How Do Dogs Communicate with Each Other?

Every day, people verbally communicate with each other to convey their different needs, wants, and feelings. Interpersonal communication is essential to daily human life, but have you ever wondered how dogs share information between themselves and humans? 

Canines use all their senses to communicate, but body language is the most common way they articulate their emotions.  Body language can tell a lot about how a dog feels, whether it be different head placement or putting its tail between its legs. For example, if a dog is panting, it can be a sign of stress, or it can be that the dog is calm and content. Furthermore, a yawning dog could mean that they are tired, or it could be a sign to an aggressive dog to calm down. 

 Although body language is essential for a dog to communicate, they use many different methods to get a message across. Another significant way is through vocal cues. Dogs use sounds similar to how coyotes and wolves communicate. Barking fast can show distress, but a slow bark is usually towards a threat. A higher-pitched growl means a dog is surprised or playful. 

Lastly, dogs communicate with their olfactory senses, which is their sense of smell. Through the use of pheromones, canines produce different scents that humans can’t smell; only dogs can because they have strong noses. Pheromones can signify a canine's age, gender, feelings, pregnancy status, and more. Dogs usually sniff each other's butt because pheromones generally appear in high numbers in urine. Therefore, they can find a lot of information from the anal area. Dogs sniff different parts of the body (i.e., the mouth) to obtain additional information about other animals. All in all, these pheromones can tell a lot about a dog’s temperament and demeanor, but humans can’t decipher anything from pheromones.

Dogs mainly use body language to communicate their sentiments and desires. Vocal cues help express a dog’s emotions, but they aren’t very commonly used. Different dogs use different methods to communicate with their owners and other dogs. Dog owners should learn how their dog conveys a message to properly understand and care for them to the best of their ability.