Dog wagging to the left or right has different meanings
What does this mean to you? Well if you see a dog approaching that has a dog wag to the right then you know it is telling the dog you are walking or you for that matter that it is in a good state of mind. A happy dog. You do need to consider other cues the dog is telling us by watching ears, position of tail, hair on the back, if dog is wiggling or stiff etc. Dogs can pick up emotional cues from another dog by watching the direction of its wagging tail, a new study suggests. Asymmetrical dog tail wags have meaning to other dogs and now to us. We can use the tail to learn the emotional state of dogs, taking into consideration and looking at other part of the dog like ears, piloerection - hair on the dogs back, stance etc. Now science has uncovered what it means to wag on the right side versus the left. View the video below which shows a demonstration of what the wag looks like. You can read more or listen to a podcast about this finding at here at NPR
DOG TalkDo you remember Dr. Doolittle? How cool was he? Talking to the animals! Wow! I actually believed with all my heart we could communicate with animals ( perhaps all small children go through this phase). I grew up with Lassie, Mr. Ed...on television programs and a neighbor who had a monkey she would push around in a carriage.
So yes I believed animals could communicate and were very much part of our family. As a kid I used to carry on conversations with my dogs, cats, rabbits and chickens thinking they understood my words. Language was not a barrier in my mind. And while I thought it was curious I couldn't make out what they were actually saying I managed to understand what they needed from me through their behavior. Barks, meows and clucks were never actually translated into a..human lingual format but I knew they were communicating with me. Being raised bilingual (my first language Italian) it seemed logical that animals would have their own language. And so because there wasn't a tutor or school to learn animal language the most reasonable thing to do was make associations to understand- for example my mutt dog Nina would give me a squealy type bark as she stood at the empty water bowl and when I filled it up she stopped. Lapping up the water looking at me and wagging her tail and whole body. This behavior happened enough times that I understood this specific "demand" bark meant she was saying to me...." look fool, my water bowl is empty give me water as I don't have thumbs to pick up my bowl and fill it myself"...No actually the bark really just meant.."I'm thirsty need water!". Haha! ;) As animal care takers we all have our own little thing with our pets - we understand what a cock of the head means or a specific tap dance that our dog does when it is looking at you preparing its much anticipated meal or soft purrrr plus meow our cat does when we pet them . Animals and their humans that are tuned into them do understand each other but its through body language. They have evolved to read our faces and our eyes, understand associations with our tone of voice etc. It can seem frustrating sometimes as I'm sure we've all thought if I could only know what my pet is thinking how they are "feeling". But we can't know - we can surmise but most important we will never really know. What we can do is continue to learn more abut animal body language and postures as a form of a dog (or cats) emotional condition. Learning couldn't hurt right? I've been following a few amazing minds in the Dog World, experts and scientists that study and research the science behind the behavior - mostly the field of canine behavior and cognative psychology. They do a great job explaining the dog-human relationship and communication. The best we know is dogs translate their emotional state to us through body gestures and bark (speed and pitch). To the right are a few useful visuals. Body Lanuage of Fear in Dogs by Dr. Sophia Yin and an article published in 2010 ModernDog by Dr. Stanley Coren (studies and writes about cognative science ). You can download the information for free (permission granted by the authors) and click on their names in this paragraph to learn more about them at their individual websites. Dr. Coren also offers a really interesting CANINE BLOG PSYCHOLOGY TODAY Enjoy!! -V |
The Meaning of Dog BarksResearchers in Hungary have found that we humans have a remarkable ability to categorize various types of dog vocalizations and understand their emotional content—in effect, to "speak canine." Try it yourself, and learn what this inter-species communication might mean about the evolution of dogs.Test your bark interpretation skills with this interactive quiz.
|
Test Your Skills - Interactive Quiz - The Meaning of Dog Barks
The Meaning of Dog Barks by Susan K Lewis Posted 10/28/2010 NOVA
Can you tell the difference between a dog bark that says "I'm lonely, don't leave me!" and one that warns "Don't get close, I might bite!"? Researchers in Hungary have found that we humans have a remarkable ability to categorize various types of dog vocalizations and understand their emotional content—in effect, to "speak canine." Try it yourself, and learn what this inter-species communication might mean about the evolution of dogs. Test your bark interpretation skills with NOVA's interactive quiz.
Can you tell the difference between a dog bark that says "I'm lonely, don't leave me!" and one that warns "Don't get close, I might bite!"? Researchers in Hungary have found that we humans have a remarkable ability to categorize various types of dog vocalizations and understand their emotional content—in effect, to "speak canine." Try it yourself, and learn what this inter-species communication might mean about the evolution of dogs. Test your bark interpretation skills with NOVA's interactive quiz.
Social Media
Instagram @vivianzottoladogbehavior YouTube @bostonk9concierge Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VivianMZottola/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/k9concierge LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivianzottola/ Contact Info: Phone: 617-721-8025 E: vivian@bostonk9concierge.com Business Mailing Address: Boston K9 Concierge LLC 202 K Street Boston, Ma 02127 |
Servicing:
Acton, Arlington, Belmont, Boston, Burlington, Cambridge, Concord, Lexington, Lincoln, Waltham, Wellesley, Weston Business Hours: by appointment only Insured & Bonded Services Business Insurers of the Carolina's |
Terms and conditions policy: All content provided on this website and blog is for information purposes only. And you agree to not modify, copy reproduce, sell or distribute content in any manner or medium without permission of author. Requests for content use should be made to the author directly. The owner of the website and blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries or damages from the display or use of this information. These terms and conditions of use are subject to change at any time and without notice. All service and products sold are not intended to diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. There is no guarantee of behavior change. If a sudden behavior or behavior persists, please first contact a qualified Veterinarian, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, DVM Behaviorist . The information provided by this website or this company is not a substitute for a face-to-face consultation with a veterinary health care provider, and should not be construed as individual medical or veterinary advice. The testimonials on this website are from individuals and do not guarantee or imply the same results.
Terms & Policy | © 2010-2024 Boston K9 Concierge LLC