Dogs are one of the intelligent animals among the domestic
pets. They have the ability to communicate with humans, other
dogs and even other animals. They do this by using body signs
and different vocals. The signs are made with the help of body
movement involving eyes, ears, eyebrows, head, mouth and tail.
Different vocals include barks, howls, growls, whimpers and
whines. Dogs do gestures whose meaning can change depending on
the situation. Like if a dog pants, it can mean that the dog is
feeling hot or the dog is happy or anxious.
Confident and higher ranked dogs have a high held tail. Dogs
have the feeling of submission and dominance in them. This is
because the dogs live in packs, in the wild. They have hierarchy
within the group. The weaker dogs submit themselves to the
stronger dog. That is the reason why dogs lower their tail when
they feel insecure. When the dogs fight for dominance, the fur
on their tail stands up. They and even other animals, do this to
increase their size in front of their enemy.
When the dog is in a confused situation, it wags its tail
slowly. They are in a process of figuring out whether they
should accept the situation or time or else, they have still not
accepted the situation completely, but are in the process.
Excited dogs wag their tails very fast. If the hip moves along
with the tail, it means the dog is ready for submission to a dog
of higher rank.
When the dogs get aggressive they show their fangs. If the teeth
are visible, it indicates that the dog is ready to bite or
attack. They also show teeth when they smile and this is an
indication of submissiveness. Observing the number of teeth on
display can differentiate a smile. Smile reveals only the front
teeth, but when the dog snarls, all his teeth and gums can be
seen. Ears are good indication about the attention levels of the
dog. When the ears are erect and forward facing, means the dog
is concentrating. But when the dog fears something, it lays down
its ears. Some dogs hold the ears in forward and horizontal
direction when they are happy.
In majority of the cases, barking is done to scare away stranger
and to make the owner aware of an intruder. They also tend to
bark while they are playing. They use to even convey emotions
such as pleasure, fear, stress and suspicion. When the dog is
excited or is playing, the barks are sharp and short. When they
are stressed out or anxious, they bark repeatedly in a high
pitch tone. They also bark to communicate with other animals
such as cat, deer, squirrel, fox and other dogs. But the sound
of barking is different.
Growling is done to threaten or to show superiority. Dogs howl
when they make long-range communication. A dog yawns when it is
bored and needs to be left alone. It also yawns when it is
sleepy, stressed out or confused. When the dog pants with a full
open mouth, it is happy. When it pants with a slightly open
mouth, it needs to be played with. Dogs lift one forelimb up,
when it wants to play. It will stamp its front limbs when it is
excited. They scratch objects they want. Domestic dogs are
trained for handshake, like human beings. They hold out a paw
forward and exchange a handshake. If the dog tilts it's head in
a particular direction, it means that it is trying to
concentrate and recognize an unfamiliar sound.