Dog Talk: How To Understand What Your Dog Is "Saying" (1)

Your dog has the ability to tell you exactly how he feels - whether he is happy, sad, bored, excited, disgusted, puzzled, confident, uneasy or frightened.

The inconspicuous and almost continuous movements of his eyes, ears, body and tail are his emotional body language and his primary means of communication. Researchers are finding that, rather than being limited in their means of expression, animals are attuned to an extremely subtle and refined system of communication.

The wild dogs of Africa studied by Jane Goodall and wolves observed by Dr. Michael W. Fox, recognized authority on canine body language, communicated to each other a wide range of attitudes, including anger, dominance, submission, joy, interest, disgust, dismay, affection and fear - using only the slightest body movements.

Though domesticated dogs have lost some sensitivity to this language in their dealings with humans, they still use most of these instinctive, inherited forms of communication. With practice, a sensitive observer with a keen eye can learn to read his dog's body language.

As he becomes more skilled at identifying subtle changes of mood in his pet, his communication and companionship with him will grow deeper and more pleasurable.

Veterinarians with long experience often read canine body language well, noticing the smallest nuances. Dr. Theodore Stanton, a veterinarian who has practiced now for more than forty years, has become an expert at it. He frequently acts as interpreter for his patients when their owners bring them in for treatment and ask him why their dog is doing certain peculiar things.

"Among Dogs, as among most animals, a hierarchy exists in every group," says Dr. Stanton.

He goes on to say, "From the most dominant 'top dog' to the lowest 'under dog,' each dog works out with each other in the group which of them will be dominant and which will be submissive. Much of a dog's body language is used in the context of establishing these dominant-submissive relationships with other dogs and also with people."

A dog uses every part of his body in some way to express his feelings and intentions. The appendage he uses most conspicuously and expressively is his tail.

"You can tell everything by a dog's tail," explains Mr. Stanton, "He holds it up when he is alert and expecting something. If he has met a strange dog or heard an unusual sound, it quivers a little. He is saying, 'I'm ready for danger; I'm ready for anything!"

The Doctor finishes with, "A tail held very high - almost vertically - or arched over his back says he feels aggressive and dominant, and intends to do something about it if necessary. The dog with his tail tucked tightly between his hind legs is saying, 'I'm scared, and I'm getting out of here!'"

Welcome back! If you've commented, I hope you enjoy the eBook. I hope to add more treats in the future, so stay tuned!

I am talking about animal communication like in the show the Pet Psychic (Not teaching a dog signs and symbols etc.) Do you think you can mentally communicate with your animal? Have you done this?

Canine Communication: How To Help A Dog With An Abusive History

Last year, Angela, a single mother of three teenage boys, had been in contact with the Greyhound Pets of America (a rescue group that finds homes for retired racing greyhounds). She asked the group if they had an adult dog that would get along well with cats, as Angela also loved cats and had several of them.

A lovely greyhound named Bronze fit the bill. Just several days later Bronze was welcomed with loving arms in his new home.

Bronze didn't know a lot of small things right away, such as how to climb up steps or comprehend a see-through glass door and windows, etc. He did not know how to play and was very weary of people, particularly very tall, thin males. And something also peculiar - he was literally afraid of his own shadow!

Any of these things caused fear in Bronze, and the resulting behavior was aggression, snarling and growling. Angelica was worried that his behavior would go beyond this reaction, leading into biting or attacking.

Soon Bronze showed fear towards another specific occurrence: Anytime Angela's brother would come to visit, and wearing his usual leather jacket and ball cap, Bronze would again start his aggressive stance and snarling. The same thing happened when Angela's sons would come home with their noisy friends.

The Cause Of Bronze's Fear

As you know, Bronze was an ex-race dog, so once Angela was able to contact a canine psychologist, the doctor was able to identify the problem right away. He had asked Angela to obtain a picture of the dog's ex-trainer, which turned out to be a very tall, skinny man that wore a long black coat, along with a specific hat that resembled a baseball cap.

Add to this evidence the obvious experiences of the dog having raced at the track: lots of noisy people, confinement, guns firing, running, more confinement, lots of harsh training commands from his trainer - it was no wonder why Bronze reacted the way he did when he was adopted.

Managing these issues was not going to be an easy task. It required Angela to have constant vigilance. The doctor instructed her to remove the noisy teenagers from his presence, teaching Angela to be cautious of how she gave commands to Bronze, as well as have her brother remove his black leather jacket and ball cap when visiting.

