House Blueprints

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 and some other dog behavior 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!’

Animal behaviorists have always been fascinated about studying whether or not dogs and other animals have emotions. While some researchers conduct ongoing studies to find scientific evidence, regular folks like you and I could answer that question immediately with a resounding Yes!

Having been around dogs and other animals all of my life I can tell you that these lovable companions have emotions just like you and I. All you have to do is look at them, watch them, and listen. Watch their faces change expression and their tail and body showing signs of communication in connection with people and other animals. Common sense can clearly show that what a dog displays on the outside tells an enormous amount of information of what’s going on inside.

Most animal behaviorists start their research with the thought of what it would be like to be a dog and analyzing different dog behavior. Skepticism is the initial drive which these men and women spark their research with. They wonder if dogs and other animals actually feel anything inside. As you can probably guess, since you cannot place an emotion under a microscope, most scientists dismiss the idea.

However, as time goes on, more and more people are becoming less skeptical about the idea of dogs and other animals having emotions. For example, there are scientific journals that are considered prestigious publications who have reported such findings as rats experiencing joy, mice that have empathy, and elephants which feel grief. Now with this information is clearly founded that yes, your dog and mine, has emotions.

Now the big question is, why? Why have emotions evolved in certain species as adaptation tools to their environment? The answer could be in the possibility that these emotions have evolved to become somewhat of a social sticky which glues the bond between animals and each other for a variety of social reasons.

Interesting Examples

We know that emotions allow animals to be flexible and adaptable to there behavior through a variety of venues. An interesting study has reported that mice are empathetic, yet they’re also fun loving. Other reports show that iguanas seek pleasure, baboons become angry, and elephants - surprisingly enough - have flashbacks and post traumatic stress disorder. That’s not all, we have reports that fish are sentient and that otters show affection as well as grief.

Many researchers also concluded that animals which are living as companions to humans, especially dogs, can develop specific emotions due to our relationship with them. There are quite a few common emotional traits that are shared by both dogs and people alike.

Do you have the ability to understand what it is your dog is saying? Learning how these animals communicate is not only beneficial to proper training, it also helps tighten the bond between man’s best friend and his owner.

In addition to using his barking, tail wagging, and body movements, dogs can also relay messages by the language of ear positions. The frightened dog tells of his submissive attitude to man by flattening his ears as well as lowering himself on haunches.

Also, in the last step in the sequence of aggression just before attack, the dog folds his ears close to his head and bares his teeth. But in the first step of aggressive movement, the dog picks up his ears to a vertical position.

Even the dog with hanging ears will pull the base of his ears forward, which makes the rest of his ears stand forward and outward. This upright position tells his human handler that there is every reason to be alert or on guard.

During World War II, the marines of M Company of the Second Raider Battalion laid their lives on the line in their dependence on the ability of their dogs to communicate to them what was ahead. While he was in the thick of battle, a Doberman named Andy had advanced from the shore to the jungle on Bougainville Island.

Andy liked to work off his leash. The dog was about ten yards ahead of the men when he froze and alerted his ears. The soldiers knew that those stiffened ears meant that there was a Japanese sniper just ahead. The scout leader sent two riflemen ahead, and they sprayed a mangrove tree with bullets. The sniper fell out. That same day Andy silently alerted his handler to snipers on two other occasions.

Dog training is not really necessary in order to know how well your dog supplements his silent body language with his vocal communication. The vocal vocabulary has numerous and varied forms your dog whimpers, whines, signs, grunts, hums, coons, howls, squeals, growls, and barks.

Your dog can vary his barking enough to communicate with you. Almost subconsciously, you have no doubt learned to understand the nuances of your pet’s barking. These minute differences may be in the tone, the frequency, the rhythm and the level of loudness. Your pet may bark to show his excitement, his pleasure, his sense of fear, and the need for your attention.

And your dog, by his tail-wagging, his licking, nosing, barking, howling and his many clever individual expressions, talks to you. Your pet tells you how much he wants to be your protector, your companion and your best friend. Like dogs throughout the ages, your dog has become your friend by his uncanny ability to communicate.

When you verbally ask someone a question you expect an answer, right? A well-mannered, thought-out response is always appreciated and humans talk with their mouths and voice boxes to respond. This is how we interact, mostly with words to let others know how we feel.

