Good day, our dear readers! Today, June 5th, is marked in our calendars as the World Environment Day. However, the moment I’m starting to think about the current situation of the world’s ecology and the catastrophic state of nature, my fingers simply refuse to type the words “today we celebrate the…”. Unfortunately, we live in an era when positive news about nature is very rare. Despite that, everything is still in our hands (even at the level of keeping the forest clean after a picnic).
But let’s not talk about sad things today. Better we dedicate this article to those who invariably cause us to smile and always give us a sincere love. Those who by the American Veterinary Medicine Foundation (AVMA) and the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) are most often described as “companions”, “friends” and, “family members.” We are talking about our favorites – our pets.
Do you know what technological novelty I dream about? I really want that Google, Yahoo, Yandex, or some other computer-monster will develop a web service that will allow us to communicate or at least to translate from dogs’ (or cats’, or birds’, etc.) language into one of the human languages. How much I wish to talk with my loving Lapa and to hear her opinion about other dogs, as well as what she thinks about people, cats, and the quality of dog’s food. Of course, I really want to learn the various dogs’ traditions, fables, and games; in fact, to discover a completely new world.
Well, this is only a dream. But, you know… There are no doubts at all that dogs communicate with us, moreover, they do their best to teach us their “language”. For example, I know for sure that if during a walk my dog grabs a stick in her teeth, she wants to run. When Lapa puts her chin on my knee, I know that she wants to play. Dogs mainly communicate through body language, so for us, it is possible to understand what they are trying to tell us. Learning this language may reduce both human’s misunderstanding and our pet’s stress, and thus prevent the occurrence of potentially dangerous situations. Many warning signs may help us, people, to understand whether our dog is under stress and what needs to be done to restore the peace in our home.
For example, a growl, barking, and “nagging” (screeching) – all these can mean that there is someone or something unusual in the dog’s private space, and they feel anxiety and threat. By the way, this does not necessarily mean that the dog behaves aggressively, but rather warns that the situation is uncomfortable. A head tilted to the side can mean an extreme interest and curiosity. Ears directed forward, an elongated neck and a concentrated look are clear signs that the dog’s interest has top reached. A calm and relaxed dog would tighten legs or lie on them. If your pet is in a playful mood, it will enthusiastically wave the tail, crouch, or bounce with excitement. To greet or show friendliness, a dog would most probably lick you.
Many of us often believe that dogs always perceive stroking or hugs exclusively as a friendly gesture. Of course, this is not correct; moreover, several studies indicate that most of the dogs’ biting accidents are a result of such seemingly benign (from the human perspective) interactions.
So, is it possible for us to at least assume what an animal feels in each concrete situation? The specialists use the so-called Shepherd’s “ladder”, which describes the dog’s distress signals in various stressful situations. The “ladder” includes conflict-defusing signals on its lower steps (appeasement behavior, calming signals, displacement behavior, e.g., nose-licking, eye-blinking) — these signals are intended to defuse conflict and restore harmony in social interaction. In the next step on the ladder, conflict-avoiding signals are included (e.g., walking away, standing crouching, tail tucked under, creeping). In case a perceived social threat continues, and/or conflict-defusing avoiding strategies have failed, dogs may present strategies higher on the ladder such as conflict escalation signals (e.g., staring, growling, biting).
It is important to point out that dogs do not necessarily move through these signals in a linear fashion. Depending on how the interaction evolves (i.e., if the approaching human understood the message correctly and reacted accordingly, the dog may be able to relax and return to a state of comfort) and depending on what the dog has previously learned in similar situations (e.g., unpleasant outcome of interactions in the past despite conflict-avoiding signaling), their strategy may change. In addition, the “choice” of a strategy also depends on the animal’s physical and behavioral state.
So, ladies and gentlemen, all of us should learn the “language” of our furry friends. By the way, a lot of useful information on this issue can be found in the books of the Norwegian dog trainer Turid Rugaas, which specializes in studying dogs’ signals and communication.
As the final note of this article, I want to share the curious results of a mini-survey I’ve performed. I asked a few friends and colleagues a very simple question: “Why do you love your furry friend?” Amazingly, in addition to natural exclamations about the beauty and uniqueness of their pets, the general idea of all the respondents was similar more or less: “We love our pets because of their loyalty, devotion, their sincere joy when they meet us, for the fact that they will never betray us, they won’t stick a knife in the back and will not turn away from us!” In other words, we love our pets because of their true and sincere friendship.
Our pets don’t care what we wear, what we drive on, or how much money is in our bank account. It seems to me (although perhaps this is exclusively a human perspective) that our pets love us because we love them. Such kind of “boomerang” is inherent in the nature of our tailed friends! Moreover, I think, it exist not only in our dogs or cats, but in all the particles of Nature – in animals, trees, ecosystems, and, of course, in the Earth itself. The laws of nature are universal – so, we probably just forgot this fact or are not able to realize it with our rational brains. Well, and who may teach us to hear, love, and protect nature, truly and honestly? Of course, our beloved furry and tailed friends!
Related Articles: