Understanding What Your Dog Is Trying to Tell You

Just like humans, dogs are also very expressive. In fact, if you look around you, you may not see a lot of very expressive people. Truth be told, some of our canine buddies are perhaps even more expressive than their human counterparts. You may not be aware of it sometimes, but your pet dog communicates when he’s feeling happy, sad, angry, afraid, and even when he’s nervous. He uses his face and some body parts to convey these emotions.

 

Since our four-legged friends can’t talk, it can be challenging for us as owners to understand what they’re trying to tell us. The body language of dogs is an elaborate system of nonverbal communication that can be hard to understand for some who do not know how to interpret it.

 

If you want to read the postures and signals of your pet pooch, it will be easier to understand what he’s trying to tell you. Here are tips on how to understand the meaning of some of the facial expressions of your dog:

 

The eyes – You can easily tell that your pet dog is happy and relaxed if his eyes are in their normal shape. ‘Normal’ is, of course, relative, as some dogs have round eyes, while others have almond-shaped pairs for seeing. If you notice when you go outside that his eyes appear larger than usual, he might be feeling threatened. The eyes also look larger when he’s in an aggressive state.

 

The ears – With the wide variety of dog breeds also comes a wide variety of types of dog ears. The size and shape of your canine companion’s ears are what determine how well he can use his ears to communicate. Depending on the breed, some ears pricked or semi-pricked, dropped, or hang long. If your dog holds his ears naturally, it means he is feeling relaxed and comfortable. Of course, any dog owner knows that the minute a dog holds his ears high on his head, it means he’s alert, and he’ll usually direct his ears toward the direction of whatever’s getting his attention.

 

The mouth – Despite not having the ability to talk, the way your pooch positions his lips, jaws, and teeth can tell a lot. Relaxed dogs usually have closed or slightly open mouths. To cool their bodies, he opens his mouth to pant. If they feel uptight or anxious, he may yawn in an exaggerated manner. If he barks a lot, he may be feeling afraid, protective, or even bored (you can use dog barking collars if his barking gets out of control).

 

These are just some of the ways to tell what your pet dog’s trying to communicate by using some parts of his head. Understanding what he’s trying to tell you will make it easier for both of you to communicate more effectively.  

 

Helpful Tips in Crate-Training Your Dog

Animals have their own habitats. Take them out of their habitats and they’ll start feeling uncomfortable, even become sick. This is why there are those who are strong advocates against keeping animals in captivity in zoos. For domesticated dogs, however, they’re used to being in a man’s house. They can freely roam around the property even without a leash.

 

For some well-meaning pet owners, they want to give their canine companion that feeling of living in a den by getting them a crate or a cage. Although cages are not necessarily substitutes for a dog’s lair, they can be the next best thing to it. The challenge for the owner is how to train his four-legged friend to be comfortable in a cage.

 

If you’re planning to get your dog a cage, here are some helpful tips on how to crate-train him:

 

Get a crate big enough for him – The size of the crate you’ll get doesn’t have to be very large, but it should at least allow your pooch to take at least a couple of paces inside it. It also has to be tall enough so that his head doesn’t hit the top part when he’s in a sitting position (compared to humans, dogs are taller when they sit).

 

Put something inside that will entice him to step in – It can either be his favorite toy or food. The key is to get him to walk inside the cage without forcing him. Once he’s inside, don’t close the crate door just yet. Allow him to get used to being there. It may take several attempts before he starts getting comfortable in it, so patience is one virtue you should really have while training him.

 

Provide creature comforts inside – Depending on what your dog’s used to, you can lay a thick cloth on the floor of the cage and put pillows there as well. If you’ve decided that you’ll also feed him inside the crate, put his feeding bowl in there as well.

 

Make him get used to being carried while inside the crate – One of the reasons for getting a dog a cage is to make him comfortable being carried around while inside it. Therefore, part of your crate-training is to lift the cage with him inside it and transfer it to different locations in your house. By doing this, if you need to take him with you in a car, he will no longer feel uncomfortable or even disoriented.

 

These are the basic steps in crate-training your pet pooch (if he barks excessively during the training, you can stop dog barking by using anti-barking collars). You can also enlist the help of someone who has crate-trained his own dog to help you out in case your attempts are not too successful.

 

Why Dogs Bark and What You Can Do To Minimize It

Excessive dog barking can be annoying – not only for the entire family but for the neighborhood.

As a dog owner, you have to understand that barking can never be completely stopped. Besides, dogs usually communicate their feelings and thoughts by way of barking. You only have to do something about it once the dog never ceases to bark – even during the wee hours of the night.

Reasons for Barking

Some of the common reasons for barking include warning you of impending danger and driving an intruder away. Sometimes, it is the dog’s way of expressing sadness, excitement, hunger, boredom, or discomfort.

Additionally, take note that certain breeds bark more frequently than other dogs. The Yip Yap, Chihuahua, Cairn Terrier, German Shepherd, Miniature Schnauzer, and Scottish Terrier are some of the dogs that bark the most.

Solutions for Barking

Given the last reason I mentioned, some dog owners will probably point out that there are dog breeds that seldom bark or do not bark at all. The Basenji, New Guinea Singing Dog, Shiba Inu, and Saluki are dogs that fall under this category.

Otherwise, you may instead focus your efforts in training the dog. For example, you should only consider giving treats to your dog during the times when he is well-behaved. Never make the mistake of doing that to silence him while he is barking loudly. He will perceive this as reward for good behavior.

Another effective idea is to engage the dog in meaningful activities when he is awake so he will not be too noisy. Keep in mind that boredom is one of the reasons of incessant barking. So instead of leaving your dog unattended for long hours, take him for a walk and play some games with him. This is also a good way for him to be less energetic later on.

Sometimes, taking your dog to the veterinarian will be necessary. You may not be aware about it but your dog may simply be suffering from pain. You will have lesser problems regarding barking once that gets resolved.

A dog barking collar may also be good to use. Of course, this all depends on your personal preference. Although some animal right advocates oppose the idea of using this technology, you as the dog owner should make the decision whether to use it or not. If you decide your dog needs this, you can find dog barking collars at DogMaster.