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Secret Language of Dogs
Ever wonder why dogs do the things they do? For instance, why does it seem as though all dogs have the behavioral tendency to circle around and around an area before it finally goes ahead and lies down? Could this be some sort of secret language that dogs use to communicate not only with other canines, but with humans as well? This particular dog behavior has been explained, as has most other actions, as an inherited symbolic instinct.
Whenever you see a dog circling around an area before it finally plops down itself, it is the dog's subconscious instinctual remembrance of its species' generational need to conduct itself in this way in order to ensure a comfortable sleeping space. Long ago, before domesticated dogs were giving comfortable areas on which to sleep, they lived in the wild and slept on wild grass. In order to make the grass lay as flat as possible and therefore provide them a far more comfortable bed, they had to circle around and around the area beforehand, stomping the wild grass down flat with their paws. Even though the wild sleeping area may have been a thing of the past for countless generations of your own pet dog, this movement remains as a secret language of dogs that connects back to the behavioral tendencies of your dog's ancestors. In a way, it is really not much different from the custom of shaking hands, which many researchers believe traces back to an ancient gesture meant to indicate that a person wasn't carrying a weapon.
These symbolic actions can explain many questions that one has in reference to why a dog does certain things. One of the most mysterious and least understood actions of dog language is the simple wagging of the tail. A wagging tail generally is taken as a sign that the animal is friendly, yet how often has a victim of a ferocious dog bite said that they tried to interact with the dog because it was wagging its tail? More recently, a wagging tail has been described as a behavioral tendency related to a sense of conflict taking place within the dog. The wagging of a tail under these circumstances indicates that the dog has both a desire to interact and a fear that makes it want to run away. The conflict must be resolved in one way or another and that is why the secret language of a dog wagging its tail can result in either a good time for both animal and human, or a nasty bite.
Almost all dog owners have witnessed a dog slap his paw at another animal or even a person. This is also a behavior tendency that is a key to understanding the emotional needs of the dog. The physical act involved in the paw slap from a dog is a telling symbolic action because for it to occur, the dog must position itself in a rather awkward way that tells the other animal or person that it trusts them. Another interesting symbolic action is when you see a dog actually rise up onto it hind legs. Sometimes it may seem as if this is an aggressive gesture on the part of a dog, but in their secret language what they are actually saying is that they don't want to fight. Remember, dogs tend to fight using their best weapon-their teeth-and not their claws, which wouldn't have much power anyway while standing upright. A dog that is standing up on its two hind legs is expressing a behavioral tendency toward affection and not toward aggression. This same communication can be expressed when a dog bows forward. When a dog playfully bows forward it usually is meant to symbolically express an apology. For instance, a dog may engage in this type of behavior after nipping you a little hard during play, or after you have drawn back from a scratch that was a little rough. Your facial expression or even a verbal communication may have been picked up on by the dog and it is turning to its bag of secret language tricks to communicate that it understands and it is tendering an apology.
Very rarely does a dog engage in a physical gesture that doesn't have a specific meaning. Dog language is all about behavioral tendencies and symbolic actions. Learning to decode and understand this language will go a long way toward cementing a bond between you and your pet, and this bond will strengthen your ability to train your dog as well.