How does your dog communicate with you.

Dodd

My dog will hit her nose to my leg to get my attention and when I say "what is it" .......she while do a few things she does and let me know what she wants.

Like nose my coat=walk/nose her bowl is food/water or a toy on my leg means play.

We tend to think we are training our pets but they are all the time figuring us for when is walk/play est time.

kylith

By staring at me, mostly. They stare for their dinner, stare to be let up on the couch, Ra stares to be allowed outside (T has learned to scratch on the door at least). Figuring out exactly what they want is simply a matter of checking the time. How they manage to know exactly when dinner is without a watch I don't know.

gimmick

Generally he will toddle over and plonk his head on my knee/side of the couch when wanting a rub.

If he feels in anyway hard done by ie he disagrees with bedtime it is howling which could go on for an hour.

If he needs to go to the toilet he will stand at the back door and stare out, occasionally looking around at one of us.

DipStick McSwindler

This post has been deleted.

Drexel

Usually just by staring or hanging around in the kitchen when she is hungry!!
When her toys go somewhere she cant get tho she will kinda do a really light growl/bark and I know whats up with her!!

aonb

havent they got us well trained!
my 'thick' dog bumps my leg with his chin when he wants something - that covers everything tho! he will sit at the cupboard where his biscuits are stored (subtle!) he will put his soggy bunny or ball on your knee to play (also subtle!) He lies on the floor and exposes his belly when he wants a cuddle (not subtle at all!)

my clever dog, sits staring me, sending me messages/instructions/commands telepathically, but Im just too thick to understand He will bark at the door to go out, to come in, will sit and 'talk' (between a growl and a howl - really loud) when its dinner time and when he wants me to go with him, he will walk a few steps, look back (again those telepathic messages!) then walk another few steps looking back again!

The ancient rescue dog doesnt communicate at all, apart from butting your hand to stroke him and letting you know he loves you to bits with his eyes!

Liam90

Scratching, barking and moaning.

bluecherry74

Jess will sit quietly beside me and gently paw my arm if she wants some attention. If she wants to go out, she licks the patio door. If she wants to show me something cool (like the bone she's working on) she stands in front of me with it in her mouth and makes happy growls while wagging her tail furiously.

Henry's main method of communication is to throw himself at me at high speed, followed by furious licking. If he wants to go out he'll usually stand at the patio door and stare at me with a sad look on his face (sad because I'm refusing to let him in/out for the millionth time that hour).

woppi

Text / IM mostly...

kylith

I forgot to mention one of Ra's very specific communications; headbutting you in the back of the knee while you walk down steps so you nearly fall and kill yourself means "Hooray, it's dinner time. Thanks, human!". She does this almost every day.

My garden is down some steps, in case you were wondering.

Mark Tapley

Skye takes a running jump from the bedroom door to the bed(usually punching me in the gonads) to "communicate" that I am a lazy sod and it is time to get up.

looking_around

Blaze - small dog: bites our hands = Wants something. play/water/out etc

My cat, has different "meows" for what she wants. A long dragged out "pleeeease" meow. Normally means milk, or the litter tray isn't clean enough for her. (something I don't actually look at often she normally goes out to her business).
A purr, short "me - uoooh", she wants to play with her toy mice/can't find them.
Attacks my hand, while she's on my lap. I petter her for a second too long >.>. (cause she switches from purrs to annoyed very quickly ...)

The ferret, Snappy. telepathic stares. At me, and at whatever she wants. And if I've figured it out/touched whatever it is. Runs excitedly around.

Gosh, I could keep going with all the animals, I have/had. but I'll leave it at that XD

borderlinemeath

Coco is very communicative, she has us trained very well:D.

Food - from the time she was toilet trained she scratched the door to get out and go. Somewhere along the line she realised that the paw action got her what she wanted so (without any training) decided to tap her food bowl when she was hungry. She gives it a little tap with her foot and then looks straight up at me, basically saying "Feed me now, I'm hungry"!
She also scratches the back of my leg if I'm in the kitchen and standing prepping food, in case I forget:cool:

If you're sitting on the couch she gets up beside you and shoves her head under your arm so you lift it and she can use you as a pillow and get a cuddle at the same time.

Her eyes say everything as well. If she's waiting for the ball to be thrown and I can't see it - it might have rolled under a car or she might have left it up on the decking - I ask her "where is it, show me?" and she looks in the direction she's left it. Ditto for when balls in the house roll under furniture, she'll look directly at where she want you to retrieve the ball from, multiple times if you don't immediately respond.

If she's injured herself or got a thorn in her paw she'll also 'show me', most of the time she'll roll over and hold up the offending paw. But this has taken on a bit of a drama queen thing with her, if I see her even slightly limping or she might have clashed heads going for a ball or inadvertently run into a tree, then she also comes and 'shows me', purely just for the kiss and cuddle she knows she'll get and then I tell her 'she'll be fine'

When she got her spay, himself was away at the time so when he arrived back about 4 days afterwards. He arrived in and immediately rolled over to 'show' him the 'injury'. Serious drama queen!

She's usually vocal when she knows it's walk time. She stares if she hears one of the code words and then barks her approval. Sometimes she'll have a bout of playfighting with Benson on hearing the good news that they're going for their walk.

Benson is different, he's very perceptive to ltitle things like clothes for walks, while most dogs associate shoes, he tends to observe whether it's a tracksuit or waterproof trouser I'm wearing and also sometimes if I'm getting dressed and I put on a scarf he associates this with going out and goes a bit mental, with pawing and 'talk barking' ie making lots of vocalisation and then eventually barking.

