Here’s an example, from My Doggie Says…, about how you have to figure out what your dog is saying sometimes.
One morning, Barbara’s picture was in our local newspaper. So on our morning jog, Barbara, Jamie and I went to a vending machine to buy four copies of the paper. I rolled them up into a bundle and started to carry them home. The jog home is about one mile up a pretty steep hill.
As we ran up the hill, Jamie kept slowing down and looking back at me. I wasn’t sure what she was thinking, or “saying.” Barbara said, “I think she wants you to pay attention to her. Try giving her a little head scratch.” So I stopped and gave Jamie a little love, and off we jogged again. But Jamie kept looking back at me.
I tried the “head scratch” a few more times, but Jamie kept slowing down and looking back at me, making eye contact.
Finally, Barbara said, “Maybe she wants to carry the newspapers.” So I stopped and put the roll of newspapers in Jamie’s mouth. She raised her head a little to show how proud she was, and she carried the papers the rest of the way home.
Looking back, maybe it should have been obvious. After all, what would a Golden Retriever want to do more than “retrieve?” But it’s not always easy to figure out what a dog is saying. You have to look for clues and keep thinking “what could he/she be thinking?” I think this is a good example of how you can do a better job of nurturing your dog if you learn what it is bred to do and what it likes to do.
In this case, we didn’t need to analyze what was happening with her ears or her tail. As is often the case, the message is sent with an action. Often, an action that seems a little out of whack. It makes you wonder “why is she doing this?” There’s often an answer, but sometimes, only the doggie knows for sure.
