canine stress

May 18, 2014 – By Kris Butler – Canine communication is perhaps the most important and the least understood dogly behavior. Dogs and people are different species, and so perceptions of socially acceptable behaviors differ, one from the other. Human families tend to limit identification of “inappropriate behaviors” to those dogly behaviors directed toward people, and easily overlook how human behaviors might really be interpreted by your dogs. A dog’s communication must be carefully considered, too, so you understand what your dog is expressing about interactions with its human family members and other people within broader family social circles. 

 

Part 1 of Self-Space & Expression – Interpreting Dogly Behavior will help you identify dogly behaviors you might have previously misunderstood or not even noticed. I challenge you to take this information and begin to “listen” to your dogs with fresh eyes. (Yes, that is exactly what I meant to write!) 

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May 18, 2014 – By Kris Butler – Specific behaviors that relate to canine communication and social space were described in Part 1 of this article. Here in Part 2 we’ll discuss why this information is so important to our relationships with our dogs.

It’s up to the human(s) within a dog’s family to advocate for the dog by interpreting and responding to the dog’s important communiqués. A person’s good intentions are not as important as how the dog is signaling s/he feels in the moment.

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