Dogs Express Emotions
Ah, if only our dogs were able to smile to show us how happy they are! Or how sad. We dream of cartoon dogs that actually express emotions in visible ways to us. But dogs have emotions and they express them differently. Today, we take a look at how dogs express emotions.
This is basic Dog 101 for first-time owners and even for seasoned owners. Dogs actually have many ways of expressing how they feel and what they are needing.
Vocal signals
The most common and obvious form of vocalization is barking. They bark for a number of reasons. It could mean they are feeling threatened, excited, frightened, or reacting to an emotion, among other things. The tone and type of barking will give you clues as to what is your dog feeling.
Dogs have other forms of vocalization. These are more subtle than barking and included whining to get your attention, yipping, growling, whimpering when they cannot get out, etc. Every sound a dog makes has a meaning. Vocalization is only one of the ways of how dogs express their feelings.
Body language
This is a more subtle way in which dogs express their feelings and needs. Everything from the tail-wagging, the way they position their ears, their body stance, the eyes, and even how they sit and sleep is relaying a message.
An angry dog, for instance, will place his ears to the back and have a menacing stance. If a puppy is relaxed, he will roll on his back and show you his tummy. A dog’s body will tell you a great deal of what they are feeling.
Dogs will react to outside cues and there are some standard body positions that will tell you about how dogs express their emotions. In Dogalize, we want to help you understand your dog the best way possible. This is why we have created and curated an extensive amount of resources for you to check out.
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