How do dogs communicate?

Author: John Stephens
Date Of Creation: 23 January 2021
Update Date: 21 December 2024
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Why Do Dogs Bark? | Secret Life of Dogs | BBC Earth
Video: Why Do Dogs Bark? | Secret Life of Dogs | BBC Earth

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Communication is part of any relationship, whether between humans or our pets, who are always willing to communicate with other dogs or with us. However, as we are of different species, it is easy to make mistakes and misinterpret what a dog is expressing.

In this article by PeritoAnimal, we want to explain how dogs communicate, because, although we may apparently believe that canine communication is simple, in reality these animals have a complex language and different ways of expressing their needs and intentions to other individuals.

canine language

We generally refer to communication as an action in which a sender transmits information to a recipient, with the intention that, later, that recipient reply or, to understand it better, make a change according to the sender's intention, although the recipient does not always direct your action in the desired way.


This process is not performed only by people, as the vast majority of species communicates between individuals of the same species (intraspecific interaction) or of different species (interspecific). Well, even if dogs don't use words like us, they transmit information to each other through of sight, hearing and smell.

Do dogs understand each other?

There is often a mistaken belief that dogs, being dogs, understand each other perfectly, as canine language is instinctive, a fact that can cause conflicts and bad experiences. And while it's true that this aspect has an innate component, the language of dogs is also strongly influenced by learning, as they shape and develop over time since birth.


It is not strange, then, that most dogs that show conflicting behaviors with others of the same species do so often because they have not had a proper socialization, or because they lack enough healthy relationships with other dogs.

What do we mean by this statement? The truth is that much of the canine language that an adult expresses is learned as a puppy, especially during the socialization stage. Since, although instinctively, puppies already know how to communicate their needs (they cry to get food, protection, express when they want to play...), it is the interaction with other dogs during this phase that will allow them to learn that will determine their language adult. This implies that a dog that has had little socialization (for example, with only one dog), will not understand or will not be able to communicate most effectively with other dogs, giving rise to insecurities or misunderstandings that can cause conflicts.


Likewise, if the puppy has known other dogs from an early age that also had deficiencies in this regard, he may not fully understand how proper communication with other puppies should be. For example, it may be that a puppy lives with another dog that always interacts aggressively with others of its species (without adapting to the context), and the puppy therefore adopts this aggressive attitude towards other dogs and is afraid of the dog with the which lives.

In this other article, we talk about the coexistence between a new puppy and an adult dog.

Visual Communication in Dogs - Body Language

We refer to visual communication as all those gestures, postures or body movements that the dog makes to express his state of mind or intention. We distinguish mainly:

  • Chilled out: if the dog is calm, he will keep his ears up (but not pointing forward), his mouth slightly open, and his tail down, not moving.
  • Alert or attentive: when the dog tries to focus on something in particular, he directs his body towards that element, with his ears facing forward, keeps his eyes wide open, can move his tail slightly and keep his body leaning slightly forward.
  • Just kidding: when a dog wants to invite another to play, it is common to observe that he makes a "bow," keeps his tail up and moving, raises his ears, dilates his pupils, and keeps his mouth open, showing his tongue in many cases. This position can be accompanied by barking, non-threatening lunges, and repeated escapes, in which the dog starts running in any direction to be chased.
  • Offensive aggressiveness: this kind of aggressiveness is intended to threaten or prepare for attack. The main features we can detect are ruffles, tail up as well as ears, dilated pupils, wrinkled nose, raised lips clearly showing teeth, mouth closed or slightly open and body rigid and leaning forward.
  • Defensive Aggression: on the contrary, this type of aggressiveness is shown by the dog when it feels insecure in front of any element and, therefore, tries to defend itself. We distinguish this type of aggressiveness because the coat is bristly, the legs are slightly back with the tail between them, the ears back, the pupils dilated, the nose is wrinkled with the edges raised and the mouth remains completely open. Finally, unlike the previous one, the body is tilted slightly downwards and backwards.
  • Fear: this emotion is easily distinguishable in dogs, as it is characterized by the fact that the dog puts its tail between its legs, has its ears down, its head tilted and, in general, its entire body is tilted down and with rigid muscles. Also, in case of extreme fear, the dog may accidentally urinate.
  • Signs of calm: this type of signal covers a wide range of gestures and actions that the dog uses primarily to declare good intentions in the interaction and to appease if it feels uncomfortable, upset, or in a conflicted situation. For example, when hugging a dog, he may yawn, look away, lick the truffle... Furthermore, when a dog adopts an aggressive posture towards another, if he wants to end the conflict, he will certainly adopt what he is. popularly known as a submissive posture and will emit this type of signal, showing that it is completely harmless and asking the other dog to calm down. The dog performs these actions to communicate to you that, even if he allows you to hug him, he prefers you not to. Approximately 30 types of calm signals have been identified that are constantly performed, and the most common in the repertoire are licking the nose, yawning, looking away, sniffing the floor, sitting, moving slowly, turning your back, etc.
  • Submission Posture: as we mentioned, when a dog wants to show that he is harmless because he feels threatened by another individual, he can adopt two postures, either the body language associated with fear, or a posture of submission. The latter is characterized by an animal lying on its back, exposing its stomach and throat (and therefore being helpless), with its ears tilted back and pressed against its head, avoiding eye contact, hiding its tail between its legs and being able to , even getting to release a few drops of urine.

