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Junie Lou is a mix of - well, I'm not sure what all, but I know she has some Jack Russell and Brittany Spaniel in her. She has the shape of a Whippet and is cute as can be.

She, like most dogs, has many ways of communicating if we just pay attention. Watching Junie's ears are a wonderful way to figure out what she's thinking; when her little head is cocked to one side and her ears are forward I know she is interested in something. Body language is also important in how dogs communicate - a wagging tail obviously means she is excited or happy, and cowering is showing submission or fear. Yips, whines, and barks have different pitches and an owner can usually figure out what each different sound means if they try.

Of course we have taugh her 'sit' and 'lay' and all the other tricks humans teach dogs. Sometimes when I tell her to roll, she looks at me with her pretty brown eyes as if to say 'Why do you want me to do this? What's the point?' The most amazing thing is she has learned 'Where is Sissy' and 'Where is Daddy', and will search for them until she finds them when she is asked to. I'm not sure how she learned it, but she knows their names! I have learned that she does get confused when I give her a command that sounds like another command, such as 'sit' and 'sweets'.

Learning about your pets noises and body language can improve your relationship and decrease frustration, as will teaching them to understand your commands.

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