Welcome to our first Doggie Blog!
In this blog, we will cover many topics about our furry friends together. Education is key to understanding our dog’s world and learning from a dog’s perspective in our human world. Since I was a child, in our home we typically had a couple of dogs and cats, which is why today I carry the same passion for our furry friends. Many people out there may be just like myself, I thought growing up with dogs that I knew so much about them. However, after completing my professional pet dog training certification (PDDT) and studying well renown dog trainers such as Karen Pryor, Zac George and others. . . I realized I hardly knew anything.
Understanding dog behavior and the use of training techniques have evolved immensely with the backing of science. We have come a long way from the training programs available in the 70’s and 80’s. Training today is science based and there are new methods with positive reinforcement techniques used to shape a dogs behavior. This blog is to help fill the gap of knowledge regardless of whether you own a dog or not. It will be well worth the read as we will touch base on many common dog behaviours, misconceptions, myths and faux paws. Lets Begin!

Have you ever wondered what your dog is really saying? Whether you own a dog or not, are we really listening to our furry friends? How can we tell how they are feeling? Are we able to detect when our dogs are stressed, fearful or concerned? Let’s take a closer look.
Let’s begin with doggie hugs. Did you know that dogs evolved from wolves over the course of 40,000 years? Yes, your cute little Chihuahua ancestry is a wolf. Let me ask you, would you hug a wolf? Even if you were acquainted and familiar with the wolf? My guess, probably not. Yes, of course, dogs have come a long way and become much more domesticated then the common wolf. Hugs are fantastic for humans; we need to embrace and feel the love, joy, and affection from a hug. I personally love to hug, It’s a great feeling.
The Question is. . . Do our dogs really like hugs? Not really.
The full answer is much more complex.
Some dogs will lean into a hug wanting more and some dogs will give signs they do not like hugs and wish for it to end, and to end quickly! Next time you decide to give your pet dog a hug, since you can’t see their face – have someone take a video or photo. You can even simply watch their body language during the hug. If your dog is giving off calming signals such as lick lipping, head turned away from hugging human, whale eyes, yawning, ears flat and a stiff body – the chances are your dog is stressed, anxious or uncomfortable, and does not want to be in that situation. This is especially important to understand the dog body language around children, even if it is your beloved family pet. Mind you, taking a photo could cause calming signals from your pet as well.

After taking a video or photo, review it and see how many calming signals you can spot. Especially look for the whale eyes as suggested in the above photo. Clearly the dog does not want to be in that hug even though it looks adorable to us. We need to take steps to avoid these situations by removing the stressor (person hugging the dog). Even with our family pet dog, if we keep ignoring the warning signs, it could result in a more serious outcome. The dog was trying to communicate with us. Are we really listening?
If my dog doesn’t like hugs, then he doesn’t love me? Humans show of affection if through a hug. This does not mean your dog does not love you. It’s important to bring yourself into the dog’s world of how they view things. Of course they love you, they just typically do not like hugs. If you want to make your dog happy, then maybe offer a belly rub instead or a simple pet on the head.

Licking your face, is your dog giving you affection by licking your face, or are they giving off stress signals and want the situation to end, and the stressor to go away? To answer that question, we must look at the current situation and make note of the dog’s body language. Many dogs will show affection by licking; however, not every situation is a sign of affection – especially involving young children or babies. We as humans need to be situationally aware and recognize what our dog is telling us.
While it appears that the dog licking the baby or toddler is a sign of affection, it could be a sign of stress and invasion of space to the dog. Your beloved dog wants you to help them by removing what is causing them stress or discomfort. Hence, remove the baby or toddler away from your pet dog. Is your dog giving warning signs of their discomfort? Are we paying attention and really listening to our dogs? Dogs often provide warning signs and unfortunately, we usually ignore them until something serious happens. Licking lips, looking away, tense body, flat ears or licking the baby (stressor) are all signs your dog may be uncomfortable.
In conclusion, to understand our furry friends, we must first take a dive into the dog’s world and discover what exactly are they saying and recognize dog body language and calming signals. Dogs cannot talk to us, so they communicate through forms of barking and body language. so, we as humans must learn dog language to have better form of communication with our beloved furry friend. The more we learn and understand dogs, the healthier and happier your dog will be and thrive as your beloved family pet.
If you want to learn more about Dogs and Calming Signals, a book by Turid Rugaas “On Talking with Dogs: Calming Signals” is an excellent source of understanding our dogs body language under a variety or circumstances including dog to dog interactions.