You may also be interested in this other article about how animals communicate.

auditory communication in dogs

Dogs have the ability to emit a large repertoire of vocalizations, and all of them inform us about their physiological and emotional state. Now, the same sound can appear in different contexts, so to understand what its meaning is, you need to interpret it in conjunction with your body language. Let's see what the most common vocalizations are:

  • Bark: this vocalization is the best known and most applied in most contexts, because the dog may bark because he is excited, due to a game, as a warning if you approach his territory, as a welcome and even to attract the owner's attention . So if you want to know why your dog barks, you need to contextualize the action, understand what state of mind your dog is in and what specifically he is barking for.
  • growl: Growling is used as a form of threat in case of aggression or as a warning when something happens that bothers the dog and therefore he wants it to stop.
  • whine: The most common reason for a dog to whine is to ask for help. That is, just like puppies do, when a dog whimpers he wants you to protect him or take care of him, either feeding or keeping company when he feels insecure.
  • Shout: Dogs scream when they are in a lot of pain or are precipitously frightened. For example, if you accidentally step on a dog's tail, it's natural for the dog to scream and quickly back away.
  • Howl: this vocalization does not occur in all dogs, because with domestication, not all breeds have completely preserved it. It is, therefore, an instinctive behavior, which in wolves serves to locate the other members of the group, for individual recognition and coordination in hunting. In dogs, it can also occur in these circumstances if, for example, the dog is lost, or if you have wandered off, as you may howl to find it. Also, in some dogs, this sound usually occurs as an automatic response when they hear a high-pitched sound, such as a vehicle siren.
  • Sigh: After a situation where a dog has been under a lot of tension or stress, he may sigh to relax. Likewise, the dog can also sigh in disappointment when he waits anxiously for something and doesn't get it. For example, he may be very excited about the expectation that you will give him a prize, and when you don't, he sighs in resignation.
  • pant: when a dog is very tired or very hot, it is normal for him to open his mouth and start panting, as this is a mechanism that allows him to regulate his body temperature. In addition, the dog can also do this when stressed.

You may also be interested in the article that explains why dogs howl when they hear sirens.

Olfactory communication in dogs

Olfactory communication is possibly one of the most difficult to identify for us, as we don't have as developed a sense of smell as dogs. However, we must keep in mind that this form of communication is extremely relevant to our furry ones, because through it, they can transmit all kinds of information, like:

  • The sex.
  • The age.
  • Social status.
  • Disease.
  • The reproductive state (whether or not the female is in heat, for example).

This form of communication is possible thanks to pheromones, volatile chemical substances produced by glands located in different areas of the body, such as the facial, perianal, urogenital, foot and breast.

These pheromones are picked up by the receiver when they are aspirated through the nose, thanks to the Jacobson's organ located in the nasal cavity, responsible for transmitting this information to the brain.

Furthermore, there are different ways in which dogs communicate, directly or indirectly. That is, when a dog approaches to sniff another (for example, when they sniff the anus or cheeks), a process of direct olfactory communication takes place. Likewise, one of the advantages of this form of information transmission is that it can remain in the environment for a long time. For this reason, indirect communication can also occur when the dog urinates, giving the possibility for other dogs to smell and receive all kinds of information. It can also be done through other secretions, like saliva.

How do dogs communicate with humans?

If you have one or more dogs as members of your family, it certainly won't come as a surprise to learn that these animals consciously communicate with us. These affectionate little animals are, since puppies, true sponges that absorb all kinds of information about how to communicate with us.

In other words, dogs from an early age learn to associate your actions with the consequences, and through these associations they learn how they can express your intentions and ask us for things. For example, if as a puppy, your dog associated that every time he licks your hand you feed him, wouldn't it be strange that every time he was hungry, he licked your hand to let you know.

For this reason, each dog has a unique way to communicate with your human tutor, and it's not surprising that you understand him perfectly every time he wants to take a walk or wants you to fill his bowl with water.

If you want to read more articles similar to How do dogs communicate?, we recommend that you enter our Curiosities section of the animal world.