K9 Magazine Master Class Series Understanding Canine Communication Understand Canine Communication & Enjoy an Even BETTER Relationship With Your Dog Written by Johan Malasasia Featuring.... Dog on dog communication – Understanding body language – Translate dog talk – Recognising aggressive posturing – Unlocking canine code 1 of 22 K9 Magazine Master Class Series Understanding Canine Communication Legal Notices Legal Notice © K9 Media Ltd. All rights reserved. This ebook is copyright protected. This is only for personal use. You cannot amend, distribute, sell, use, quote or paraphrase any part or the content within this ebook without the consent of the author or copyright owner. Legal action will be pursued if this is breached. Please appreciate the hard work done. Disclaimer Notice: This book is for personal use only. It should serve as a reference only with no guarantee to any personal or financial gains. Results from usage of materials described in this book varies. 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K9 Media Ltd is not responsible for sales, customer service or warranties in relation to any product or service that may be mentioned in this eBook / report. 2 of 22 K9 Magazine Master Class Series Understanding Canine Communication A Guide to Canine Communication Learn to Speak Dog & Enjoy an Even More Rewarding Relationship with your Canine Friend! Understanding how dogs communicate is just about the most important ingredient in maintaining and establishing a happy, healthy relationship with your canine. An inability to recognise what makes dogs tick, what makes them respond to certain situations and environments is one of the central reasons that some dog owners struggle to ever really get the best out of their pet. Our guide touches on a number of important issues relating to canine communication, all designed to help you better understand why dogs do some of the things they do and give you an insight in to what's going on in their heads from time to time. When Dogs Meet Other Dogs: What Are They Saying To Each Other? How can you tell if your puppy's encounter with an unfamiliar dog will be a delight or a disaster? That depends on how the other dog acts and how your puppy responds. Pet dogs, though domesticated, interact with each other according to pack protocol. The pack (the basic canine social unit) is structured around a hierarchy of dominance and subordinance (submission). Every pack member is dominant to some and subordinate to others, with the exception of the alpha male (who is dominant to all) and the lowest-ranking pack member (who is subordinate to all). Social rank is communicated and enforced through body language – a complex combination of movements, posture and other physical signals. 3 of 22 K9 Magazine Master Class Series Understanding Canine Communication When two dogs meet for the first time, the outcome depends on several factors: 1) Age: Most adult dogs tolerate puppies, but this isn't always the case. If your puppy is approaching maturity and tries to out some dominant behaviours, an older dog may feel obligated to put your youngster in its place. However, puppies of similar ages usually get along well with each other, because puppies usually don't attempt to dominate each other. 2) Sex: Adult dogs often have friendlier interactions with dogs of the opposite sex than those of the same sex. Because this characteristic is related to maturity, it doesn't affect interactions involving young puppies 3) Location: Dogs naturally try to protect their own territory (their house and yard), so they often get along better when they meet on neutral ground, such as a park. This tactic doesn't work, however, if either dog decides that a frequently visited public location is part of its territory. Most puppies, especially young ones, aren't really territorial, but an adult dog may still regard your youngster as an intruder. 4) Owner Presence: And finally, some dogs are more amiable with one another when their owners aren't around. This may be due to decreased feelings of jealousy or protectiveness. It may also be that socialization proceeds more smoothly without human interference. A friendly dog will approach your puppy with a slightly crouched posture, low wagging tail, laid-back ears and a soft, indirect gaze. A not-so-friendly dog will approach standing tall, with its tail and ears 4 of 22 K9 Magazine Master Class Series Understanding Canine Communication erect. It's gaze will be direct and staring; it may snarl or growl as it approaches. Your puppy will probably respond to either of these dogs with submissive behaviour, which is similar to that of the friendly dog, but more pronounced. Your puppy may even roll over on its back or urinate a bit -signs of complete submission. Even the most aggressive dog won't attack another dog in this position. Dog Communication: Are You Listening? You've just gotten home after a brutal day at work. The headache from your busy schedule would love nothing more than to be relieved by a warm welcome from your family. As soon as you open the door you hear the high-pitched voice of your wife as she is scolding your ten-year-old son, while his little sister is sobbing because he broke one of her new dolls. The television is loud and your Mother-in-law is chatting on the phone... So who is the loving one that meets you at the door? “Sammy” does, your three-year-old dog. He's wagging and wiggling from his head to the tip of his tail. He dances and jumps into your waiting arms, and, if you allow him, he licks you on the face. He's glad to see you. Your dog has expressed himself in the language that he knows you understand. Your dog, like pet dogs all over the world, use body language and a variety of vocal sounds to communicate with his owner. The dog 5 of 22 K9 Magazine Master Class Series Understanding Canine Communication possesses an incredible ability to communicate with his owner: a universal language, telling man of danger, desire, loyalty and love. Your dog talks to tell you how sad he is when he's scolded. He shouts loud and clear his distress when a stranger or something unusual approaches, and he talks to you about how happy he is to be near you and share your companionship. Your dog talks best with his tail. When you accidentally step on your pet or upbraid him, he will tuck his tail between his legs and cower down, showing his submission. By tucking the tail, the dog is hiding his scent and thus hiding himself. This language seems to go back to the ancient wild dog when submissiveness and dominance existed in the pack. Your pet's ancestors signaled his subservience to the dominant dog by dropping that tail. Today, the domesticated dog is saying, “I feel terrible about what happened.” In contrast to the submissive tail movement, there is that happy, excited tail-wagging that states how much your dog wants to please you. The following story is such an example of this need to please: Max, a Collie, did his doggiest best to please his young owner while she was preparing for her wedding. Max had watched Angelica opening her wedding gifts the week before the ceremony. One afternoon, the Collie proceeded to provide a gift for Angelica... He yanked a brocade pillow from a neighbour's clothesline and brought it home. After placing the pillow at Angelica's feet, he wagged his tail in sheer joy that he was pleasing his owner and 6 of 22 K9 Magazine Master Class Series Understanding Canine Communication sharing her prenuptial pleasures. As you can see from this wonderfully heartwarming example of this Collie's desire to communicate pleasure, dogs are also much more intelligent than we give them credit for, especially in the communication department. When you verbally ask someone a question you expect an answer, right? A well-mannered, thought-out response is always appreciated and humans talk with their mouths and voice boxes to respond. This is how we interact, mostly with words to let others know how we feel. Dogs, on the other hand, communicate in a very different way. Yes they bark and use their vocal cords to cry about something, but the number one way to read how a dog is feeling or what he wants you to know is by looking at his tail. As your dog wags his tail in happiness, he may also exercise the rest of his body to tell you that you are a welcome sight. He may greet you by jumping, dancing around, and attempting to lick your face. As one dog trainer, Chris, tells of his German short-haired pointer, named Tiger, your dog can let you know when he is approaching a place which associates with comfort and happiness.