It’s Me or the Dog: How to have the Perfect Pet

Improves a dog’s attention to human owners

Medical Cons of Neutering

Early neutering – i.e., before puberty – increases the risk of a puppy not maturing properly, delaying the closing of growth plates in the long leg bones, which increases the risk of orthopedic disorders

Weight gain, due to a larger appetite and slower metabolic rate (this can be managed with regular exercise and a good diet)

A neutered dog can sometimes develop hormone-responsive alopecia (hair loss)

Potential risk of incontinence in both sexes

Behavior Cons of Neutering

Dogs neutered before puberty can show pedomorphic tendencies – puppy-like behaviors into adulthood, such as higher excitability

If dogs are serial humpers, then neutering might not reduce this behavior since it is not just sexually driven

In some cases, lack of testosterone can lower confidence levels and make male and female dogs more aggressive

Spaying an aggressive female in order to lower the aggressive response can make her more aggressive, as many calming hormones such as progesterone are greatly reduced

Talk Dog communicating with your dog (#ulink_3180de4e-2044-5e24-b825-cdba8ba9de67)

Let me begin by stating the obvious: Dogs do not speak English. Or French, or German, or Spanish, for that matter. They talk dog.

The secret of successful training is to learn how to communicate with your dog in a way that he understands. He can’t learn your language. It’s up to you to learn to speak his.

Dogs are terrific communicators. Have you ever stopped to think how many different words we have for the noises dogs make – words such as growl, snarl, whine, whimper, bark, and howl? All these various sounds and vocalizations mean different things in dog language, while the meanings may also change in subtle ways, depending on context and circumstance.

Then there’s body language. Dogs communicate with sound, but they also speak volumes through their gestures and stances. A lift of an eyebrow, a yawn, a wrinkled brow are just some of the ways they signal their feelings and intentions to others, both canine and human.

Learning to talk dog is the key to understanding your pet so that you can better meet his needs. This chapter covers the range of sounds and signals that form the basis of canine communication. With a little practice, you’ll be speaking it like a native!

The secret of successful training is to learn how to communicate with your dog in a way that he understands.

Sounds and vocalizations

Dogs bark. It’s what they do. But they make a wide range of other sounds, too, and here is what they each mean:

Whining

The very first form of vocalization is the whine. Puppies whine to gain the attention of their mother. In adult dogs, this insistent, rather nagging, high-pitched sound is similarly often a request for you to take some notice. “Feed me!” it says. “Let me out!” Or simply, “Pay me some attention!” Whining can also indicate that the dog is nervous, frightened, or anxious.

Whimpering

When whining shades into the more pitiful sound of whimpering, it can be the sign of more serious distress – dogs often whimper when they are in pain. Otherwise, it could simply be the dog’s way of intensifying or heightening the plea of whining, particularly when it is accompanied by pawing. “What would it take to get you to pay some attention to me?” it says.

Yelping

A sudden yelp is a pain cry. If you accidentally step on a dog’s paw or tail, he’ll yelp to let you know that he’s hurt.

Growling

The growl is the dog’s key warning sound. But it is also an important part of the way puppies play. Play-fighting is how puppies test the waters, see how far they can go and how strong they are, and growling often goes along with it. When older dogs play with each other, they revert to this puppyish behavior and may growl at each other without intending to communicate aggression. When your dog plays with you – for example, when you’re playing tugging games – he may also emit a wavering growl. It doesn’t mean he’s going to snap at you, it’s just part of the mock battle you’re playing.

When a growl is deep and sustained, and is accompanied by a tense body, it’s a clear warning to back off. This is the sign of impending aggression. The dog may feel threatened or under attack, and is giving you or another dog the chance to avoid further trouble before it’s too late.

Snarling

“You didn’t listen, did you?” When the warning given by the growl goes unheeded, the vocalization escalates. The growl goes up a level in intensity and vibrates a little, becoming less sustained. The lips are up and the teeth are bared. Snarling indicates that aggressive action is imminent.

