Dog Trainer Explains Exactly What Pups Want When They Paw Their Humans
If you have a dog, chances are that he or she has pawed at you to get your attention, very similarly to how a child might poke at you. They might get your attention when they do it, but what is it that they want? Five by Five Canine is a dog trainer who understands how dogs communicate with their humans. She shared a video on Wednesday, January 17th explaining what the pawing means.
The video starts with her introducing us to Mika, a dog who is trying to tell her mom something but isn't making it clear enough for mom to understand. Mika clearly is asking mom for something, and it seems to be that she wants to be pet, but she wants mom to pet her in a specific spot.
@Five by Five always can break down the communication that the dog is giving off so well! It's like her superpower that she can explain it in a way that's easy to understand. Commenters agreed and praised her for helping us all understand what our dogs are trying to say. @audhding summed it up best, "Thank you. Now that I watch your videos, I've been more self-aware since before I wasn't sure what my cutie was saying. After pawing and I pet she lays her head back, relaxed."
Related: Dog’s Reaction When Human Sister Won’t Pay Attention To Her Is Too Much
What Is Your Dog Trying to Tell You?
To understand what your dog is asking you for, you need to pay attention to what they're doing before and after they paw you. Are they looking at you? Looking away? What are their ears doing - are they pointing at something? It's also important to watch for changes in body language in response to your actions. This all tells you if you're on the right track to finding out what your dog really wants.
But they use other body language too! You know how they say that kids will look at you with "puppy dog eyes" while begging for something they really want? Dogs use those puppy eyes too when they want something or to say they're sorry. A wagging tail can also tell you a lot. Sometimes it's fast wag showing excitement, sometimes they tuck it to show guilt or that they know they did something wrong, and sometimes it might be a slow wag if they're bored or not feeling well. These wags can all convey feelings, kind of how different smiles portray different feelings. They use their voices to communicate as if they are trying to "talk" to you. Dogs have different barks for different things that go on...a playful one, a warning one, and an annoyed one to name a few. And of course they use their bodies; laying on their backs can show trust while laying at your feet on their bellies can show comfort or that they're being submissive.
Dogs may not be able to tell us what they want or how they're feeling by using words, but they certainly have many other ways to communicate with their humans!
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