THE LANGUAGE DOGS SPEAK
I have been thinking a lot about what my first blog post should be. There is so much information to learn about the world of the dog. Being 53 years young, I have been working with dogs for more of my life than I have not. I do not attest to knowing everything there is to know about our furry companions. There are days when I feel like I have only touched the surface. I continue studying to become the best trainer for the dogs and the families I work with. I take the time to make sure what I say, or how I say it, can be used by the dog owners I serve. Communication is the key to aiding them in building great relationships with their dogs!
Why, then, can it seem so hard for us, as dog owners, to communicate well with dogs?
Let’s be honest. Wouldn’t it be pretty awesome if we could easily talk with our dogs? You know, have a conversation in our language? A chat where our dogs would understand everything that we are saying?
Deep down, we want our dogs to understand us. Many times, we get frustrated when they don’t. There is almost an innate expectation we have that our dogs get us. They seemingly hang onto the words we say like they understand. Unfortunately, there are days they don’t get us at all! We certainly don’t always understand how to convey things in a way a dog will!
If dogs cannot easily understand us, we should take more time to understand them.
What if I told you dogs speak to us every day? They spend a lot of time trying to get us to understand what is happening to them. We don’t listen well. We may think we listen with our ears as Rover barks incessantly at seemingly nothing. We don’t listen, however, with the rest of our being. That’s how dogs talk! They use every part of themselves to communicate.
Dogs communicate through different types of behaviors. Vocalizing is one. Using vocal sounds is only a minute part of their language. Yes, vocalizations such as barking, growling, and even whining might be what many people focus most of their energy on trying to understand; however, paying close attention to a dog’s body language and the energy they put behind what they are doing, can give us greater insight into what they are saying to us and the world around them.
Communication from a dog is a package of behaviors put together to give us a big picture of what the dog is trying to convey about how it feels in its environment. We cannot listen to one aspect of their communication and think we understand the whole story. When situations arise, we need to look at all the pieces to the communication puzzle. These pieces include noticing the placement of eyes, ears, mouth, tail, and full-body posture. Sound, movement, and body positioning concerning things in the environment all add a bit to the story.
It takes time and work to become a better communicator with your dog. By learning dog language, you are taking steps to ensure you and your dog will have good outcomes in bonding and training.
I will be touching on this subject further in future posts. Please take a look at the chart below. It has examples of ways dogs communicate using their body language to convey a message. Until next time, enjoy learning how your dog can speak to you!
Credit: Lili Chin, www.doggiedrawings.net