Understanding the Language of Dogs: How Do They Talk to Us?
In a world where we rely on all types of communication throughout the day, it should come as no surprise that our four-legged friends also rely on different types of communication throughout their days. Although dogs can’t exactly say what they’re thinking, their barks, whines, yips, growls and body postures can help us figure out their thoughts. Communication between dogs and people tends to be very general so there can be a lot of missed or misinterpreted signals between both parties. People's language enables us to send very clear and articulate messages to one another; dog communication involves the use of body posturing and showing of emotional states through their ears, eyes and mouth. Learning some of the basic communication dogs use with humans is a great way to create a better understanding of your favorite furry friend.
As with any language, dog language has a mix of verbal and nonverbal cues that us humans can pick up on to decipher how they’re feeling or what they are thinking. Let’s start with some of the nonverbal cues our canine friends use to get our attention.
The Tail Language
Looking at how their tails are positioned or moving can be one of the most obvious cues given by our dogs on what they are thinking, but it can also be the most misinterpreted. A wagging tail tells us that the dog is emotionally aroused - it could be excitement or frustration or something even worse. Interpreting the emotion behind the tail wag has other factors to consider, such as the speed and direction of the wag as well as the position of the tail.
Speed: Basically, the faster the wag the more aroused the dog is. A fast, twitch-like wag indicates a higher level of arousal, indicating either excitement or a negative feeling. A relaxed dog has long, slow, side-to-side tail sweeps.
Direction: If you look at the direction of the tail, you can decipher how the dog is feeling. When your dog feels positive about something, their tail wags more to the right and when they are facing something negative, they wag their tails more towards the left. If your dog does a ‘helicopter’ tail wag, where they spin their tail in a circle, that is their happy wag.
Positioning: If your dog’s tail is pointing to the ground or is tucked between their legs, they are feeling fear and stress; tails that are held upright like a flag are feeling confident. If your dog is holding their tail in a neutral position, it means they are relaxed and comfortable.
Ear Language
The positioning of your dog’s ears can let you in on how they are feeling. If your dog has perky ears, it generally means that they are very intrigued as to what will happen next and are highly focused on something. Droopy ears are a sign of submission and if the ears are pinned back, this means that your dog is unhappy and uncomfortable. Generally, the more flattened the ears are, the more submissive the dog is and the perkier the ears, the more interested your dog is.
Posture
Body language can tell a lot about what your dog is feeling, so deciphering different postures can help pet parents understand their dog’s take on different situations.
A cowering dog will be hunched toward the ground and is showing that they are afraid of something or stressed. The posture that the dog takes in the cowering position makes them appear smaller, which may communicate to you that they are trying to get away from something.
If a dog has their weight shifted forward, it shows that ey are trying to get closer to something. This stance can simply mean your dog is interested in something close by and wants to check it out. If this posture is combined with other aggressive body language cues, such as a twitching tail held high, the dog is trying to make themselves appear larger.
The play bow is when dogs place their chest on the ground with their butt in the air and is usually used to initiate play with other dogs and sometimes even with people.
Dogs will expose their bellies for two reasons: as a submissive display and requesting a belly rub. The submissive display (also called an appeasement display) is the dog trying to show their submission and trying to calm the tension by showing that they’re not a threat. To identify if your dog wants a belly rub, look for these signals from their body language:
Loose, wiggly body postures
A relaxed, open mouth with their tongue possibly flopping around
Eyes are open or squinting, not really looking at anything
Tail is relaxed and wagging
If your dog is leaning against you, this is your dog’s way of trying to cuddle with you. While your dog can’t physically hug you, leaning against you for a cuddle is the best way to show their affection to their favorite human.
Your dog’s verbal cues can sometimes get loud, but trying to communicate with you can be hard when they don’t exactly have the words to say what they’re feeling or thinking. Listening to the different types of barks and growls can help give pet parents a clue as to those emotions.
Barking
The alert bark: this sound is a sharp and intense one that can be a staccato sound. Your dog is letting you know that there is something unknown or dangerous nearby.
The boredom bark: this sound is repetitive and monotonous and sometimes will sound like it will never stop. Your dog will bark like this to let you know that they need more physician and mental stimulation because they’re just plain bored with not doing anything.
The playful bark: this sound is playful and has a normal tone to it when they bark. This sound is not repetitive and is used when they are having fun.
The fearful bark: this sound just embodies fear when you hear your dog bark. It is a loud and persistent bark that can sound frustrating coming from your dog.
The distressed bark: this sound is repetitive, persistent and high-pitched. This bark can commonly be heard with a dog who has separation anxiety.
Growling
One misconception about growling is that it usually means a dog will growl before being aggressive; however this is not always true, as it depends on the type of growl and the body language that is being used with it.
The warning growl: this is the growl that is telling you to either back off or go away because your dog is not happy when giving this growl. Your dog will growl aggressively and loudly for a warning growl and this sound is accompanied by defiant body language signals such as showing their fangs. The growl mixed with the fangs is a clear warning that they are ready to attack if the person or animal they don’t like keeps doing whatever they are doing.
The playful growl: when your dog’s body language is relaxed and in a playful mood, they may growl a low sound with no signs of aggressiveness and are in pure play mode with you.
The pleasure growl: if you find yourself petting your dog and giving them lots of attention, you may hear some small growls that are out of pleasure because they like the affection you’re giving them and they want to tell you that it feels good.
The world can be a big, complicated place and communication plays a huge part whether it’s verbal or nonverbal signals. Just as we humans try to decipher body language when talking with strangers or friends, our dogs are using their body language and barks to try to communicate with us. Deciphering their language may take some time, but understanding how they are standing or the short high-pitch of their bark can help diffuse situations easier and get them their belly rubs faster! So as a pet parent, take the time to dive into the secret language of your dog to create a deeper bond and a better friendship.
Having trouble deciphering what your dog is thinking lately? No problem! They’re probably letting you know that with back to school and work picking up, you should get them a daily dog walker! The end of summer can be chaotic with schedules changing, so why not let Going Mutts Pet Services take one thing off your plate - walking your dog. We can get them the fresh air they need and that 20-30 minute walk that is definitely needed to release their energy. Drop us an email → info@goingmuttspetservices.com → or fill out our contact form on our website to see how we can help you with your pet care needs today!
Sources:
https://breedingbusiness.com/how-dogs-communicate-with-each-other/
https://www.petcoach.co/article/10-ways-dogs-try-to-communicate-with-us/
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/advice/how-to-read-dog-body-language/