In time, Bronze was able to calm down and within 12 months was less afraid of noise and the appearance of any man that resembled his past trainer became less of a threat. Bronze lived to be thirteen years old and because of his new owner's love and care to learn to communicate, he was a lucky dog - one that enjoyed the right that every canine has - to be loved and included in a real family.

What You Can Learn From This Story

If you are also considering bringing home an adult dog that has had a history of competing in sports, such as a racing dog, for example, then prepare yourself by taking lessons from the above story. It will not only teach you how to communicate with your problem dog, but could also save him or her from being sentenced to a lonely life inside of the pound.

When you get the strange sense that your dog is reading your mind or your cat focusing his eyes on a nonexistent, yet fascinating "something" located just above your head, relax and accept this strange occurrence graciously and gratefully.

It could very well be ESP (extrasensory perception) and it most certainly a grand devotion because, in order for this phenomenon to work, ESP requires a strong bond of love between humans and their pets.

Since ESP is completely extrasensory, which means it cannot be seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or felt, how can we presume to attribute such non-physical powers to our seemingly purely physical pets?

We can, thanks to the painstaking research of Dr. Rhine and his team at the Duke University Parapsychology Laboratory in North Carolina. After well establishing the ESP ability in humans, the doctor and his team set out to determine if the same phenomenon existed in animals. Similar research was also carried out in Russia by two eminent scientists, Bkhterev and Durov.

Since the introductory research with animals, Dr. Rhine's laboratory has been flooded with letters reporting ESP in pets, first and mainly with dogs, and then with cats. But almost every domesticated species had a spot in Dr. Rhine's collection. Each case is meticulously investigated to determine its authenticity. "Homing" studies (referred to as "psi-training" by Dr. Rhine) are the most common, but stories involving other forms of ESP are also documented in evidence.

One of the most popular cases involves a Collie named Bob. His "homing" feat gained him headlines from all over the world, lots of fan mail, and even a motion picture. Bob's adventure started out as a vacation motor trip from Oregon to the East Coast. On the way back to Oregon, Bob's family realized that their beloved pet was missing.

After an unsuccessful search for Bob, the heartbroken family drove back to Oregon - approximately 2,500 miles. Bob's most charming trick was holding up his right front paw when he was hungry. Four months later, he presented himself at the door of his home in Oregon - paw outstretched.

Another inspiring case is that of a mixed-breed dog named Henry. Henry was left with friends in Illinois when his family moved to Michigan. Six weeks later, Henry excitedly greeted his family on a street corner of their new town in Michigan.

The dog made it perfectly clear that he was looking at his family, and the stunned family was convinced that the dog was their beloved dog Henry. But was the dog really Henry? The collar was familiar. The Illinois family, with whom Henry had been left, drove to Michigan to satisfy their doubts. Dr. Rhine and his staff from Duke University flew to Michigan to verify the story. Everyone agreed that the dog was indeed Henry.

they hardly even look at each other...its almost as if they dont even know they are there...they never bark at each other..fight or anything like tht.....why is this?

We all know dogs don't have verbal skills...and they only react to some of our words....they use tones to convey an intent, but we are at a lose understanding their body language .....so what is left?
Many of you seem to think we as humans can somehow convey canine body language....it is impossible for us to do that....we are not dogs..so it isn't any form that will provide positive communication...and by positive I mean real or true....not the opposite of negative like hitting or scolding.....

We can try to mimic sounds or tones to help convey our intent like they do, but again who knows if they get our exact meaning....

Making them avoid things proves nothing....just they want to avoid something they don't like....

That leaves only one thing touch....it is clear dogs understand touch very well.....whether it be rewarding or not....they get the message very clear....Thanks for joining in everyone!~

I would like to register my dog so I may breed him as a full bred chihuahua which I know he is. The breeder gave me the paperwork but I never followed through. 3yrs later and I would like to register him so I may breed him.

I live in a community with lots of dogs. I have a German Shepherd that I keep beside my house. And she rarely reacts to the other dogs when they are barking even when there is a lot of barking. Today I walked to my neighbors house, out of her sight, and as far as I know she didnt even know I was outside, and I was barked at by another dog. As soon as I was being barked at she started to bark back and getting very hyper. From my experience with her not barking it seemed to me that she knew the I was the person being barked at. Anyway thanks in advance.