Conversations With Our Four-Legged Friend

Mr. Scoop is lying peacefully over his owner’s bed, as always. The woman then puts on a coat, grabs a purse and announces, “Bye-bye, baby boy. Mommy’s got classes. I’ll be back soon”. Before leaving, she requests “Give mommy a kiss”; and the dog, naturally, complies.  

Anything sounds familiar?

According to a survey conducted in the US, half of the pet owners talk to their pets. What’s more, eighty percent of the people who talk to animals affirmed that the pets appear to answer with sounds, body language or facial expressions. Besides, eighty percent of polled pet owners alleged that their cat or dog could sense their emotions, and three out of four even believe that their pet attempts to cheer them up if needed.        

Studies have shown that those who talk to pets may be on to something.

“Conversations with your pet can help you nurture and strengthen the bond between you and your pet”, explains Linda Cole, who writes a blog about pets. “Of course they don't understand everything we say, but they can and do pick out the words that mean something to them”.

Indeed, it has been proven that the average dog can understand about 165 diverse words, and this number can go up if the canine is trained. .Three years ago Chaser, a very impressive border collie, learned the names of 1022 items, becoming the animal with the highest vocabulary. Before Chaser, another collie called Rico became famous for responding correctly to 200 words.

Dogs understand basic commands like “Sit”, “Come here” or “Go”, and a variety of others terms, as long as they are tangible words rather than abstracts ideas. For instance, most dogs can tell that a leash if the object they wear to take a walk. However, they probably don’t know that the purpose of that object is to restrain them so they don’t run away. Also, it’s much easier for a dog to learn those terms that are associated with concrete actions or objects, especially those related to eating or playing.   

Also, Intonation and volume are paramount. If you say “You’re a bad dog” with a smile and in a sing-song voice, your pet will take it as a compliment.

Nevertheless, talking to a pet seems to have little to do with being understood. It appears to be more about expressing emotions and venting. 

On a forum where the topic of talking to pets was being discussed, a person identified as Peacebe2me said “Today I had a very bad day, and I had a long talk with the dog about how I felt about some people, and other things going on. I don’t know if he understands or not, but I sure feel better” While a pet-lover identified as C.S. stated “Pets listen when you want to talk about your feelings, even when your mate doesn't want to hear it anymore”. And another dog owner identified as wwdiup1 said ““I talk to my dog because she's the best listener, never interrupts!”

Your Friendly Dog; Yep, He’s Talking to You

One of the best things of owning a dog is definitely having a friend willing to listen to you, no matter how silly things you say are. Your four-legged friend is there for you. But do you listen to him? Because dogs definitely talk to you in the way they are able to. So, can you speak his language?

Dogs bark once when they want to call someone out, and bark multiple times rapidly to let their group know that something threatening or interesting is going on. A high-pitched barking can be a sign of either frustration or playfulness. Dogs also growl to show disgust and whine to beg. If the sound starts low and ends high it means the dog wants something, but if it starts high and ends low it means he’s complaining about something that makes him unhappy.

But our pet doesn’t have to make a sound to let us know how he’s feeling. Something every dog owner knows is that when a dog is very excited to see someone he wags his tail frenetically (In addition to jumping up and down). Dog owners also know that a tail that tucked, curled, or hanging unusually low indicates that the dog is feeling scared or in pain. However, wagging his tail doesn’t always equal happiness. That tail wagging humans interpret as a sign of excitement could actually mean fear or readiness to fight.

The rapid tail wags are indeed the classical signs of joy and desire to interact playfully, but slow, short wags indicate confusion but, also, interest. If a dog only wags the tip of his tail he may be afraid of you and is ready to defend himself if he has to. When it’s your dog the one doing that, it’s means he’s about to chase something or start a fight. Two dogs interacting that show such kind of tail wagging are uncomfortable with one another. If the dog is wagging his tail fast and up it means he’s confident and prepared for a fight. The tail extended straight out also means the dog is prepared to attack, while a tail straight up simply means alertness and interest.

The mouth of your dog also speaks volumes of his mood, even when he’s not barking. The way he positions his teeth, lips and jaws can tell you what you need to know. If your dog is content and relaxed, he’ll probably have his mouth closed or slightly opened.

People assume, sometimes wrongly, that a dog is being aggressive if he exposes his teeth. But the dog might actually be “smiling” to communicate the opposite. If a dog is feeling very submissive, he’ll show his front teeth by pulling up his lips vertically. Such smile goes together with a lowered head, whining and squinty eyes.

On the other hand, a dog with aggressive intent will display his teeth by retracting his lips, while wrinkling the top of his muzzle. That’s a dog that’s telling you to back off!