WHAT IS YOUR DOG TRYING TO TELL YOU?

Researchers from the University of Salford in England have been attempting to figure out what dogs are trying to tell us with their behaviors. They’ve identified some 47 different potential gestures dogs use in an attempt to communicate, and claim to have “translated” 19 of them. Surprisingly, not all of them are “feed me”. Their results have been published in the science journal Animal Cognition (* And also on the website Duh.com.)
Feed me:
– Using its snout and head to move your hand on to its body
– Holding one paw in the air while sitting
– Turning its head from side-to-side, looking between a human and another object
– Standing on its hind legs
– Using its mouth to throw a toy forward

Scratch me:
– Rolling over in front of you
– Pressing its nose against you or another object
– Licking you or an object
– Lifting a paw and placing it on you
– Gently biting your arm
– Short shuffles along the ground while rolling over
– Lifting a back leg while laying on its side
– Rubbing its head against you while leaning against you

Play with me:
– Briefly touching a person with a single paw
– Diving headfirst under a person or object
– Reaching a paw towards an object of interest
– Wiggling its body underneath a person or object

Open the door for me:
– Lifting both paws off the ground and placing them on its owner or a nearby object
– Jumping up and down, either on to an object or not, while in the same location
* Wow. Move over, Dr. Doolittle.
* I’m thinking “science journal” is not quite the right description of the “Animal Cognition” publication.
* The greatest number of gestures are for “Scratch me”? Do these researchers ever wash these dogs?
* Any way you look at it, these dogs are REALLY NEEDY.
* “Holding one paw in the air while sitting” can also mean “I want to get my nails done.”
* “Lifting a back leg while laying on its side” can also mean your dog is a slut or a man whore.
* Have they figured out what it means when the dog sniffs your butt? Have they been able to crack that code?
* Were they not able to figure out what it means when he pees on the carpet?
* Never mind dogs communicating to us. How do we talk to them? How do we tell them to leave the room if they’re going to lick themselves down there?