Dogs, on the other hand, communicate in a very different way. Yes they bark and use their vocal cords to cry about something, but the number one way to read how a dog is feeling or what he wants you to know is by looking at his tail.

As your dog wags his tail in happiness, he may also exercise the rest of his body to tell you that you are a welcome sight. He may greet you by jumping, dancing around, and attempting to lick your face.

As one dog trainer, Chris, tells of his German short-haired pointer, named Tiger, your dog can let you know when he is approaching a place which associates with comfort and happiness.

When Chris, who spent many hours out of the house to play golf and hunt, would come home from his long day and driving hours to get home, his wife would comment on how Tiger’s ears would perk up and the dog would show ripples of excitement up and down his back in awaiting Chris’s return.

What is amazing is that these signs of excitement to greet his owner at the door, Tiger would start to become anxious and happy when Chris was still more than an hour away driving home.

In addition to their expression of elation, dogs many times warns their owners of danger. You have probably heard many emotional stories of dogs scratching at the bedroom door to warn the family that the house was on fire. It happens all of the time.

One woman was suffering a heart attack while her dog literally broke through the backyard screen door to get to the husband, barking fiercely in the attempt to get the husband’s attention of what was happening inside the house. It worked the woman survived.

Dog behaviors like using their head and nose as part of the body actions are some of their ways to communicate with people. My three-year-old Dachshund nosed a message to me one afternoon. Sandy had learned that the covered candy dish on the coffee table was a good place to satisfy her sweet tooth.

This particular day, I was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper, and I wasn’t paying attention to Sandy. She jumped up on the couch and nudged me with her nose. When I looked at her, she gave her head a jerk, pointing her nose straight at the candy dish.

After sensing that I knew what she wanted, she began to jump up and down as if to say, Please, please, please! Just one little piece! I had understood very well what my dog was saying with her nonverbal head and nose language.

You’ve just gotten home after a brutal day at work. The headache from your busy schedule would love nothing more than to be relieved by a warm welcome from your family.

As soon as you open the door you hear the high-pitched voice of your wife as she is scolding your ten-year-old son, while his little sister is sobbing because he broke one of her new dolls.

The television is loud and your Mother-in-law is chatting on the phone…

So who is the loving one that meets you at the door?

Sammy does, your three-year-old mongrel dog.

He’s wagging and wiggling from his head to the tip of his tail. He dances and jumps into your waiting arms, and, if you allow him, he licks you on the face. He’s glad to see you. Your dog has expressed himself in the language that he knows you understand.

Your dog, like pet dogs all over the world, use body language and a variety of vocal sounds to communicate with his owner. Even without dog training, dog possesses an incredible ability to communicate with his owner: a universal language, telling man of danger, desire, loyalty and love.

Your dog talks to tell you how sad he is when he’s scolded. He shouts loud and clear his distress when a stranger or something unusual approaches, and he talks to you about how happy he is to be near you and share your companionship.

Your dog talks best with his tail. When you accidentally step on your pet or upbraid him, he will tuck his tail between his legs and cower down, showing his submission. By tucking the tail, the dog is hiding his scent and thus hiding himself. This language seems to go back to the ancient wild dog when submissiveness and dominance existed in the pack.

Your pet’s ancestors signaled his subservience to the dominant dog by dropping that tail. Today, the domesticated dog is saying, I feel terrible about what happened.

In contrast to the submissive tail movement, there is that happy, excited tail-wagging that states how much your dog wants to please you. The following story is such an example of this need to please:

Max, a Collie, did his doggiest best to please his young owner while she was preparing for her wedding. Max had watched Angelica opening her wedding gifts the week before the ceremony. One afternoon, the Collie proceeded to provide a gift for Angelica…

He yanked a brocade pillow from a neighbor’s clothesline and brought it home. After placing the pillow at Angelica’s feet, he wagged his tail in sheer joy that he was pleasing his owner and sharing her prenuptial pleasures.

As you can see from this wonderfully heartwarming example of this Collie’s desire to communicate pleasure, dogs are also much more intelligent than we give them credit for, especially in the communication department.

