Who doesn’t love a dog? Seriously judging people who answer ‘me!’ Well, if you are someone like me, settling down for you translates to adopting a dozen dogs and loving them forever. Since we adore these innocent-eyed, love-inducing creatures so much, we should know about their behaviours so that we can take care of them as required. Knowing them better will improve the communication between you and your little one and inevitably bring you two closer. These are some of the explanations of common dog behaviours that sometimes become hard to interpret.
1. Chewing in adult dogs: “Why you leaving me alone?”
It’s normal if your dog is chewing on almost everything when they have a new set of teeth coming. However, if an adult dog exhibits such behaviour, there is cause to be alarmed. It might be a sign of them going through separation anxiety or anxiety in general.
2. Jumping up: “Look, I’m stronger than you.”
Typically, dogs jump to show enthusiasm. It is considered a playful behaviour, however, it is a sign of them trying to assert their dominance over you and this behaviour shouldn’t always be encouraged.
3. Getting excited on hearing certain words: “Look, mommy, I’m so clever!”
Dogs, just like little children, learn human vocabulary through repetitive usage by their owners. For instance, if the word ‘walk’ is followed by you taking them on a walk, eventually they will start recognizing the word and get excited when you utter it.
4. Sudden change in behaviour on hearing a human baby crying: “I feel sorry for the little hooman.”
Dogs can detect an infant crying and exhibit a unique behavioural combination of alertness and submissive behaviour after listening to crying. It’s their way of expressing empathy.
5. Turning away when you try to hug them: “I love you but please no.”
Not all dogs love hugs, in fact, most don’t. Dogs might tolerate a hug if it comes from someone familiar but if your dog is resisting a hug, you should never force them into it. Dogs are essentially affectionate beings and do not shy away from showing their love but a hug isn’t one of their ways of showing it. You can pat their head or scratch their tummy instead.
6. Showing the whites of their eyes: “I don’t like what’s happening.”
This is one way employed by dogs to express displeasure. If something is disturbing them or they are not liking some action of a person, dogs tend to show the whites of their eyes.
7. Constant staring: “I wanna make sure you mean what you are saying.”
A dog might stare at you constantly to show their affection or to process yours. While staring, your dog is processing emotional signals that you’re giving him to see if they match theirs. These emotional signals could be a smile and pat on the head.
8. Smelling: “You’re my favourite kind of hooman.”
Dogs sniff around to gather and memorize information about their surrounding. But they love sniffing familiar smells all the more. This is the reason your dog might sniff your friends every time they come over. For them, the familiar smell is a sort of reward.
9. Rolling over and exposing their belly: “Ok you win, please don’t hurt me!”
Rolling over isn’t just a sign of submissiveness or trust. When dogs expose their belly to humans, all they want is a good belly rub. Dogs also expose their belly to other dogs as a means of ending a fight or letting the other one know that they are not a threat. Or it could simply mean, they need a good back scratch!
10. Tilting their head to one side while looking at you: “I wanna show you my puppy face in case you didn’t love me enough already.”
When being talked to, dogs tilt their heads to see our faces and read our expressions more clearly and they are really good at it too. They might also tilt their head when you make unusual sounds to get hold of few familiar words.
11. Sticking their butt out into the air: “I wanna play!”
Well, it can look like stretching but it’s another form of submission like rolling over. Also, dogs tend to stick their butts out when they are ready to play. It’s a playful stance showing they are ready to pounce on a toy or run and fetch that ball for you.
12. Sticking their butt to your face: “Please scratch me kind hooman.”
Well, dogs are not capable of scratching themselves really easily and they tend to get itchy a lot, especially in the tail head area. They are not trying to be offensive, they just consider you a super human who will willing scratch their back no matter how dirty it is.
13. Howling: “Back off!”
Howling is used to attract attention, to make contact with others and to announce their presence. It can also be used to direct your attention towards an injury or illness or to express anxiety. Dogs howl when they want to keep someone off their territory or simply as a response to high-pitched voices.
Show them the love they deserve.