We all know that dogs don't really speak in the sense of using human language, but like any other animal they know how to communicate in different ways. We as owners focus on spoken language to communicate with them, but it is not really the best way to do it, since they communicate in other ways that are more natural to them.
The dogs 'speak' with their tails, with their body position and even with its sounds and barks. All this together can give us an idea of what they want to express to us. Those who have been living with dogs for years have learned to read their body language and the signals they send us to express how they feel, but if you are still learning, here are some of the ways in which dogs speak.
Dogs communicating with each other
The dogs communicate with each other in four ways. Through smell, tail movement, body position, and barking. With all this they are able to express to other dogs a whole range of moods and situations. There are multiple combinations of all these elements. That is why sometimes we err when it comes to understanding the intentions or how a dog feels in a situation. We can think that a dog is being aggressive when it shows its teeth and has bristling fur, but perhaps it is only scared, in case it has a hidden tail. Most of us know that tail wagging means that they are happy, but sometimes it is just a calm signal to another dog they just met, to indicate that they are friendly.
How dogs talk to us
In the same way that they communicate with other dogs, our pets try to talk to us in this way. The first thing we must recognize because it is very easy is the tail flick. We have to stick with the general to begin to understand our dogs. If the dog's tail is high but not very tense, it is relaxed. If you wear it low it may also be that you have relaxed and there is no excitement or joy, as when you go out for a walk. A very high and stiff tail denotes a bit of tension and we can see it when he meets another dog. On the other hand, a shrunken tail tucked between its legs clearly indicates fear.
The smells for them are essential. We do not understand this facet nor can we compare ourselves with them in terms of smell. But we must always let a dog smell us so that it stays with our scent and thus can always identify us. It is a way of introducing ourselves to them.
Su body position it also tells us how the dog feels. If he's tense, he's nervous. It is important to see how he behaves when he meets people or other animals, because that way we can better understand how they express themselves. With us dogs are usually relaxed. When introducing yourself to another animal, you should note that they are presented from the side, because from the front it means challenge, and they do not usually look each other directly in the eyes, because that can also create tension. If they are cowering, it indicates fear or tension.
At the time of talking we will also see that they have a great cast of sounds. Dogs bark with different tones when they are alert to something, with a lower sound. If they are happy they bark with a higher pitched sound and if they are aggressive they usually growl or even make no sounds. It must also be said that there are dogs that bark a lot and others that hardly make sounds and that we hear barking very rarely, it all depends on the dog itself. In the case of Nordic dogs, we find the peculiarity that they can not only growl and sometimes bark, but they emit howls with an incredible variety of sounds that we get to know over time. In this case we have dogs that are perhaps less expressive with the body but whose howls tell us endless things. Of course, each dog in this sense is a world and over time we will learn to distinguish their own sounds.