When he wants up on the couch instead of just getting up he puts his head on it and 'asks' to be let up. Then I also have to gesture him up onto the couch before he'll eventually get up and settle down. He also prefers the armrest ends rather than the middle so if the middle is all that's on offer he'll stand his ground until somebody else moves:p

He'll sit at the door waiting to be let out and looks at you, so when I ask if he wants to go out he'll turn in a circle and do a little dance. He also sits by the kitchen door waiting to get down the hall, this happens in the morning after he comes in from going to the toilet so he can get in for his morning cuddle, usually again at around 11am for his nap, 3pm for his afternoon nap and in the evening for his pre bedtime cuddle. He's not spoiled at all:rolleyes:.

He's only recently started to use his paw on the door to let us know he want's in or out, it's something we had to teach him as he never did it and the odd time he could get left in the hall or the bedroom and he wouldn't do anything, no bark, no scratch, nothing. So now when we tell him to 'use the paw' he does it, and the very odd time he uses his own initiative and uses it.

If he's done something he shouldn't - like a bit of digging or chewing we ask "What happened?" and he sits down, puts his head down and his paw comes up very slowly and gently. He puts on this hangdog, poor me avoidance behaviour as he knows he must have done something!

honerbright

Poppy (Jack Russell pup) just paws at me and tilts her head to the side all cute like, she's not too insistent (yet). She's gotten to the point now though where we can ask her if she needs to go do her business outside and she'll tilt her head then jerk her head towards the back door.

Cinnamon the cat though is a different kettle of worms. I leave dry food out for her at night (I know she should get set mealtimes, but its ingrained into her now), and if it goes under an acceptable level she will wake me up in the middle of the night by making as much noise as possible by: banging the wardrobe door, scratching the mirror, scratching the space heater (that makes *so much* noise), pawing the window. A few times she's even climbed onto the top of the bedroom door (she loves high places) and leaped down landing on me. Once she knows you're awake the meowing starts. When you're up she'll run to the top of the stairs and look back to make sure you're coming, followed by even more meowing, same for the bottom of the stairs, the hallway and finally the kitchen. During the daytime she pretty much ignores us though and lays in the sunshine. If she wants into a room she'll just jump up and open the door herself :rolleyes:

Here she is at our old house, pawing the space heater.

bluecherry74

borderlinemeath wrote: »

Benson is different, he's very perceptive to ltitle things like clothes for walks, while most dogs associate shoes, he tends to observe whether it's a tracksuit or waterproof trouser I'm wearing and also sometimes if I'm getting dressed and I put on a scarf he associates this with going out and goes a bit mental, with pawing and 'talk barking' ie making lots of vocalisation and then eventually barking.

Sounds a lot like Jess! There have been times when I've sat shivering on the couch rather than put on a jumper and have her start doing her happy dance.

borderlinemeath wrote: »

When he wants up on the couch instead of just getting up he puts his head on it and 'asks' to be let up. Then I also have to gesture him up onto the couch before he'll eventually get up and settle down. He also prefers the armrest ends rather than the middle so if the middle is all that's on offer he'll stand his ground until somebody else moves:p

:eek: This sounds EXACTLY like Jess! She just isn't happy in herself unless she gets the spot by the arm rest. Works out ok though, because Henry likes to sit in the middle and do this...

borderlinemeath wrote: »

If you're sitting on the couch she gets up beside you and shoves her head under your arm so you lift it and she can use you as a pillow and get a cuddle at the same time.

DeltaWhite

Rosie (3yr old Yorkie) actually huffs at me if I give out to her - seriously! She lets out this big sigh and I find it hilarious!

Usually if she wants a drink of water she stands in the area of the kitchen where her bowl is and just stares at me

If she wants to go out the back she runs in little circles or else runs to the door and back to me.

When she wants a rub she nudges me with her wet nose (which I hate!)

She knows when shoes and coat are on that we're going out.

When she wants a walk she goes to where her leash is kept and points up at it with her nose!

Clever little things they are

borderlinemeath

bluecherry74 wrote: »

Sounds a lot like Jess! There have been times when I've sat shivering on the couch rather than put on a jumper and have her start doing her happy dance.

Yeah, you have to be so sly putting on layers! Just in case they get the wrong idea:D

:eek: This sounds EXACTLY like Jess! She just isn't happy in herself unless she gets the spot by the arm rest. Works out ok though, because Henry likes to sit in the middle and do this...

Maybe it's something to do with the length of their necks, they like the support? Benson loves his neck to be supported as does Coco, but she's far more likely to curl into a ball than he is. He will be looking around for somewhere to rest his neck and won't settle til he finds it.

I am pie

Bali snorts at us if she is in disagreement with anything, mini schnauzer are part pig! She also snorts when playing....when she gets very excited.

Otherwise, it's paws on legs for playtime or drops toys beside us.

She sits very still (doing her best good dog routine) when she wants food, or more precisely wants my food.

gramar

How does your dog communicate with you?

Better than most humans I know. Easy to understand and straight to the point.

smilerf

Im not joking my Westie moves his mouth like he's saying something only there's nothing coming out

littlebug

Mine talks :cool:

When over-excited she does that yawny thing which when combined with a whine can sometimes sound like words. usually it's just a "ooooohhhhhh" as if she's really impressed with something but has been a "eyyyoooo" seemingly in response to "hello".

some mornings she gets a bit whiny til I come down the stairs... doesn't matter if the others are up or not :rolleyes: Last week I was still in bed but awake and she could hear me talking so was sitting at the bottom of the stairs whining. My OH was nudging me saying..."awww... listen she wants you, go on down".I was being lazy but then heard from the bottom of the stairs..... "ohoohhhoh....mama....oohhhhh" :eek::eek::eek: Well that got my attention!

Other than that she'll just sit by the back door if she wants out to the garden, or sit staring from me to the front door if she wants to go for a walk.. or stand staring at her empty bowl etc.