Unless we invite them on a couch to tell us about their issues on the canine condition in a human society, it is necessary for us to understand dogs in their emotions, in their expressions, and also their lack of expression at times.
➡️ One of the ways we have is to learn, understand, and observe their body language and the motivations behind their behaviors.
Depending on the contexts, some dogs may opt for displacement behaviors (such as scratching or stretching when facing discomfort), for high vocalizations (whether it is a hair pulled during brushing or a fly passing by out of surprise), for quick movements (running right left and center or quickly hiding behind their owner). On the other hand, some other dogs are not as expressive, whether in their behavior and/or their vocalizations.
Can we infer that the former ones have more intense emotions than the latter 🤔 ?
This is where the shoe pinches, because : not at all ! Only a thorough biological analysis would enable us to determine which one would feel stress, a need to adapt biologically and cognitively to his environment and its changes.
During a visit to your veterinarian, during a gathering where beings are fidgeting, your dog looks "calm", more composed than usual... Have you noticed if he is gazing into space ? If his muscles are tense ? If his body is low or high and stiff ? If his movements are slow ? If his attention is all focused on one element ?
It is possible that your calm Doggy is actually inhibited.
A dog that freezes, that can no longer find a solution, that is tense, that it is about to bite or pee on himself, will have as much of my attention as a dog that barks and lunges at the end of the leash.
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