Dogs remind me a lot of babies.  I mean, with a baby it cries and then you have to figure out if a diaper needs to be changed, the baby needs to be fed, the baby is tired or something else.

Dogs have similar needs.  For mine, they want food, affection, a walk, outside to potty and sometimes they just want to play.

Do you know your dog’s language?  My dogs have their own unique ways of communicating their needs.

Sampson’s Language.

When he wants to eat, he lies right in front of his food bowl and patiently waits.

When he wants affection he will come sit in front of you and either lay his head on your lap/leg or paw at you with his big beefy paw.  Or sometimes he will just lie on his back in front of you with a big shit eating grin on his face.  It’s a sure fire way to get one of us off the couch and down on the floor to do his bidding.

When he wants to outside he barks at the door.

When he wants to play, he brings you a toy, sets it down, stares at it and growls at you.

When he wants to walk, his tail goes up and he heads for the front door.

Delilah’s Language

When Delilah wants to eat, she employs the Lab Death Stare (not to be confused with the Death Star, that’s a totally different movie.) She sits in front of you and stares at you, as if that simple act can motivate you to do her bidding.  If the Death Stare fails to motivate you, she will often times use the sigh for great effect.  Stare down, “Hhhhhhhhh.”  On the rare occasion we eat before the dogs, she will often lie on her mat and whine slightly.  Not horribly and annoyingly, just enough to remind you she is ‘patiently’ awaiting her own meal.

If you move, she will jump up and race you to the kitchen, regardless of whether it’s feeding time or not.

When she wants affection, she will come and shove her head under your hand or between your legs.  Or she will just climb up into your lap.  She has also learned the lie on your back with your feet in the air trick from Sampson.

When Delilah wants to go outside, she stands at the door and makes a little “Unnh” or growl sound.  (Hubby will often be sitting less than 10 feet away and miss this.)  Once she’s been out however and wants to come back in, she will bark incessantly at the door until you open it.  If you are in the kitchen preparing her meals, it’s even more intense.

When Delilah wants to play, she will bring you a toy and drop it for you to throw.

When it is time for a walk, she can barely hold still for you to put her collar and harness on and once you head for the door she will launch herself off the steps towards the door.

Two labs, two different languages.  It’s sort of like how Canada has English  and French.  One country, two languages. 

 Do your pets have their own language?  How do they convey their needs to you?