We have all lived with animals, human and other. Based on experience with animals, it seems that all of us use language. In living with animals, we need to know their language. Some people expect others to know their language (dog, cat, wife, husband…), but in fact each of us must be attentive to the other’s language.
Enough of the general point. Rummy, Zoe, and Moses each has had some language common to them (“dog speak” in general), and each one has had his / her particular ways to communicate. Zoe was always direct with me, and knew how to get the result she wanted. If she wanted to go out, she would go to the desired door, and let out one not-obnoxious bark to get my attention. It worked. If Zoe wanted me to go out with her, she would bring me one of my shoes. Then I would say, “Good, but where is the other one?”and she would trot off to retrieve it, and invariably would drop it at my feet, as if to say, “Okay, big boy, let’s get moving!” Moses is more subtle. His most common way to communicate to me is to lie down in front of me and look me in the face. He expects me to know what he wants. Sometimes I need to ask a serious of questions. When I ask for what he wants, he tells me “Yes, that is it,” in his way. Some human beings would miss it. Moses does not use words, need I say? He has a gesture which means—depending on the context—“yes,” “good,” or even “thank you!” I have observed it for years. What does he do? He sticks his tongue out about an inch for me to see it. That is all. And it works. “Moses, do you want to go out?” Nothing. “Do you want something to eat?” Out comes the tongue. Just now, after sharing a small bowl of ice cream, I said to him, “It is your turn to lick” (a left-over from having two dogs, as they rotated in who got to lick the bowl). So Moses put out his tongue immediately when I said, “your turn to lick.” It is his way of thanking me. Yes, I have seen the pattern. One other “word” from Moses. Unlike Zoe, he will not go to a door and give one bark for me to let him out. He just goes to the door and waits, as if I know where he is, and what he wants. But if I do not catch on, he comes back up the stairs, walks in front of my line of vision to get my attention, and then leaves the room. That means, “Okay, let me out, please!” It works. If he comes into the living room, where I am sitting, and lies down, it means that he wants to be near me (less often than Zoe did), or he is waiting for the next course. After licking the ice cream bowl a few minutes ago, he lay on the floor in front of me, glancing into my face. It meant, “Something more.” I gave him a small milk bone (called “a bony”), he ate it, and put his head down to sleep. A very important part of living with animals is to learn their language. Some people expect them to learn ours. And that is all. I have read some articles on training dogs, and seen a few short videos, but I have not seen a study on learning to read them. It is very important. I want a companion, not a canine version of a Stepford Wife. And, I utterly enjoy letting my dog friends teach me their ways of communicating. They have things to teach humans. I have never seen a Lab in a bad mood, or ticked off, or complaining. They speak this lesson day in, day out: ACCEPT whatever comes, and make the best of it. And be HAPPY, and help others to be happy, too. Always think of others rather than of yourself. Basic dog speak. |
06 June 2015
Dog Speak