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 results to dog aggressive behavior, 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.

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.

Effective dog training is essential for both a pet s safety and the quality of life for both dog and master.

After struggling with training a dog, you may feel tempted to give up. Giving up on training an outdoor dog, for instance, can be a real temptation. You may believe you ll still manage to have reasonably enjoyable interactions without going through the hassles and challenges of real training. Training is difficult and can seem like such an effort that surrender may feel sensible.

It is not. Effective dog training is not a mere option. When one considers its immeasurable benefits, it becomes nothing short of mandatory. Initially, training can be the difference between life and death for a dog. An untrained dog, for instance, cannot be recalled effectively if he should wander away. The untrained dog is left only with his instincts and lessons learned through the proverbial school of hard knocks. In a world populated by an infinite number of potential dangers, this is often not enough.

Training, then, is less of an option for a responsible pet owner than it is an obligation. Any pet owner should consider training the animal a basic responsibility that cannot be overlooked. The dog s very life, after all, could hang in the balance. It is unthinkable that any responsible pet owner would look past that consideration and still decide that training was simply not worth the effort it requires.

Second, a dog s quality of life is improved significantly by training. Leaving a dog untrained makes it difficult for him to understand how to get the positive human attention and reactions he craves and may curse him with a life filled with unpleasant exchanges with people as he unknowingly misbehaves.

Third, the dog owner s quality of life is improved dramatically by dog training. The owner can avoid the destruction, inconvenience and even dangers posed by an untrained pet. Instead of being a constant source of irritation and guilt, the well-trained dog becomes a source of pleasure and pride.

It is easy, under some circumstances, to believe that extensive and effective dog training is not worth the significant effort it may require. However, this perspective, if acted upon, will actually create a situation necessitating more effort than training would have ever required. By committing to effectively training a dog, the owner makes an investment of time and effort that will pay out in a variety of ways.

Settling for anything less is highly inappropriate and cannot be adequately discouraged.

Good training will protect a dog from danger and will enable him to live a pleasant and fulfilling life. It will also make the owner s life more pleasant and can result in a greatly rewarding relationship with the pet. Effective dog training is truly essential.

This question seems to resound around the earth among new pet owners everywhere. Thousands of people at this very moment are looking at some odd behavior and asking themselves just why is the dog doing this? Let s look at a few of the common behaviors and see if we can understand the reasons behind them.

The first is the age old problem of garbage can raiding. It involves an animal willfully tipping a trash receptacle and then going thru the contents, leaving a lot of destruction and debris in their wake. Why does Fido do this? Well, the simple answer is hunger. Your dog most likely smelled something delicious in the trash can, like perhaps a carryout box or even a piece of meat you threw out of the refrigerator. This problem can usually be resolved by getting rid of odiferous objects such as table scraps in a separate sealed bag or by using a more stable trashcan. If the outdoor receptacle seems to be the common target, have an enclosure built around it to keep the animal out.

Another common mystery to dog owners is the eating of grass. Dogs are naturally carnivorous, rather than herbivorous, it is hard to understand how an animal would bypass a plate of steak to go mow the yard with its teeth. Your pet may have a bellyache from the plate of steak you gave him this afternoon. However, it is advisable to keep an eye on your pets eating habits and behaviors. If the animal displays signs of poor health a veterinary visit would be in order.

Another habit human companions of our canine friends find disgusting is litter box raiding. The scientific name for this situation is Coprophagy but even without the fancy word, we all know exactly what we mean here, if you let the dog in a house with a litter box, you can bet the dog will find it within no time. But why does your dog insist on eating what the cat left behind? Some medical conditions can cause the symptom which include pancreatic of intestinal dysfunction, starvation or even severe malnutrition due to advanced infections of parasite such as worms. Others believe that the eating of feces may be a way for dogs to replenish their B vitamin supply or a hold over from evolution. A visit to the veterinarian must be in order because this condition may be symptomatic of various ailments and could also be a contributing factor in the animal developing a parasite infestation.

Hopefully these short insights into your dogs mind have given you a bit more information on what makes your dog tick. Dog behavior problems that you just can t comprehend or that makes you think your pet has lost its mind, do a bit of research to know how to cure that problem that s driving you mad or at least satisfy your curiosity so you don t have to ask, Why does Fido do that?

