People who have been living with a dog for a long time understand what it wants to tell them, but for beginners it can be difficult to understand because of its complexity. This article will help you to better understand dog language.
The importance of understanding dog language
Misunderstandings between dogs and humans can be very dangerous. That is why it is so important to understand canine language well. Before a dog bites, it usually shows in its own way that something is bothering it. However, these warning signals can be overlooked or misinterpreted. For example, a dog that is disobedient because he doesn’t want to do something or because the situation frightens him is not the same.
How do dogs communicate?
Dogs communicate with people and other dogs in many different ways, through barking, whining, yelping, growling, growling and other manifestations that belong to their verbal language.
However, animals do not communicate only with their voice, but with their whole body. Gestures and facial expressions are part of body language. An example of a gesture is wagging the tail, and an example of a facial expression is showing the teeth.
Olfactory message
Smell plays an important role in the canine world. Dogs have up to 300 million olfactory receptors in the nose.
Dogs leave important messages for other dogs by marking areas with urine or feces. This is also considered canine language. On many occasions, dogs find spots of urine or feces on the sidewalk, and go to them to sniff them so as not to miss any message.
Dog language depending on the context
To understand the meaning of a canine manifestation, we must take into account its context. The situation in which the dog finds itself can give rise to misunderstandings if not enough attention is paid. For example, dogs lick their muzzle in order to reassure the person in front of them. On the other hand, if he has just been given a treat, he is probably just wiping his nose.
Barking as part of canine language
Dogs bark for many reasons. For example, because they are hungry or thirsty, because they want to go out or play. Probably, the cause is wanting to be the center of attention.
Barking is a good example of the ambiguity of canine language. Dogs also bark to alert their owners to the presence of intruders. Even if they do not feel threatened, they will bark anyway.
Call for attention or warning
How do we distinguish between a demand for attention and a serious warning? In general, if the bark is high-pitched, it is probably friendly. On the other hand, a deep bark indicates that the dog is very angry or feels threatened.
To assess the situation, we should consider the following: Small dogs bark in a high pitch range, while large dogs bark in a low one.
As a general rule, dogs that bark excessively are usually bored.
Howling in dogs
Howling helps alert other animals to your location and warn them of danger. If your dog howls when he hears church bells or sirens, it may be because they interpret these sounds as howls from other dogs due to their similarity in frequency. Pain, loneliness or stress can also cause dogs to howl.
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