Furry Friends

Have you ever talked to your pets and sworn that you understood what you were stating?

Don’t worry, you are not insane. New research demonstrates that while dogs can’t generally talk, they do process the feelings and vocalizations of people as much as we do.

Your pooch uses his whole body, from his ears to his tail, to speak with you. He can let you know both when he's glad and relaxed and when he's anxious or afraid. When you recognize what to search for, you'll soon understand that your dog is addressing you all the time. There are three key regions of your dog’s body to watch: his tail, his ears and his face.

Let’s take into consideration, "The world's smartest dog, Chaser that has the largest vocabulary of any nonhuman animal."

For a dog, emotion is expressed through body language:

• When you return home or get up in the morning and your dog welcomes you with a scratch, she is not waking up from a nap or doing puppy yoga, she is saying hello.

• When a puppy’s ears are backwards and flat against her head, and she is contracting back to the ground trying to make herself small, she is uncomfortable.

• When puppy yawns, lick her lips, and slowly blinks these are all signs of uncertainty or stress.

• When a puppy’s whole body is stiff, her tail up in the air as a flag, with her head and neck raised high and back, she is suspicious, and likely minutes away from getting into a fight.

• When your puppy holds her tail down low, it could imply that she is relaxed or that she is feeling uncertain or fearful.

• When your puppy is anxious, she may show the whites of her eyes. She may furrow her brow and blink frequently.

• When she is relaxed, your puppy’s mouth may be loosely closed or slightly open. It may look as if she’s smiling.

When you begin to tune into your puppy's non-verbal communication, you will be fascinated by the ways she is communicating with you all the time. Just same as chatting with your loved ones brings you closer to them, understanding what your puppy is saying to you can help to improve and strengthen your relationship with her.

So go ahead, talk to your puppy. She more than likely knows just what you are saying.