Hi Friends!
I am considered to be a very expressive person. I've been told by all who know me that when I'm feeling something, I don't hide it or have a lot of trouble doing expressing my thoughts or feelings, either in words or body language. I define open expressiveness as willing to look the person in the eyes, or tell the person over the phone, "I miss you" or "I really like you" or "I'm thinking of you." Overall, I consider myself an extrovert; I like people, I like conversing, I like community. I suppose that is the reason why I love parrots, dogs and well, love all animals so much.
I am very relationship-oriented. Since I consider relationships a top priority, I am committed to developing great relationships with my clients and their pets. The main ingredients I believe are important in a sucessful relationship are: Communication, Trust, Understanding, and Honesty. Understanding people and they way they operate is the only way to conduct a genuine relationship. It is beneficial and healthy to get ‘inside the mind’ of the person you are in relationship with or in some type of interaction. I believe this to also be the case with animals.
As is the case with developing a bond and strengthening a relationship with my birds Dudley and Sing-Sing. Communication, Trust, Understanding and Honesty has to take place between me, Dudley and Sing-Sing, just as it must occur with any other. However, an understanding has to be developed and learned.
After all, birds are not born with an understanding of how to fit into a human family. Many things that are natural behaviors in parrots in the wild, and even essential to their survival, are not considered appropriate behavior in our eyes. Often misbehavior is the result of misunderstandings between the owner and the bird, or of unrealistic expectations the owner has about how the bird should behave. Dogs are very expressive animals. They communicate when they’re feeling happy, sad, nervous, fearful and angry, and they use their faces and bodies to convey much of this information. Dog body language is an elaborate and sophisticated system of nonverbal communication that, fortunately, we can learn to recognize and interpret. Once you learn how to “read” a dog’s postures and signals, you’ll better understand his feelings and motivations and be better able to predict what he’s likely to do. These skills will enable you to interact with dogs with greater enjoyment and safety.
It helps to first learn about the various components that make up dog body language. Dogs use facial expressions, ear set, tail carriage and overall demeanor to signal their intentions and feelings to others. Breaking their body language down into components is helpful at first for building your observation and interpretation skills. Your goal, however, is to be able to observe the entire dog and the situation or context he’s in, in order to accurately determine what he’s trying to say. It’s not possible to understand your dog’s feelings and intentions by looking at just one aspect of his body language.
One of the most common mistakes an owner can make with their dog is to misread what the dog is saying into something completely different. We humans do it all of the time. The dog's body language says one thing, and we interpret it into something completely different, basing our assumption on what we ourselves are feeling. In reality dogs see and read the world much differently than we humans. If we humans better understood our dogs, we could prevent many dog bites and other behavioral issues.
For example, let’s take a simple act of a hug. To humans, a hug means love and affection. When a human receives a welcomed hug from a loved one it makes us feel good inside.
But just what does a hug mean to a dog? Humans are always hugging their dogs and when we do, we are giving the dog affection and sharing our love. However, what most humans do not realize is to a dog, a hug is not affection at all. To a dog, a hug symbolizes a social status ranking as dominance and an invasion of space—lower members of the pack give space to the higher members to show respect. The position of the body is also meaningful to a dog. The one on top represents a higher status ranking. Therefore, when you bend down and wrap your arms around a dog you are not only on top, but you are in their space.
Keeping this logic in mind, it makes total sense to not run up and hug a strange dog. Many children are bitten every day by hugging dogs, and if you look at it from the dog’s perspective, who would blame them? A stranger runs over, asserting dominance on a dog they have just met and the dog's reaction is to communicate to this being that they do not wish to be dominated. Unlike horses and deer who are "flight animals," a dog is a "fight animal" and will communicate his displeasure with a growl and/or a snap or bite.
That being said, it is not bad to hug a dog that is familiar with you if the dog is calm and in a submissive state of mind, so long as you are hugging them at a time when you are relaxed and happy. As a matter of fact, the emotional sensation humans receive from hugging can be felt by the dog, and that energy radiating from the humans can be very calming to the dog. Not because the hug has the same meaning to the dog, but because he is enjoying the calm he feels coming from you.
Space
I often hear people say that when they correct their dog for a bad behavior, the dog sulks, leaves the room or turns his head because the dog is "upset." The humans interpret this behavior as the dog's feelings being hurt. They feel bad and believe they need to "make up" with the dog.
What is the dog really saying? If you correct your dog and he turns his head or leaves the room, he is giving in to you and accepting you as his leader. Giving space and turning away from direct eye contact are submissive behaviors. When humans try and "make up" with a dog after the dog has given in to you, it sends mixed signals to the dog.
Dogs communicate in many ways with each other, using verbal cues, body language and facial expressions. They also try to communicate with humans using these methods. Humans, of course, communicate with dogs with commands and phrases. Dogs can learn hundreds of human sounds but they can't string them together. Thus, the need for short commands such as "Sit!" and "Come!" Many of our communication tools are lost on dogs, such as sarcasm (to indicate frustration) or closed body language (to indicate you're uncomfortable) or a look of surprise. So, to enhance our communication with our canines, we must learn to get back to the basics and speak "dog."
I realize everyone is extremely busy and lead fast-paced lives. However, I encourage you to take time out of your hectic schedule to learn more about your dog or pet and what he is trying to communicate. Understanding and effective communications are key in any relationship.
Warmly,
Paul
Paul F. Flotron
Creature Comforts Great & Small, LLC
"Giving your creatures the comfort they deserve"
314-200-8561
Cell: 314-775-7107
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