We talk and express our needs but we don’t speak dog so we don’t know what they are saying. But these animals are clever enough to make us understand what they want with a few barks and body language. All you have to do is understand that language. It’s not rocket science. You can try and learn too.There can be little difference in how they communicate. Different breeds, different individuals have different ways of communicate but those are not so different that you cannot understand. Remember, your therapist has four legs and a tail and he is called dog but he/she is the best therapist in the world so it is your duty to understand him/her in return.
Barking:
Dogs bark when they hear a sound. It may happen that you cannot hear anything but remember their hearing is far stronger than yours? So next time if your dog is shouting at the blank wall the reason can be supernatural, they sense ghosts in horror movies before the people do, don’t they? Jokes apart. Dogs bark when they are bored. The reason behind his shouting at the wall can be boredom or can’t be, who knows? But most of the time dogs bark to have fun. They bark when they are lonely or frightened but if your dog is barking for fun, he can be a real pain in your and your neighbours’ ears.
Interpreting barks:
a. A series of long- high pitched barks means your dog is lonesome and wants attention.
b. A single bark in his regular voice means he wants something from you, most preferably food.
c. A growl is aggression.
d. Quick, repetitive, high pitched barks are for playfulness.
e. A singsong howl is to know everyone (including dogs) that he is happy or curious.
f. A long mournful howl is for sadness. Take care of him. Don’t ever make him howl like that.
Leaning:
Dogs don’t respect ‘personal space’ as much as we do. May they don’t even have the sense. Dogs that lean on your leg is probably searching for his own personal space by taking over yours. Conversely, it can be that it’s his way to show affection or possession towards you.
Leg Humping:
Leg Humping is not about sex. It’s their way to say “I’m higher on Totem pole than you are” explains Jeff Nichol, D.V.M, a veterinarian and a newspaper columnist from Mexico. All dogs at some point of time in their life do some leg humping. That’s when they suffer from that power complex, I guess.
Licking:
A dog licks your face it’s definitely not because he thinks that you are his food but he licks your face to say that he loves and respects you. “He’s saying that you are the most wonderful thing that ever walked the earth” says Dr. Nichol.
Holding hands in mouth:
Dogs that wrap his mouth around your hand without using the teeth are showing his friendliness towards you. Mostly Labradors and other retrievers do that for their basic instinct is to bring the hunted bird without hurting it. But these dogs may show aggressive behaviour later as they think your hand is vulnerable to attack.
Pushing with nose:
Dogs love to push their humans with their nose. Sometimes it means affection but mostly it’s because they want you to go with them to see something or they want you to shift away from his favourite place on sofa. Yes. They are mean sometimes.
Smiling:
A dog shows its teeth and you immediately understand that he is smiling but you are wrong. When a dog shows his teeth it means that you should stay away. It means ‘back off’. It means aggression. Do I need to say anymore to make you realise that you should back off when a dog is smiling? That smile is not really a smile. That is an evil grin.
Tongue Flicking:
Dogs that flick their tongue repeatedly to lick their nose are uneasy regarding something. It’s because he is thinking whether or not to approach a stranger person or a strange thing or they are nervous. They get nervous about new people or things as they don’t know what to do with that. Even then you should either talk to him softly and affectionately or you should back off.
Yawning:
Among dogs yawning can be a sign of stress. I guess, they use up too much of their brains when they are stressed. A good yawn lowers their blood pressure and helps them to stay calm.
Tail-Chasing:
Puppies chase their tails to make sure that the tail is one of his own body parts. It mostly happens when the puppy has no other playmate. he gets bored. But adult dogs chase their tails because their small browsing area in modern apartments. It’s their way to engaging themselves in some activity. Old dogs chase their tails out of boredom.
Apart from all these everybody knows that the wiggly-wiggly-wagging tail is to express how happy they are. The more wagging the tail gets the happier your dog is.