Tune in Wednesday night to hear Nancy Kay, DVM, author of “Speaking for Spot,” as she tells you how to be the advocate your dog needs to live a happy, healthy, longer life.

Link to an article in the journal “Tobacco Control” about the effect of second-hand smoke on pets.

The “My Doggie Says…” show helps listeners gain a deeper appreciation for “Man’s Best Friend.” The show is broadcast live from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday nights, on KFNX 1100, Phoenix. It is streamed live on www.1100kfnx.com. Host Fred Haney interviews dog whisperers, dog trainers, authors of dog books, and experts on all aspects of dogs and dog behavior and dog nature. Listen to past interviews at www.mydoggiesays.com/blog/. The show is also available as a podcast on iTunes. Go to the iTunes store, click on “Podcast,” and search for “My Doggie Says…”

Check out the dog-relationship books written by all of the authors who have appeared on the “My Doggie Says…” show: http://mydoggiesays.com/blog/?page_id=1479

Our doggie “best friends” send messages at different levels. “My Doggie Says… Messages from Jamie: How a dog named Jamie ‘talks’ to her people” is about some of the “big” messages that Jamie sent. “Big” meaning that it was her action or behavior that sent the message. She would sit by a door to ask to go out. Or bark when it was time to go jogging or go to the lake to swim.

Most of us also know that our doggie friends send messages with their tails, ears, posture, and eyes. Having read “Calming Signals,” I would call these message “middle-sized” messages. For example, some tail wags are friendly and some are not. “Ears up” sends a different message than “ears down.”

Turid Rugaas, in her wonderful little book “On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals,” (Dogwise Puslishing) describes some “little,” or subtle messages that dogs send. Her observations of dogs (and wolves) led her to identify over thirty “signals” that dogs use to “calm down the pack.” They are signals that are used to head off aggression, reduce tension, and generally help the pack keep the peace. Interestingly, some of these signals can be used by humans to send messages to their dogs.

These signals are sometimes quite subtle, so you have to watch for them. But I found that once I was aware of some of them I got better at spotting them. For example, actions like a quick lick of the lips, or a sideways turning of the head are meant, by the dog, to say something like “cool it.” The same is true of a doggie yawn or simply turning away. Another is “softening of the eyes,” or a partial squinting of the eyes.

One of the charming themes of this book is that Turid’s own dog, Vesla, was a master at using these techniques to help calm other dogs, including Turid’s clients’ dogs who had various behavior difficulties. Vesla had a sense about what was causing the problems, and she was able to use the “calming signals” to communicate with the troubled dog and help it eliminate the undesirable behavior.

I was quite surprised, after reading the book, to observe how frequently my Golden Retriever, Callie, was telling me to “calm down.” I would walk down the hallway toward her crate, look her in the eye, and say something like “Hi, Callie, how’s it going?” And she would often respond with a quick nose lick, a turn of the head, or a yawn, indicating that my frontal approach was causing her some stress. So I’m working on modifying my own behavior.

When dogs meet, they don’t make eye contact and head straight for each other. This is considered aggressive behavior. They glance away. They “curve,” meaning that they approach each other in a circular path. Then, having established a non-aggressive relationship, they proceed to interact.

One of the fun and fascinating aspects of “calming signals” is that some of them can be used by humans. For example the sideways glance, turning of the head, and yawning are all signals that a human can use to say, “let’s stay calm.” The other day, I yawned at Callie a few times, and, wouldn’t you know it, she yawned back at me!

“Calming Signals” has lots of great color photographs. I also purchased a DVD version which is fun, because you see video of dogs sending the “calming signals” back and forth.

If you really want to know what your dog is telling you, pay attention to the “big” messages, the “middle-sized” messages, and the “little messages” (i.e., the calming signals). You’ll gain a better understanding of your dog, and you’ll be able to actually start talking “dog.”

The Dog Listener (Jan Fennell, Collins, 2000, 2004) is a lovely book about dog communication. The author lives in the countryside of the eastern part of England, and she always has a “pack” of dogs. The book is about her attempts to find a “softer way” to be in a relationship with her dogs. She feels that most dog training puts the emphasis on obedience, rather than “forming a cooperative relationship.” Many of her ideas are based on those of Monty Roberts, the Horse Whisperer.

