SolveYourProblem.com
Article Series: "Dog Talk" & Barking
Why Is My Dog Barking?
Dog
Talk: What Is My Dog Saying (Tail)?
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 – 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!'”
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SolveYourProblem.com
: 2009
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