Dogs don't understand English, even if we think they do!! They make connections between our words and their responses - if learnt via association, e.g. through repetition and reinforcement like reward treats, it may seem like they understand English - they don't!
They use “Doglsih” - this is how they vocally communicate with us, there are different types of bark, here are just some I come across ….daily! To signal alert/alarm, fear, interest (flirt with me being one I hear much at the moment), attention “me me me syndrome”, dominance aggression, excitement, insecurity and my favourite the “howl” which in my pack this means "We're still communicating with you our Pack Leader, even though you’ve gone out we beleive you can hear us"!! Truly amazing experience when you see our tiniest Chihuahua and Gt Dane howling together!
Let’s take an example from my pack- there’s 6 Terriers sitting on the window sill, checking out "their territory" - they don’t know or care that it's us who pay the mortgage etc! An unsuspecting owner with dog passes by., now that’s a sure way to go straight to “barking hell”! This is understandable to them as the unsuspecting dog can’t see them, their body language signals are of no use so vocal it is - which roughly translates to “get off my patch“!
Thing is us humans can be really tricky for a dog to keep up with, to them we are always changing our minds, wanting them to bark to alert us to strangers approaching and yet to shut-up when we know what is going on and don’t want to hear the racket! Dogs cannot tell the difference between friend and foe, anyone or dog just passing by or visiting the home can be seen as either. Much will depend on how we have allowed or taught the dog to behave, aim not to “human confuse dog” by expecting different responses to, how the dog sees it, same situations!.
I’ve heard owners express how their dog would stop a burglar by jumping and licking them! This translates to a dog who is encouraged (not necessarily deliberately) to get excited with visitors and would naturally transfer this to a foe! The other extreme being the dog who cannot be with welcome visitors for our fear of an aggressive response. Both are examples of dogs who have made their own decisions on how to greet humans! Both types are in need of a Pack Leader to show them how to meet friendly visitors calmly and respectfully, with all paws on the floor!
Remember - our dogs are trying to tell us something…check it out, especially if it's whining - until you’re sure you know why don’t insist they stop (if you’re uncertain ask a professional or vet).
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