When you have a pet at home, in this case we will talk about dogs, there are many things we don't know about them. It is difficult for us to understand if when they perform certain behaviors they do so because we do not educate them correctly, to play or because they are having a he alth problem. That is, we learn the basics, but there are many things that we surely do not know about our dog companion.
In this article on our site you will discover 8 things dogs do to get our attention,there are many more and, surely, you will have many examples that do not come to mind because, whoever shares his life with a canine knows that life is about anecdotes.
We will only give you a little help to better understand canine language, keep reading:
1. They bark, sometimes a lot…
It is a fact that dogs bark. I think we all know that. But when to recognize if it is happiness, welcome or alert? Barking in dogs is one more part of their communication, both among their own species and with others, including man.
In order to control their barking, we must first understand why they do it. This article will help those who want more information about the case. For those of you who don't, we'll stick to the different types of barking. They can bark for good reasons and appropriate reasons, according to our criteria, such as someone who knocks at the door or just passes in front of it, working with cattle or in strange situations, calling our attention. But they can also bark excessively and inappropriately.
This normally occurs in adult dogs, since in puppies it is limited to play, and sometimes it does not even appear.
two. And they even whimper when they don't feel well
Dogs use different types of vocalization to communicate, starting at a very young age. When they are puppies they use crying or whimpering, as a kind of meow, to indicate that they are hungry or seek warmth from the mother. As the little one grows they can differentiate 5 types of sounds:
- howl
- growl
- gimen
- cry
- bark
They are all different ways of getting our attention. It will be very useful for us to learn to differentiate them in order to understand them a little more and it will help us to correctly instruct them in their behavior. A groan during the game seeking possession of his toy is not the same as one when we touch his food, which will be a warning before biting.
In the case of puppies, generally "crying" is a way to get our attention. What happens when we hear our furry little one cry for an hour because we left him alone to sleep in the dark? Surely, we even put him in our bed so he doesn't suffer! In response, it has achieved its goal. We must learn to read these things so that in the long run, we do not pay more dearly.
3. They bring us toys
I don't think this is very strange to you since I think we were all at home and our dog has given us some ball or toy to throw at him, as if we hadn't seen them. Looking to play with us always tops the list of getting our attention.
What happens when the toy is prey?
All dogs and cats have a strong hunting instinct, deeply rooted in their genes. You will have observed more than one dog that when he picks up a toy that is not very heavy, he shakes it from side to side. This is due to the hunting instinct, imitating the wolves that when they have their prey they shake it to kill it. It is a behavior that draws our attention and sometimes even offends us. But we must understand it as such, perhaps not congratulate him, but understand what place each species occupies in the food chain.
4. Licking as a sign of affection
The tongue in dogs is their most sensitive part, therefore, licking a part of our body gives them a feeling of security and closeness to us. Many times we see that they lick each other, as if they were kisses, and other times, there are dogs that never lick. This is not characteristic of any particular species, just the personality of each canine. Remember that there are different types of licking and that they can mean very different things.
Something that often draws our attention is that if they can, they choose to lick our sweat This can be uncomfortable for some people who They come back from physical activity and their dog goes straight to lick them. We have an explanation for this issue, our sweat has butyric acid, which attracts dogs because the taste is very pleasant for them.
5. Give the paw
This action that we often teach our pet has a little trick. They don't always give the paw at the moment we ask. Many times, after teaching them this or, in cases where no one has educated them on it, we will see that they apply it anyway.
Unfortunately it is not that our dog is gifted or a genius that learns on its own, it is one more behavior to get our attention indicating they want something. In fact, it is a mechanism that they have since they are born, that during breastfeeding, they must press the mother's womb to give them more milk.
6. They run from one place to another
This happens countless times during the life of our canine. Shorter journeys when they are small and longer distances in adulthood. Sometimes it is not played as much as our pet expects, either due to lack of space, desire or time. For this reason we see that sometimes they come back from the walk and, anyway, start running like crazy for no apparent reason. They do this as a way to burn off the excess energy that was left in the body and needs to go out.
7. Tail chasing
This sign of owner inattention is related to the previous point. They are dogs that also have an excess of energy that they want to release. This behavior is mistakenly taken to mean that the animal is playing. But the true meaning is that our pet is bored, and when looking for something to entertain himself, he sees his tail move and begins to chase it. This is a stereotype.
Another meaning of this behavior can be, already medically speaking, presence of internal or external parasites, inflammation of the anal gland, tumors and other examples for which we should go to our veterinarian to make the differential diagnosis. We will observe that in addition to chasing its tail, when it sits or lies down, it licks or bites in the area of the rump or anus. A consultation never hurts.
8. They chew on hands and objects
It is an almost innate behavior in our dogs. When they are small, and there are several of them, it is normal for them to bite each other. This would be a bit of an explanation for why our puppy bites everything that gets in its way. If we only have one puppy at home, it is normal for him to try to bite us during our stimulation or play. It's not just a game, it's his way of discovering the power of his jaw, so it would be useful for both of us to set limits on him, so he can recognize when he does damage.
