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Module 13: Understanding Dog Communication: Dog Communication Is About All of The Following

This document discusses dog communication and is divided into 6 sections. It explores the main ways dogs communicate: through smell, sound, body language, taste, and touch. Smell is the most important sense for dogs and they use it to understand territory, health, and mood. Sounds include barks with different meanings, growls, howls and whines. Body language like eyes, mouth positioning, and tension convey emotions. Taste and touch play smaller roles in canine communication. Understanding these communication methods is important for training and interpreting a dog's behavior.

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Oana Dumbrava
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83 views

Module 13: Understanding Dog Communication: Dog Communication Is About All of The Following

This document discusses dog communication and is divided into 6 sections. It explores the main ways dogs communicate: through smell, sound, body language, taste, and touch. Smell is the most important sense for dogs and they use it to understand territory, health, and mood. Sounds include barks with different meanings, growls, howls and whines. Body language like eyes, mouth positioning, and tension convey emotions. Taste and touch play smaller roles in canine communication. Understanding these communication methods is important for training and interpreting a dog's behavior.

Uploaded by

Oana Dumbrava
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Module 13: Understanding Dog

Communication
Module 13 will explore a variety of topics on understanding
dog communication, including the following:

How smell is one of the most important senses that your


dog has
Why sound is not only about barking
Body language in your dog is extremely important to
their communication.
How a dog communicates through taste and touch

13.1 Introduction
Dog communication is about all of the following:

Smell
Sound
Body Language
Taste
Touch

Dogs have their own way of communicating, which comes from


their ancestry. A lot of dog behavior that you have learned
about and will learn more about is tied to their evolutionary
chain – from wolves to domesticated dogs.

For you to become a better trainer for your dog or as a


trainer for other people’s dogs, you will need to understand
dog communication.
You have already received a small introduction to
communication in animals so now you can apply that knowledge
to specific topics.
13.2 Smell
Smell is one of the most important senses
your dog has.

It is a main requirement for their communication. In the wild


wolves, wild dogs and domesticated dogs mark their scents as
warnings of territory. Dogs also use their sense of smell as a
way to understand other animal communication.

The natural instinct of your dog is to mark their scent


through urination and rubbing. Since a dog’s sense of smell is
one of their best tools, they are also very interested in
other scents like that of cats, small animals and other
humans. Their natural instinct is to smell everything and
decide what is or is not a threatening scent.

You may have been on a walk with your dog and your dog goes
running up to certain people. It could be the dog is extremely
interested in the scent that person is putting out because the
person has their own dog or cat.

Another example is if you move into an apartment that had pets


before. Your dog might start to exhibit different behaviors
such as urinating in the home or rubbing along certain
surfaces. It is often in response to another marker that is
now in their territory. The other pet is long gone, but the
scent may remain and your dog feels they need to cover it up
and show it is his/her place now.

Smell can also provide information to your dog. A dog will


sniff another to learn their gender, age, diet and health.
Another dog’s scent can contain information such as their
general mood and whether the dog is a stranger or one they’ve
met before.
Dogs can use smell to inform them if there is something wrong
or incorrect. Their ability to detect odors allows them to
provide a way to sniff out drugs, missing people and lost
items. If food is not appropriately fresh they can tell you it
is bad, often by sniffing it and then barking.

FACT

A dog’s nose has as many as 300 million receptors. In


comparison, a human nose has about 5 million.

Source: akc.org

13.3 Sound
Sound is not only about a dog’s bark, but also about other
sounds they hear.

All animals will communicate vocally and your dog will bark
for several reasons. Your dog may bark with an alert, alarm,
boredom, fear, suspicion, demand, distress or for pure
pleasure.
A distress bark is one of consistency. It is often high,
repetitive and will increase in pitch the more upset your dog
becomes.
The behavior may be seen when you are away from home. For
example, a neighbor might hear this distress bark because your
dog is feeling isolated or experiencing separation anxiety. It
can happen when your dog is locked somewhere, either in their
kennel or in a room.

An alert bark is a staccato sound. It is usually sharp, done


once or repeated if you do not come quickly. An alarm bark is
like the alert sound, only there is more intensity to the
barking. The dog will attempt to get you or their housemates
roused, moving and keep everyone safe.

When a dog is bored you can expect a monotone bark, with


plenty of repetition. This is a bark saying there is no
danger, but that they want to play, get your attention and
simply break the boredom they feel. This bark is also one that
neighbors might hear often, when you are not around. It is
particularly heard when the dog is left inside alone for
several hours.

A demand bark is very persistent and sharp. It tends to be


directed at the person who will address their needs.
Suspicious barks are slow and low in tone, while fearful
barking is low but extremely fast.

You can distinguish all of these barks from a dog’s playful


bark, which will not continue for long and is often associated
with play movements.

Barking is not the only sound your dog can make. There are a
few others that are used for communication as well.

Growling
Growling is to warn of a serious threat. It can also tell
other animals that this dog is there and does not like this
other animal in their territory. Dogs will growl in play, but
it tends to be while tugging on a toy. Some dogs like
Rottweilers will grumble when they are playing or being
petted, and as long as you see no stress, it is just play fun.

Baying
Baying is a deep throat sound. It is usually heard when a dog
is going after prey. However, it can also be a sound used for
challenging an intruder.

Howling
Howling is triggered by other high-pitched sounds. Some dogs
will start to howl when they hear police or fire sirens.
Howling is usually used for hunting or if the animal is in
extreme distress. Rather than barking, your dog may howl due
to separation or isolation distress.

