Dog Communication

From LoveToKnow Dogs

Does your dog know what you are saying? See what pet expert Wendy Nan Rees has to say on the topic.

What does he really understand?

What Dogs Understand

In this week's tip, I want to share something about one of my four dogs, Cappy (Also known as Lord Captain Bowes Rees). I personally think he not only talks to me, but with me and understands everything I say. On many occasions, when he wants something (and I am speaking honestly here), he will whine or bark until I give him what he wants. Now, not all of my dogs are as animated as Cappy, but they all do have their own way of letting me know when they want something or when they are happy, sad and, most importantly, when they do not feel well.

Here is what our dogs are doing when we think they may be talking with us. Many of our dogs do learn what some words or phrases mean. Some examples are:

"Do you want dinner?"
"Where is your leash?"
"Want to go for a walk?"
"Let's go to the park."
"Want to go play ball?"

Believe it or not, it is really the inflections of our voices that dogs understand. You can see by the way they turn their heads or lift an ear that they are listening and communicating with us.

A Dog's Hearing

Well, Cappy is listening to me, but not for the reason I would like to think. A dog's hearing, like his sense of smell, is so much better than ours. Dogs hear at much higher frequencies so any sound, especially the sharp and high ones, is much more intense and louder. If you can smell or hear something, you can bet your dog can smell and hear it way before you can. This is why our dogs make such wonderful watch dogs to help protect us, not to mention all the other wonderful skills our beloved best friends offer us.

This ability to hear so well is also a survival tool for our dogs. It has evolved with them because they needed to know if a predator was coming so they could protect themselves. They needed a sharp ear to always be on the lookout, and this is what the look of the cocked head and the lifted ear is about.

Dogs have the ability to turn their heads and move each ear independently of one another to 185°. This allows them to hear all around and behind them. They also use this ability to communicate to other dogs. Next time you are out walking your dog at the park, take a look at your dog and the other dogs' ears. You will see all of them using their ears. It is really rather funny when you just start looking only at ears and tails. I can spend hours just laughing and taking pictures.

I am a very light sleeper at night and always have been my entire life. Even as a baby, my mother has always said I would wake up at the smallest sound. As I grew up and went on to boarding school my roommates used to say, "Wennie sleeps like an Apache Indian with one eye open ready to jump up and do battle at a moment's notice."

If I sleep like this, can you imagine how our dogs sleep? They can hear a sound as fast as one six-hundredth of a second from when the sound began. Our dogs use their ears as their antennaes or like their own short wave radio or mobile phone system. When your dog has his head turned, you can be sure he's monitoring what's going on.

Dog Communication

Our dogs are really amazing animals. They use their entire body to communicate with us and other dogs. Try to really tune into your dog's body language and you'll soon find the two of you are having conversations of your own.