Dogs Use 19 Signals To Let Us Know What They Need

Jul 24, 2018

It's not very hard to tell when your dog wants your attention. They often follow you around, roll over on their back, or cry. Understanding what these signals mean is the issue however. Not all dog owners can figure out what their dog wants so it is important to understand what these signals really mean.

Anyone who has been around a lot of dogs know that every dog asks for treats slightly different. They even show basic emotions in a different way. One dog may show something like excitement completely different than another dog.

Animal Cognition recently published a study to tell us about 19 signals and gestures that dogs use to communicate. It isn't only individual gestures. Dogs often combine gestures together to mean certain things. For example, pawing then head tilting can mean that a dog wants to go outside. However, a different combinations may mean something different.

Apes use gestures to communicate. However, they typically use these gestures with animals in their own species. Dogs have a harder time communicating because they are using sign language to talk to humans - which are a completely different animal.

The act of using a gesture to convey a statement is called referential signaling. Even though humans also use speech to communicate, they do use referential signaling. Dogs pick up on this. Referential signaling is common among most types of primate, but it is rare in other animals.

Dogs and ravens have been observed using this type of communication however. For a gesture to count as referential signaling one main criteria must be met: the gesture must be a motion with the intention to communicate something.

Non-primate species typically only use referential signaling to communicate across species. This means a dog isn't going to try to shake hands with another dog. They will only do this action with a human, with the hope of a result, such as receiving a treat. It is up to the pet owner to get to know their pet and learn exactly what each gesture means.

Two dogs that perform the same series of gestures may want completely different things.

It has been found that dogs who live with more than one person learn more gestures. They may even have different gestures for different people in their lives.

Tell us what your dogs do to communicate with you. Perhaps your pet has his own quirky little gestures that only you recognize. Let us know which combination of gestures mean what with your little furry friend. Perhaps you can lead to a better understanding of the canine species as a whole.