There are 4 main ways dogs use to communicate with other canines and people:
⠀
✔️They whine, bark, howl, squeal, grunt and make all kinds of other sounds. Each one of them vary according to the situation – barking, for instance. When our dogs bark with the purpose of attracting attention to themselves or protecting their territory – these are two totally different kinds of barking.
⠀
▫️Howling was used by our dogs’ ancient ancestors to help them mark the limits of their territory, communicate before a collective hunt and convey information at a big distance.
⠀
▫️Growling may be an expression of aggression or a warning. It can also be a simple playful growl.
⠀
▫️When a dog is squealing, it might be a sign that it is in pain or uncomfortable, or maybe just too excited, lonely or impatient.
⠀
▫️A sharp squeal is a telltale sign that a dog is in pain. It can also serve as an attempt to block the aggression of another animal or person.
⠀
✔️Dogs communicate using body language. These can be many different bodily signals: head, tail or ear movement, poses, or hair standing on end.
⠀
✔️Dogs communicate with the help of touching, that’s why early handling and grooming plays such an important role in their life. And no, this doesn’t have anything to do with dog shows.
⠀
Early-on handling means that a puppy is held in people’s arms since the very birth and taught to experience all kinds of tactile sensations – petting, stroking, scratching. If there is a lack of tactile communication, then this might have a negative effect on the dog’s socialization.
⠀
✔️Dogs communicate through smells. They mark their territory, look for sexual partners and tell their canine friends about themselves using scents.
⠀
It is like a profile, from which you can learn about a dog’s sex, age, approximate size, readiness for reproduction and health status.
⠀
Your dog has a whole variety of ways to talk to you, and for you as a human it is very important to know more about them and understand them better.
⠀
Educate yourself, observe and seek to understand your dog. Our furry friends always have something to tell us.
⠀
Knowing what our dogs are going through helps us predict their future actions 🐶
