Dogs
Do Talk
--
a short introduction to dog's signals
av Sonja Wakefield
English translation
kindly proofread by Dorothy Christiansen
What is a Signal?
A stimulant
from one individual which has an affect on another individual is
usually called a signal. Movement of head, ear carriage, tail carriage,
whining, urination, etc., are examples of signals. Signals are the
language of dogs - their communication system. The language is dependent
on what the sender can send, what the receiver can receive and the
understanding of what the signals mean.
The ability
of different breeds to "read" other breeds varies. For
instance, a Sheltie may have difficulty reading the signals of a
Boxer which has a docked tail and black, compressed face. The perfect
sender should look like the dogs original sire, the wolf with its
white chin, black lips, clear markings in the face, hairy tail with
a well marked "tip", erect ears and so on. All variants
from this "model" obstruct communication. Dogs, however,
have great ability to learn social behavior, which means they can
learn what to look for in other breeds. If the dog gets to meet
a large number of different breeds during his growing months, he
will find it easier to read other dogs' signals later in life.
Understanding
and interpreting the signals from another dog probably has a genetic
base. But for a dog to understand the refined details, he needs
experience from other dogs - especially during his puppyhood. These
early experiences may explain why one breed of dog seems to "recognize"
another of its breed.
The visual
signals are those perceived through the eyes and interpreted by
the visual center of the brain. We humans often have difficulty
in interpreting the dog correctly because the physical changes happen
so fast. With some training, however, we can improve our ability.
If you are interested in learning more about your own dog's behavior
and signals, start by studying his behavior when he meets another
dog. Look at the carriage of his tail, his ears, his body posture,
and the way he walks.
The dominant,
self-assured dog will walk stiffly with a high tail carriage and
ears pointing forward. The inferior-stationed dog will have a hunched
posture with low carried tail and ears folded back along his head.
The slight variations in between are more difficult to comprehend.
All dogs make
different sounds, but the language is the same. A dog with a narrow
head, for instance, gives a more shrill bark than a dog with a large
and heavy head. Dogs have a rather limited repertoire of sounds:
whine, scream, bark, growl, howl, yawn, groan and sigh Because of
the many transitions between these sounds, the total repertoire
can be rather large.
Howling is
important for pack solidarity. A wolf who has lost his pack howls
and gets reply howls from other packs of wolves. He can then "sort
out" the sounds that come from his own pack and in this way
find his way "home" again. The same behavior is applicable
to our tame dogs who, when left alone in the house may start howling
in search of contact with the pack - his folks.
Howling can
also be done for other reasons as for instance when the dog hears
ambulance sirens or fire alarms. The sound is identified by the
dog as a lost member of the pack. You might have seen TV features
with dogs "singing" together with their owner. This behavior
is also based on the above mentioned pack co-operation.
Urination has
a very important social function. Urine and evacuation of the bowels
function as messages between animals. The male dog marks his territory
with urine. When walking the same round every day with your dog,
you'll soon discover that he likes to urinate at the same places.
It gives him a kind of "home feeling".
It has been
found that the messages left behind contain information like individuality,
sex, sexual maturity, and heat (bitches smell different during their
weeks of heat). The receiver of these messages reacts differently
depending on which message was left. For example a dog may want
to go in the other direction if there was a dog there before him
that he is afraid of.
When two dogs
meet they carefully smell each other: the face, the corners of the
mouth, anus and sexual organs. The dog's body excretes smells that
are important for communication. What the emptying of the anal glands
means has not yet been fully clarified, but it is believed to be
a signal for danger/fear. The dog marks that "something frightful
happened here".
Finally we
have come to the tactile signals. Surely your dog has at some time
walked up to you to put his nose in your lap or sneaked up on the
sofa with you to be petted and cared for. The tactile signals are
important for the contact between the members of the pack. "Kisses",
"nagging at each other", "putting the paw on the
fellow", are signals that belong here.
If you put
all these signals together (and I have just briefly touched on them),
you realize the enormously large and complex language the dog actually
has. It is a wonderful experience to own a dog and fascinating to
study its language - its signals. The exchange between you will
be so much greater if you only learn to recognize a few of these.
Study
your dog - you will be surprised on how well he talks!
© Copyright Sonja Wakefield
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