The dog’s failure to verbalize what they want and what they feel has not become a hindrance to the formation of close ties between humans and dogs as both can understand each other. How do dogs communicate? Dogs are truly intelligent animals as they can make humans and other animals understand what they want to say by using body movements and a unique form of vocalization. Dog owners would attest to the fact that man’s best friend really do have the ability to show their feelings and to convey what they mean to their human friends.

Being pack animals, it would be an inherent attitude of dogs to dominate other dogs thus in a two or three dog household, one would be the leader of the pack. Dogs have a distinctive method of communicating with each other. Notice how the alpha male stops the rambunctious play of the other dogs. All the alpha male has to do is to assume an intimidating position, bare the teeth and growl and dogs lower in rank will show signs of being submissive by lowering the eyes and holding the tail between the legs.

The bared teeth and the threatening growl of the pack leader will be enough to warn other dogs in the pack. When meeting people, humans shake each others hand, dogs sniff each others butt as a form of communication. It is rather amusing to see dogs greet and communicate with each other as this is done by sniffing each others rear end.

Dogs cannot speak in the same manner that we humans cannot bark or whine and yet through long years of association, we humans have finally understood what the wagging tail, the whining and the barking, the erect ear and the furtive glances of the eyes mean. Dogs are believed to be highly attuned to the feeling of their master so that understanding humans would be easy for our canine friends but humans have a higher level of intelligence than dogs so that in spite of the communication barrier, humans can understand dogs by observing its body movements and facial expression. A dog that is alerting the owners to possible territory intrusion would bark in a different manner than when it barks with joy at the sight of the master.

Apart from being man’s best friends, dogs are also man’s most loyal companions. It would be super if dogs can talk so that they will be the master’s confidante as well but since they cannot, we humans have to be satisfied with the silent empathy and unending affection of the pet.

You can find out more about how dogs communicate at Sarah’s Dogs.

Tagged with: • • • • • •

Filed under: Dogs

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!