Reading Your Dog like a Book

Title: Reading Your Dog like a Book
Author: Tracy Hargraves

Reading Your Dog like a Book
If your dog were a book, it would be a book in cartoon
format. Dogs are simple creatures – which do not mean they
are simple-minded. They can only concentrate on one thing
at a time. Short-term memory is so limited, that they do
not know what the fuss is about if you try to punish them
for something they did even a short time ago – such as mess
up the lounge.

Although every dog is different and personalities among our
canine friends almost as varied as among our human ones,
there are certain signals which mean the same whichever dog
is "saying" them. Learn to read them to avoid
misunderstandings with your faithful friend. If your dog is
looking at something, he is thinking about it. When looking
at the door, for example, he is thinking about going out.
When looking at the bin, he's thinking about a tasty morsel
inside and whether he can get at it. By interpreting this
simple body language, you can reward behaviours you wish to
encourage - and filter out the rest.

Dogs are first and foremost social creatures. As a pack
animal, he's going to behave with you as if you were a dog,
if you are all the pack he has. Much of what the dog does
is simply to stay in touch with his pack. If your dog puts
any part of his body on top of you, he thinks he is the
pack leader. In other words, he's more dominant than you.
You can test this by sitting or lying on the floor next to
him. If he puts his chin or paw on your leg, he thinks he's
boss. To correct this impression, stand up and place him
next to you in a sit position. If he then places a paw in
front of your foot, he still thinks he's top dog. It is
easy to correct this – just move him off you. He's not
trying to be difficult – just doing what comes naturally.
Lap dogs are slightly different in this respect and sitting
on you does not mean they feel dominant.

Being top dog is not necessarily a problem for all dogs,
but it can lead to separation anxiety (he is in the
position of being your parent) and related complications,
such as pulling on the lead, biting, running off, barking.
A simple way to assert yourself is to always go through
doors before him. The pack leader does this, to check for
danger.

A submissive dog is easy to spot – he will roll over and
expose his underbelly to you – i.e. offer you his life. He
may also pat you with his paw – not to be confused with
putting a paw on you when lying down. A puppy will pat his
mother when she returns, to ask for food. In other words,
your dog is showing you he is dependent on you for food.
Face-licking is along the same lines. Puppies will lick the
faces and mouths of their elders to encourage them to
regurgitate a juicy tidbit for them.

A wagging tail is not always a simple expression of delight
– the dog is showing conflicting emotions and may be
frightened. He is pleased to see you, but perhaps in the
past you have been angry with him – as when he has trashed
the place, or failed to come when called. He wants to come
to you, but is afraid. His pack instinct will get the upper
hand, so he probably will come to you. Wagging his tail,
you should be wary of strange dogs wagging their tails,
because in their confusion they may become aggressive.

When the dog stretches his front paws out so his bottom
remains up in the air, he wants to play. Try doing the same
back to him one day – he will get quite excited, even if
you are just a human. Only do this, though, if you really
intend to play with him.

A lot of doggie behaviour problems can be resolved by the
dog getting the right amount of exercise for his breed.

About the Author:

Give custom pet portraits as gifts to loved ones. Jerry
Carpos, an art enthusiast and expert author from
http://www.portraitkingdom.com recommends that with pet
canvas oil paintings you will surely feel complete
togetherness with your pets.

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