What your dog is really trying to tell you?!

You best teacher will always be your own dog. 

Educating yourself to listen to them is the key to harmony and understanding between you and your dog. 

Our dogs have so much to share and so much to teach us, if we just slow down long enough to watch and listen. 

I am going to burst a few myths around what you might see when you are observing ( and some of them are not popular, but I am going to share them anyway as they will really help you to understand why your dog behaves the way they do )

• Your dog is wagging their tail - great we can see they are happy - NO this just means they are in heightened state of feeling, could be happy could be angry, could be just thinking, could be getting ready. The waggy tail needs deeper listening. Check out the environment, what just happened? what could be about to happen? Are their ears back? Is their body relaxed? Take in the full picture and you will get a much better idea of what they are saying to you. 
• Your dog rushes up to greet you when you come home - great they love me lots and are excited to see me - NO  this actually means they are relieved to see you. They had no idea where you went, why and if you would ever come back!
• Your dog wants "to be friends" with every other dog/person they meet - it's a bit annoying but you understand they are just super sociable - NO this actually means your dog doesn't trust you to keep them safe and they must go up and check them out first to keep everyone safe. Dogs always think safety first. This one can be super confusing as it will often (not always) develop into growling/lunging/barking at the other dogs/people.  
•  Drop a ball or toy at your feet - because they are bored and want to play - NO this means they are checking to see who makes the decisions in your relationship. Is it you or is it your dog? 
• Your dog hears a noise outside and looks at you and barks - your dog is warning you about a noise outside - NO and this one is a little subtle if they were looking outside yes they are warning you, but if they are looking at you, it's actually just an opportunity to garner your attention on their terms and similar to the previous myth they are actually just checking to see who makes the decisions in your relationship. 

So many myths like this happen around communication with our dogs. I believe it's mainly due to the fact that we are really really good at humanising them. I get it I really do. Dogs are incredibly cute and non-judgemental, but when we misread their behaviours it can create a lot of confusion between humans and dogs. 

I hope this has given you some food for thought.

Have fun observing.

Peaceful paws always, 

Julie x 

If you would like to find out more about Dog Listening and my Peaceful Paws framework check out my book. Barking Mad to Calm and Quiet: Beyond Dog Training here or if you prefer the touchy feely version it's also on Amazon.