Howling

Many people interpret the long mournful tone of the howl as a sound of distress. While it’s true that dogs will often howl if left alone too long – “Where are you, my human pack?” – howling doesn’t necessarily indicate unhappiness. The howl is the biggest sound a dog can make, and it carries over long distances. In the wild, it is used to signal a dog’s presence to others or to ward off predators. Some dogs – notably basset hounds – are more prone to howling than others. Dogs will also howl in response to the bark or howl of another dog. And, of course, we all know that some dogs like to howl along to the piano, no matter how well you are playing!

Champing

You may never have heard the term before, but if you’re a dog owner, you’ll probably recognize champing when you hear it. It’s a type of sucking, chewing noise that a dog makes - as if he were a horse champing at a bit, or as if he were licking his chops, except that he will make this noise when he is not actually eating. This is a pacifying sound. Some dogs “champ” when they are greeting humans or other canines; others do it to show that they are not a threat.

Groaning

Many dogs make a low, throaty, murmuring groan, moan, or growl when they are being stroked. This indicates bliss and pleasure.

Barking

Barking is a really important part of dog communication. Depending on the context, it has a variety of meanings. Barking can be used to sound an alarm or warning, it can be a call for attention, or it may simply indicate that the dog is excited. Dogs bark to signal their presence to other dogs that may not be able to see them – that bad dog on the other side of the fence, for example. They also bark in response to barking or to mark their territory. And, of course, they bark when they are bored and isolated. While excessive barking may indicate a problem, it is very important that dogs should be able to bark from time to time. It’s wrong to expect a dog to spend his life in silence.

When they are very young, puppies do not bark. Timing varies, but in most cases a puppy will have started to bark by the age of two months. Some breeds also bark more than others. Maltese dogs are pretty vocal, and so are Shelties. Dachshunds are also predisposed to bark, for good reason. They were originally bred to go down holes after badgers and to bark when they found them so that hunters could identify exactly where the badgers were (the breed name means “badger dog” in German).

Body language

Body language is vital in dog communication. Take the time to observe your dog closely in different situations, and try to work out what he is trying to say by watching his body language.

Signals pass between dogs faster than we can see – literally in the blink of an eye. Owners often call me to say that they were just walking their dog along the road when another dog coming toward them lunged out aggressively with no warning, and without their dog doing anything at all. Or vice versa – sometimes it was the owner’s dog that instigated the aggression. It may seem that nothing has provoked the behavior, but in that split second, those two dogs have been signaling to each other and have sized each other up. We humans are often very unobservant. Dogs, on the other hand, don’t miss a trick. Even a small lift of the eyebrow speaks volumes.

Humans rely heavily on verbal communication. But we send out many physical signals of our own. In drama workshops, students are often asked to stand in front of another person in the group and try to communicate with them using only facial expressions. A great actor can show you what he or she is feeling without uttering a word. You can try it yourself at home with a friend.

What follows is a description of what your dog is saying with his body language. Each part of the body acts in conjunction with other parts, so you can’t simply read the signs in isolation. Reading the body signals as a whole will tell you what your dog is feeling.

In the dog, facial expressions in particular can be very subtle, which is why we humans often miss and misread them. It does not help matters that breeding for appearance has greatly affected the ability of dogs to communicate effectively with each other and with us. Flattened noses, overly wrinkled skin, and docked tails are just some of the ways in which our strange notions of canine “beauty” have compromised the dog’s means of expressing himself.

Ears

Let’s start at the top. It’s easiest to distinguish ear signals on dogs with pointed ears. Dogs with drooping ears, such as Beagles and Spaniels, use their ears to signal in the same way, but the signs are slightly harder to see.

Ears that stick straight up represent alertness, confidence, and awareness. If the ears are drawn back on the head, your dog is showing friendliness, that is provided vigorous tail-wagging, a wriggling body, and a calm, relaxed facial expression accompany it.

However, the ears can also be drawn back when the dog is nervous. In this case, the gesture is designed to be pacifying. It says: “I’m nervous, so please back off!” If so, there will be a number of other nervous signals. The tail may be between the legs, the body may be crouching, the front paw may be lifted, the eyes could be slightly closed with dilated pupils, or the mouth may be slightly open while the lips are licked.