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If you are trying to get to know your dog, it is very easy to believe that they are trying to talk with you. The truth is that nothing could be more true! Dogs are highly social animals and even if they can't communicate in words, you'll find that they are still trying to talk with you in their own language, which uses their whole body in an attempt to get a certain message across. When you want to make sure that you are understanding your dog correctly, keep some of the following information in mind.

The first thing that you probably know about dog behavior and communication is that a wagging tail means that a dog is happy, but the truth is that a dog can communicate a great deal with their tail and the the message can be quite varied. For instance, the higher your dog holds their tail, the more alert that they are feeling. Small, slow wags with their tail can tell you that your dog is feeling insecure and is questioning everything around them, while large and fast wags are more a sign that your dog is happy or excited. If your dog's hindquarters are moving as well, you might find that they are feeling submissive as well. A dog that holds their tail between their legs is feeling afraid.

Along with all the tail movements look for ear placement as well. A dog who is alert will hold their ears high, and facing forward. A dog who's ears are pressed against their head are scared, nervous, or even angry. Here it's important to watch their mouth to see if their teeth are baring if so that means they are angry and should not be approached. This is a warning, saying "I'm in a bad mood, don't push me." A dogs ears will also simply move with the sounds around them. They will face them toward any different types of noise they are trying to figure out.

When getting to know your dog, you will also begin to notice that they have different types of barks when trying to communicate with you. They have different tones that indicate what that bark means. Such as a deep, loud, and a bark that has a bit of a growl to it, means your dog is threatening an intruder, and are trying to let you know that there is an intruder near by. While you'll find that a short high pitched yip like bark just means they're happy to see you, and are trying to say hello. A high pitched bark means they are disturbed or nervous about something.

Take some time to get to know the way that your dog communicates, and you'll find that there is a lot that they are trying to get across to you.