Many of us think of the choke collar as an inevitable part of the dog training arsenal. Purchasing a choke collar may seem as natural as buying food bowls or a leash. Choke collars have a long history of use and have long been considered a standard element to successful dog training. However, times do change and things we once thought eternal are sometimes proven obsolete. That is the case with the choke collar. It is time to abandon the use of choke collars and to seek out alternatives.

Choke collars can be used effectively when they are operated in the correct manner. Unfortunately, most people tend not to use the device correctly. Even those who attempt to get the best possible use from a choke collar often misuse it accidentally. Considering the presence of workable alternatives, there is no reason to cling to a device that may not be correctly utilized.

For instance, proper use of a choke collar requires proper placement of the collar. Choke collars are premised on the notion that the owner/trainer will be able to, with a quick flick of the wrist, tighten the collar around the dog s neck as a disincentive for unappreciated behavior. In order for the collar to work in this manner, it must be placed with the moveable portion of the collar atop the neck of the dog. Otherwise an owner/trainer will be able to quickly enforce a choke but will be unable to release it as quickly.

When worn out and about, choke collars are very dangerous. The collar tightens, furthering their sense of danger that instinctively leads to even more efforts at withdrawal. This snowballing affect poses a serious danger for any dog that finds his choke collar snagged.

Some advocates of choke collars may not find these arguments compelling in their personal circumstances. They may feel as though they understand and comply with the proper use guidelines for a choke collar. Again, a choke collar can be an effective tool when used appropriately, so it is understandable that some would continue to argue for its use. However, choke collars inevitably have some risk associated with them, even in the most skilled hands.

Meanwhile, there are options that have been demonstrated as, if not more, effective for dog training that avoid those risks. Head halters and similar devices are able to get the same results without the attendant risks of the choke collar.

Considering the presence of a safer choice and the risks associated with the choke collar, it would seems as though it is time to do away with the venerable device. Despite its long history in the world of dog training, today the choke collar should be considered a thing of the past.

We think of dog training in pretty simple terms most of the time. The trainer teaches, the dog learns and that s it. We see dog training as a one-way street upon which a trainer imparts guidance to a dog. That, however, is a great oversimplification. Though it does describe the way a dog s life can be improved through good training, it doesn t remind us of another wonderful benefit of training.

You see, in reality dog training is an interaction. And in any interaction, all parties involved take something away from the experience. In the case of dog training, the dog does learn appropriate behaviors. He, however, is not the only learner in the process. The dog trainer also gains from the interaction.

The advantages to the canine half of the training duo are clear. The owner also benefits from having a good dog, one who doesn t destroy his property or try his patience at every turn. These are very real benefits and should not be disregarded or trivialized. However, when one closely examines dog training, they find that the teacher gains even more from his interaction with the canine pupil.

Owners gain insight into their own personality during the training process. They may learn that patience is not their natural strength and that training forced them to be more considerate and calm. Alternatively, they may learn their threshold for frustration was actually higher than they had imagined. These lessons, learned through interaction with a dog, are transferable into other segments of one s life.

For example, the trainer who has successfully worked with a problem dog may find it easier to deal with a difficult client or employee they have learned that they can be patient and see a situation through without losing it.

There is of course, the tremendous sense of satisfaction that comes from training a dog to consider, too. Training requires a commitment over time and a willingness to give of oneself a great deal. Tapping into that component of the personality might spur them to undertake other positive activities.

When one realizes they have successfully completed a long-term task, they may better understand their innate ability to set goals and to achieve them by acting consistently with those goals in mind. Dog training can become a great example of what one can accomplish with clear goals in mind.

Training dogs is not just about teaching sit, heel, and rollover. It is about working with and interacting with another living being over an extended period of time. It is about giving instruction, of course, but it is also about receiving wisdom.

Dog training is more than an exercise in learning and understanding for a dog. It is an exercise in learning and understanding for the master, too. There is a lot we can learn from our experiences with dog training if we expand our perspective on the matter to include all of the wisdom and understanding acquired throughout the training process. A broad perspective on dog training shows it to be a remarkably valuable enterprise for both the pet and the owner.