Jan’s fundamental premise is that dogs speak the language their ancestors spoke — the language of the wolf pack, which is completely different than the language humans speak. The language of the wolf pack is body language, and most of the emphasis is on establishing the dominance of the two “alpha leaders” in the pack. So in order to have effective communication with your dog, you use body language, when possible, instead of verbal commands, to establish yourself as the “alpha animal.” For example, if your dog jumps up on you, instead of shouting “down,” you simply turn away and ignore the jumping.

My Doggie Says…: Messages from Jamie. How a dog named Jamie “talks” to her people captures Jamie’s “language” in a collection of photographs. The Dog Listener helps us understand the behavior behind at least some of the messages.

This book makes me wonder if an owner needs to be “all alpha all the time.” I see some of Jamie’s behavior as “dominant” (alpha) and some of it as submissive. For example, “I’m sorry folks, but I need to keep the group together” is clearly a dominant, alpha message. But “Is it OK if I go through this doorway?” is submissive. I was probably in the dominant role most of the time, but not always. And I think it might have been good for Jamie to get to exercise a little alpha. Although someone might say this could cause some wolf-pack confusion.

I really like the idea of building a “softer relationship” with a dog. My Doggie Says… suggests that you can do this by tuning-in to your dog’s body language. The Dog Listener suggests that it helps to understand your dog’s body language in the context of wolf pack behavior.

The Dog Listener raises a question that has been puzzling me. Is it bad to have contests with your dog? Some people think it makes them aggressive. Jan Fennell would say it undermines your dominance. I don’t know. I can see some value in “contests” if they are kept in balance. This will be a subject for another blog.

Lots of people tell me about doggie books.  Last Tuesday, a friend left a copy of A Dog Called Perth in my golf locker.  The author is Peter Martin, who is the brother of my friend’s brother-in-law.  (A Dog Called Perth, by Peter Martin, 2001, Orion Media)  This book has a few lovely dog-talk passages, which I will share with you.

But first, this Memorial Day weekend, there’s a lovely story about the family of fallen soldier, Army Spc. Justin Rollins, and the Iraqi puppy he held the day before he was killed.  The family, who live in Concord, New Hampshire, now have the puppy, as a rememberance of Justin.  See the story on msnbc.com. 

A Dog Called Perth is a true story about a beagle, whose owners, author Peter Martin and his wife Cindy, decided that Perth would have complete freedom for all of his lifetime.  He would never be tied down.  Peter taught Perth how to respect roads and cars, and then trusted Perth to find his way around, which led to one adventure after another.  In one incident, Perth jumped off a boat dock and swam to a ferry boat carrying Peter and Cindy.

After various adventures in the U.S., Peter, who is English, has an opportunity to work in his homeland, but moving there would mean that Perth would be quarantined for six months.  Peter describes this very doggie-personal, seaside, conversation:

“We had our ways of communicating.  I told her gravely, in a falling, confidential voice that it meant six months of imprisonment for her.  She shook the specter off.  She looked beautiful.  Her eyes and briskness of movement spoke of adventure, going forward, taking risks, not looking back.  The briny water sparkled on her brown hear, which she held high into the wind.  I knew we had to go.”

Another exchange takes place when Peter and Cindy visit Perth in her cement, quarantined prison: 

“Perth showed her emotions by looking straight into our eyes with the deepest and most loving look, breathing heavily.  She stepped back and forth between my lap and Cindy’s, occasionally letting out a howl.  The tenseness in her body gradually dissolved and after a few minutes she settled down on Cindy’s lap.  None of us said much, but there was no need to speak.”

I liked the story, but there was an aspect that was frustrating for me.  It’s one thing to give a dog total freedom if you live in one place.  It’s another if you move from New York to Ohio, to Florida, to Maine, and to England.  Some of these moves meant that Perth had to be “parked” with other people, which did not work very well.  So I felt sorry for Perth.

It’s a fun book and easy to read and has a few very sweet doggie communications.