by Janet Farricelli CPDT-KA

Created on: May 05, 2009   Last Updated: November 07, 2011

When your dog is looking out the window staring at the trees blown by the wind, what is he thinking about? When he is looking interestingly at the fireplace with the wood cracking, what is on his mind? When he is half asleep and then raises its head in alert, ears erect, stiffened body, what thoughts are in his head?

Most thoughts from your dog are very easy to interpret. All it takes is some attention, a little bit of knowledge about canine psychology and some time spent analyzing your dog. These qualities all come natural after you have spent some time and bonded with your canine friend.

For instance, you know that those pleading eyes staring at you when you are about to eat a piece of juicy steak are asking you to be nice and share. Add then a little drip of drool, just about to fall to the ground and you will know exactly with no shadow of doubt, what your dog is asking.

A dog walking back and forth towards the door, anxiously looking at you, very likely is asking you to go out. This may be for potty business purposes or simply to go out for a walk or play in the yard. Many dogs are trained to act this way when they want out but many dogs do not need any special training as it will come natural to them.

A dog looking out the window and whining may have seen a squirrel or a bird and is whining in frustration because it is unable to go out and catch it. He or she may look at the animal and then look at you as if saying ''Mommy, I saw an animal I would love to chase so much, please, pretty please can you do something?''

A dog growling at the door has heard something suspicious and is putting its guarding skills into action. The dog is basically saying ''I heard something odd going on behind this door, I am working on trying to scare it away''. Owners may then decide to take action, shush the dog, look outside and then tell the dog: ''It's OJ, I have acknowledged the issue, but thanks for alerting me, good job''.

A dog shivering at the vet's office is a dog that knows what is going on. It may shiver with its body stiff and tail between its legs looking at its owner for reassurance. These are dogs have been a lot to the vet and know what to expect. However, it is best not to give in and baby talk with lots of caresses in an attempt to reassure the pet. In a dog's mind this is like telling him//her :''It's OK, you are doing fine, keep on acting scared, I like it when you are in this state of mind''.

As seen, dogs are very communicative beings. They have learned to communicate their feelings with us humans in so many ways! It is up to the owner at this point, to work a bit on better understanding what their dog is thinking about and reacting to the dog's feelings. When this is accomplished the dog/owner bond is enriched in such a way that both dog and owner can read through each other with no need for words.

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