. This is a common habit for most dogs; I always thought it was his way of washing his paws after eliminating, like we do with our hands. Not so! It’s another way to leave a stronger scent for the next dog to read. The smell is a dog’s newspaper.
Kisses and more kisses, a dog’s licks can be taken as a show of affection by most dogs. They like the attention they get and it also reminds them of days with mom.
A dog that constantly licks its lips can be a sign of stress and anxiety. It would be wise to see what is causing the problem.
Taking time to urinate. Nothing drives a dog’s human crazier than waiting for the pup to decide to go potty. The sniffing seems to go on forever.
Have you ever wondered why?
No, it’s not because your dog wants to drive you crazy, it’s because the smell of urine is part of the newspaper web that creates a dog’s scent. Some dogs want to read what information the other dog has left before leaving their own, while others want to leave a message in a new, clean place.
Female dogs tend not to be as picky; Male dogs, on the other hand, make good news hounds.
Rolling in “yuck”. Why do most dogs love to roll things that are not acceptable to their humans? It seems that the worse something smells, the more a dog likes it.
For one thing, it’s a way of letting another dog know what a wonderful day you had and giving your friend a chance to enjoy it too.
In the days of yore, dogs would roll themselves up in stinky things to hide the fact that they were around and keep predators away.
Poking head out of moving car window. Dogs love the feel of the wind on their faces, plus the fact that dogs are scent oriented and the smells of the world as they pass by is very interesting to the dog.
The danger lies in the fact that flying things can cause eye injuries. It is better to be safe than sorry and keep the windows closed and the air conditioning on.
People sniffing can cause human embarrassment when a dog does.
Dogs seem to head straight for the muzzle area of visiting humans.
Because? For the same reason that they smell each other, they can tell a lot about you and how you react to them. They can even tell the difference between identical twins by their smell…
Walking in circles before going to bed is a habit that has been instilled in the dog from generation to generation. Dogs in the wild squashed grass and other materials when they were ready for a nap by walking around.
Blinking is something a dog does when it is thinking hard about something. For example, if you want your dog to sit and he stands there blinking, he’ll be wondering “do I have to?”
Last but not least in this little information about what your dog is saying is “yawning”. We yawn when we are tired or bored and so does a dog.
Yawning is one way a dog can cope with stress as well. We can find something to do with our hands or mind when we’re stressed, but a dog doesn’t have that ability or mindset.
Yawning is a way of coping. If your dog yawns a lot and you know he’s not tired or bored, he thinks about what might be stressing him out.
Have there been any changes in the home that may have disturbed your pet? Stress can cause all kinds of behavior problems if left unchecked.
I hope you enjoyed this little walk through what your dog is trying to tell you.
Dogs are such interesting and wonderful creatures and they deserve our time in trying to understand them as best we can.