Whimpering, Yelping, and Whining


A whimper or yelp is usually a sound your dog makes when in
pain. For example, if a foot is accidentally caught in a
closing door or when another dog bites a little too hard
during play. The yelp is used with their humans and other pets
to show that there is distress and pain. Whimpers can also be
about excitement such as when an owner returns home for the
day. This extreme excitement can cause your dog to whimper in
pleasure. It is usually combined with licking, barking and
jumping. It is also a softer sound than whining.

Whining is high pitched and produced through the nasal cavity


with the mouth closed. Dogs will whine when they want
something, such as to go outside. They can also whine if they
feel restrained by a lead, kennel or something else. Whining
can also be a sign of wanting valuable attention from their
owner due to separation or a lack of attention. Whining will
increase in intensity when your dog is stressed.
13.4 Body Language
Body language in your dog is extremely
important to their communication.

While barking and sounds can help you figure out what is
happening with your dog, their body language can help
reinforce the sounds. Sometimes their body language will
further inform you of what they are feeling or are fearful of.
Dogs can express fear, sadness, happiness, nervousness, anger
and other emotions with their bodies.

The eyes, within limits can show what a dog is feeling. A


relaxed and happy dog will leave their eyes in their normal
shape. Think of when you feel emotions and how your eyes may
change, such as widening in surprise or squinting to get a
better look at something. Your dog can change his/her eyes to
show aggression, fear or submission. The direction of your
dog’s gaze, along with other body language, can tell you if
they hear something threatening, fun or interesting.

For example, a dog when looking for a missing person will


often bark once to alert and will then arrange their body in
the direction of the person.

Dogs that show a lot of whites of the eyes and will not look
directly at you, are usually in an aggressive stance.
They are guarding something or getting ready to protect you.
It is often a sideways look to make certain nothing will hurt
them or be stolen from them. Their bodies will be tense when
guarding, but if your dog is not tense then you might not see
the whites of the eyes as much.

Without sound, the mouth can also tell you a lot about what
your dog is feeling. A mouth is not just for eating and
barking. A dog that is submissive or frightened will usually
have their mouth closed, with lips pulled back slightly. A
flick of the tongue in and out can also be a sign of
submission. If your dog is stressed, he might yawn repeatedly.

Dogs that retract their lips and show their teeth and gums are
showing aggression. Most often, a happy dog will have its
mouth slightly open, the occasional tongue hanging out, and
licking can also be a part of this happiness.

Dogs may also press up tightly to you. If their lips are


pulled back and they are growling, this is a warning and a
sign of protection. They are staying close in order to leap at
the danger. However, dogs that feel fear may also become tense
and press against you. For example, a dog afraid of a
thunderstorm may press closely to you and be extremely tense.
However, it is often accompanied by shaking. This shaking or
quivering is a sign of extreme fear where they are trying to
get comfort from you. It can also happen in other situations,
such as at a dog park.

13.5 Taste
Your dog can also communicate through taste.

Your dog might taste their food and stop eating it.
Conversely, they might readily taste something that you would
never put near your own mouth.

Dogs have 1,700 taste buds on their tongue. These taste buds
are tuned to chemical groups in the brain, allowing a dog to
recognize certain tastes.
Your dog may taste something as a way to figure out what it
is, if they like it and then communicate to you whether it is
something they will consume. Taste is not as common in
communication as the other three senses we have discussed in
this module. However, it is important to watch your dog when
eating something new or when they are outside and decide to
taste something due to their curiosity.

13.6 Touch
Touch or tactile communication is another
way your dog is trying to tell you
something.

Tactile communication can show love, happiness, fear and their


desire to protect you.

Protective touch can also be defensive. For example, a mother


will crouch over her puppies when there is a perceived danger.
Older dogs have been known to lie down near their favorite
toys to feel comforted or may groom their companion. Dogs can
also cuddle, lick or press against you in protective behavior.

Defensive touch is all about protecting through body language


and nose bumps. A dog might poke at another pet in their
vicinity to get them away from something the dog is trying to
protect. A dog can also nip as a way to reinforce the point.

Dogs will rub against you, lick you or jump on you to show
their affection. Some dogs will even try to get onto your lap,
sleep with you or stick close to your heels. This touching is
meant to show their affection, but it may also be about
calming your dog in the event something scared them or they
worry you were never coming back. Dogs love to cuddle with
other dogs as well as humans.

Your touch can be just as important to their communication.


Dogs expect to be touched by their companions as a way to
communicate. It means you can use your own touch to show how
you are feeling, or as a way to help calm your dog. A nervous
dog can become calmer if you apply a firm, full hand pressure
to their body along their head or back. Stroking your dog or
letting your dog be in your lap are also methods that you can
use to communicate through touch. Dogs will touch items that
they want to play with or bring them to you as a way to
communicate their desires.

Summary
In this module you explored the five senses as a means of
communication for dogs.

You learned to differentiate between the types of barks your


dog might use to communicate with you and other dogs.

You explored a dog’s sense of smell in terms of the


information they can glean from sniffing a variety of things,
including other dogs and humans.

As you made your way through this module, you should have
picked up information regarding body language and how your dog
might pose, become tense, or change its posture in different
situations.

Lastly, you learned that touch and taste are also a part of a
dog’s communication repertoire.

[Tweet “I just completed Module 13 of the Pet Psychology


Certification Course”]

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