Dogs are the most loved and by far the most common pets across the globe. They’re considered to be man’s best friend, and the emotional support they give is unparalleled.
It is one of the reasons why so many people love to have dogs as pets. Apart from that, dogs guardhouses, bring a sense of happiness and playfulness that we all need in our lives.
Yet, being a dog owner is not something that is easy. You also need to love them and give them the support they need. From training them to taking good care of their health, you should make sure that your pet loves being around you.
There are all kinds of tips available online on how to train dogs and make them feel at home.
Although different dog breeds take their own time to get used to the new conditions, they will eventually become the pets you’ve always wanted. It is an altogether different feeling, though, when you can use dog commands, and your dog listen.
For that, you need to understand the dog language or ways you can interact verbally with your pet.
After all, as your pet gets house trained, he will surely begin understanding a lot of what you want him to do, but to speed this process up, you need to get a sense of the dog language.
On your end, if you learn to understand the dog language, you will begin to understand what does your dog wants to say. The wagging of tails in a particular way or the different types of barks all have them have meaning, and as a good pet parent, you should learn to make sense of them.
This way of puppy communication is known as dog language, and there are tips and tricks you can use to learn it.
Avoid These Mistakes While Learning The Dog Language
Before diving into the tips of learning the dog language, there is a certain mistake you should be careful about.
These are misunderstood signals a dog sends your way, and most pet parents tend to make such mistakes in the beginning.
Many pet parents make the mistake of looming over in front of their little puppies. They don’t realize that it is wrong and it is forgivable for there is a lot of misinformation about how to treat dogs.
So, to begin with, you should know that looming over a puppy intimidates them. When you’re not sitting down at their level to talk to them, they consider it as you displaying superiority.
Even when you don’t mean to, your dog will understand it so. So, make sure you sit down on your knees while playing with them or petting them. Secondly, looking at your pet with stern eyes is also taken by them as an intimidating sign.
You must have seen pets shying away from the gaze when somebody looks at them with a strict alarm in the eyes.
You need to give enough time to the puppy and approach him slowly, avert your eyes every once in a while and make him feel comfortable.
Similarly, don’t pat your puppy too hard on his head. It might seem cute to you but the harder you pat his head, the more frustrated and intimidated he gets.
Especially you should avoid doing it when you first meet a dog. Give him time to sniff you and decide for himself whether or not he is open to displaying affection.
Let him be the one to take the initiative to show affection in any way, don’t lay it on him forcefully. If you have kids at home, teach them not to hug the puppies in too tight a hold.
This is important because the puppy might consider it an attack, as hugging is not the way they usually show affection.
In dog language, hugging is the body language of dominance. So, if the kids give your puppies a very tight hug, he might consider it an attack and can also attack in retaliation.
Lastly, among the cases when a dog or a puppy has bitten a kid, it is when the kid was landing kisses on them.
This is because kissing in dog language is not a show of affection. A puppy licks you and kisses you because he wants to say that he’s not a threat; it signifies submissiveness.
So, when you do the same to the puppy, he might think of you as an easy target or as being inferior to him. Make sure you avoid such a situation and don’t be too eager to show excessive affection in the wrong ways.
You should instead let your puppy take the initiative as he grows comfortable being around you and your family.
Steps For Learning The Dog Language
In order to learn to communicate with your puppy, you need to be patient.
Yes, patience is by far the most important quality you’ll need to slowly grow comfortable in understanding the dog language.
So, let us begin with the steps you will have to follow in order to successfully understand the language of dogs and act accordingly to make it easy for you and your pet.
- To begin with, make sure that you do not interact with your puppy in a very high-pitched voice. Such a tone of voice will surely intimidate your dog, and he’ll never be comfortable with such commands.
- Remember to use the same command for the same things. If you end up changing the command even once, it is sure to confuse the dog and it will only delay the time required by him to understand all your commands and start following them.
- You can also use the dog laugh to send the message that you mean no harm to him and just want to play, just like the dogs do to one another.
- While approaching your puppy, make sure that you don’t dart straight to him. Go slow and avoid rushing into him when he’s not yet comfortable around you.
- Many pet parents tend to use hands to shove them into the direction they want their pets to go. This is not what the dogs or themselves do. It is considered an intimidating gesture that you should avoid at all costs. You can, instead, block his way or use other subtle ways to take him along. Don’t try and dictate terms to him; be like a friend that knows better.
- Especially for shy puppies, make sure that you command them with a soft voice and without looking at them with too much strictness in your eyes. As already mentioned, puppies read these signs and a shy puppy is sure to get intimidated.
- Yawning while looking away is another gesture that your puppy will see as friendly. Rather than continuously commanding and looking at him, try and avert your gaze and give him the time he needs to think and make sure whether or not he considers you friendly.
- To reinstate authority, it is better to stand up every once in a while. Dogs don’t require you to always be at their level and cuddling them. Walk with your puppy like a friend, and he’s comfortable in you minding your own business for a while as he strolls around amusing himself.
- Another cute way to communicate to your puppy that you’re not a threat is to lay on the ground, motionless. Let him sniff and lick you and feel comfortable around you. The added benefit is that you’ll find it adorable as she climbs all over you, curious as to what his parent is up to.
Learn More About Puppy Communication And Training Your Pet
The points mentioned above are very important if you own or are planning to adopt a cute puppy. Yet, there is a lot more you can know and learn about if you wish to become just the right pet parent for your cute puppy.
There are sources you can find that will tell you about easy tips that you can use to house train your dog.
Make sure you follow them while being patient throughout the time as some dog breed takes more time in finally understanding your commands.
So, what are you waiting for? Start practicing the dog language.
Observe your pet’s quirks and the barks, the way he shows his affection, and you will slowly begin to understand better what he means to say or what he’s asking for.
Have patience while you’re training him and giving him commands, do not change commands, and speak to him in a soft voice. He will slowly begin to understand you like a friend you’ve always been around.
Also, it is important to keep in mind the do not if you are to avoid making mistakes that can confuse your pet and take him more time to understand what you want to say.
