The gift of communication

"The golden gift is this: Intimately connected with his own emotions, the dog cannot lie. What he feels, he expresses. What he shows in his body posture is true, without guile, completely and utterly honest." Suzanne Clothier 1996 

Canine communication is the way that dogs signal their motivational state and probable future behaviour to conspecifics and human beings. This information can be given in the form of visual, olfactory, and acoustic signals and by body posture.

How does the dog feel?  Dogs willingly share with us how they are feeling, and it is our job to learn how to recognise, understand and respond to that communication.

“We often look, but we rarely see.” Frederik Franck, The Zen of Seeing. 1973

Search the internet for advice on any unwanted behaviour and you will probably read something about teaching a dog to respect us. This outdated advice completely misses the vital element of a relationship. We need to respect our dogs. For a relationship that truly thrives, we must cement a bond with our dog built on trust, mutual respect and communication.

Communication is essential for a good relationship.  Dogs cannot use words, but they do express themselves very clearly. Problems arise when we miss or misinterpret their communication. Surely, we owe it to our dogs to listen, acknowledge and respond to what they are saying to us.