People love to communicate with their best canine friends and sometimes feel frustrated because they aren’t speaking the same language. Understanding dogs’ behaviors (that is different from breed to breed – Yorkie, Maltese, Morkie, French Bulldogs, Cavachon, Mini Goldendoodle, CavaPoo or Cavoodle puppies) may help people to find a common way to communicate and meet their needs.
Dogs try to communicate with humans
Puppy dog eyes are one of the most loved expressions, certifying that dogs try to communicate with humans. Studies have revealed that dogs’ facial expressions change in response to human attention, food or other stuff that arise their interest.
Although previous studies indicated that animals’ facial expressions are involuntary and dependent on their emotions, in fact, new studies showed that dogs are aware when a human is paying attention to them. According to Juliane Kaminski, leader of the Dog Cognition Centre at the University of Portsmouth in England, dogs produce more facial movements when humans are attentive than when they ignore them, meaning that dogs are sensitive to humans’ attention and their expressions are attempts to communicate. Studies revealed that dogs display facial movements when a person is facing them, regardless of whether the person is offering them food or not. The studies also showed that dogs tend to steal food when people have their back turned or eyes closed, which suggests intentionality.
Your dog’s behaviors are related to his mood
Constantly watching your dog gives you a clue of his mood. A straight walk may indicate an aggressive behavior, while a zig-zagging path suggests he is friendly. If he goes to the door, he might be telling you that he wants to go out for a walk. If he goes directly to his food bowl, he is probably hungry. If his eating habits change, this may indicate a problem that you need to investigate.
His bark also may transmit different messages. If he barks at long intervals of time, he may be feeling lonely. An alert barking may be suggesting a problem or a physical pain that you should investigate.
If your dog uses a destructive behavior while being home alone, he is probably angry because he was left alone or maybe he has another reason that you should pay attention to. Destroying things usually indicate either a matter of possession or an attention seeking behavior. In the first case, you should take into consideration offering him some toys, and, in the second case, you should offer him more of your time.
Your dog’s body language is related to his mood
Your dog’s eyes express his emotions and needs. If he does not look back while you are looking at him, he may feel aggressive. When he feels tense, his eyes become larger than normal.
The way he is moving his tail indicates his mood, too. The wag suggests he is happy, while a high tail indicates excitement. If he keeps his tail lower, he is probably worried, submissive or ill.
The position of his ears gives signs related to his feelings. If his ears are aroused, he is feeling alert, and if his ears are flattened, he may be feeling frightened.
Dogs love to protect their owners. If your dog sits on your foot, he is taking ownership of you. Other ways in which he displays his protection consists of barking at strange persons or visitors.
General recommendations
- Treat your dog gently
Dogs feel joy, love, grief, jealousy, shame etc. Treat your dog gently regardless of his mood and monitor his emotions to help him stay on the right path.
- Your dog’s mood reflects your mood
Keep in mind that your dog’s moods can also reflect your moods. Dogs understand people’s moods and they act accordingly. Analyze the way you feel and try to be positive.
- Play with your dog
Make time for your furry friend and engage him in activities like fetching, chasing, hiding, going to the dog park, training etc. Dogs love when they have something to do, so you can extend the activities whenever you want. Both of you will have fun and spend quality time.
- Be consistent with your dog
Adopt a consistent attitude towards your dog, like being constant when rewarding him for doing something good or during training sessions. Avoid mixed signals as they may get him confused.
- Make a feeding schedule
Adopt a schedule for his feeding, as well as for other activities. Dogs get easily accustomed to a routine and they feel more secure.
- Talk to your dog
Talk to your dog frequently to strengthen the bond between you. Try various tones and notice which one he responds best to. In time, you’ll be able to figure out if he understands what you say.
What are your dog’s behaviors like?
Photo by Vico Pradipta on Unsplash
Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash
Photo by Marc-Olivier Paquin on Unsplash
