Just as humans can read each other's body language and learn more about what the person is trying to express (or hide), dogs and cats have their very own body language. It is important that you understand your pet's body language so you can do a better job giving them what they want and expect.
You can tell if your cat or dog is happy or not by looking at their ears. There are several pet books that go into great depth about this, but when ears are flattened behind an animal's head, this usually means it is mad at something. Erect ears are a sign of alertness - they are listening intently to a noise.
Your pet's tail will also tell you a lot about their mood. Cats' tails tend to wag when they are angry. Many experts say that a dog wags its tail when it is confused, but it also shows friendliness. Most of us know that dogs with tails between their legs are afraid of something, but when a cat stretches and tries to look larger than it is, this would mean the same.
If you own pets, particularly dogs and/or cats, you will need to remember the two aforementioned tips while making your own observations. A pet's body language can also come in useful if you want to tell if they've had enough playtime for the day - they will express this through their body before they express it by making noise or sometimes getting aggressive. Before pets progress on to making noise, growling, pawing, or in some cases biting, they let their actions speak louder than words - it's important to understand these actions before your pets progress to the next measures.
Children should also be taught to read the signs that pets give us. Playing tug of war with the dog may be fun, but a change in the position of the ears may indicate that they are taking the game too seriously - and it may be time to stop playing and calm down.
At the end of the day, our pets are still domesticated animals, and domesticated as they may be, they still have that animal instinct that separates them from us. Respecting their needs and moods helps prevent accidents and injury. You may be aware of how your dog barks to greet a friend, family member, stranger, or burglar, but you should also be aware of how it reacts when it isn't making a sound. The last thing you want is to have an angry pet lashing out at you just because you were not able to draw a conclusion that it was in a bad mood to begin with. Eventually, you end up treating your pet much better if you understand its body language.
You can tell if your cat or dog is happy or not by looking at their ears. There are several pet books that go into great depth about this, but when ears are flattened behind an animal's head, this usually means it is mad at something. Erect ears are a sign of alertness - they are listening intently to a noise.
Your pet's tail will also tell you a lot about their mood. Cats' tails tend to wag when they are angry. Many experts say that a dog wags its tail when it is confused, but it also shows friendliness. Most of us know that dogs with tails between their legs are afraid of something, but when a cat stretches and tries to look larger than it is, this would mean the same.
If you own pets, particularly dogs and/or cats, you will need to remember the two aforementioned tips while making your own observations. A pet's body language can also come in useful if you want to tell if they've had enough playtime for the day - they will express this through their body before they express it by making noise or sometimes getting aggressive. Before pets progress on to making noise, growling, pawing, or in some cases biting, they let their actions speak louder than words - it's important to understand these actions before your pets progress to the next measures.
Children should also be taught to read the signs that pets give us. Playing tug of war with the dog may be fun, but a change in the position of the ears may indicate that they are taking the game too seriously - and it may be time to stop playing and calm down.
At the end of the day, our pets are still domesticated animals, and domesticated as they may be, they still have that animal instinct that separates them from us. Respecting their needs and moods helps prevent accidents and injury. You may be aware of how your dog barks to greet a friend, family member, stranger, or burglar, but you should also be aware of how it reacts when it isn't making a sound. The last thing you want is to have an angry pet lashing out at you just because you were not able to draw a conclusion that it was in a bad mood to begin with. Eventually, you end up treating your pet much better if you understand its body language.
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