Understanding Your Pet Better

No matter how much we wished that we could have a conversation with our little tail-wagging friend, that day isn’t anywhere and until then, we will have to understand our doggos in non-verbal communication. 

It’s said that the emotional quotient of dogs matches the EQ of a toddler. They fail to express emotions like a full-grown adult and thus, dogs do not understand complex emotions like guilt, pride, and shame.  

Here are few tips that will help you understand the hidden messages that your dog is trying to tell you

Let's first understand how dogs communicate

Over generations of companionship between man and his best friend, we have evolved to understand our pets’ behavioral pattern and characteristics. We have recognized and evaluated his idea of right and wrong and have trained him accordingly to behave within the norms of the house. 

What we have also learned is to cherish this form of nonverbal communication and project our words through our actions, like kissing our puppy while expressing love or hugging your pet when you’re upset. But what we don’t understand is that dogs also sense other patterns for communication. Let’s discuss this in detail.

Facial Expression 

Our cute doggo relies hugely on facial expressions and facial gestures. Dogs are gifted with an ability to read facial expressions and gauge emotions. 

Positive body language 

Dogs also learn from their master's body language. That’s also how dogs differentiate between playing and anger. Dogs sense motives behind human body language and respond accordingly. 

Eye contact 

Eye contact is everything. On one hand, eye contact can make a dominant dog feel challenged and on the other, a submissive one to feel intimidated. Dogs can tell the difference between stares.

ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) also claim that dogs’ eyes can reflect whether they are cheerful and happy or stressful and threatened. 

Dogtime

Just like humans, dogs too need some amount of physical activity to live a healthy life. These activities when performed with their human friend, strengthens and nurtures their bond, while helping humans understand their dog better.