Do you think dogs have expressions?
I do.
Brodie laying on the couch the other night; I just looked over at him and said “you need to lose a few L-B’s” meaning pounds. He looked at me like “F-U Lady”. This dog has some wild expressions, he can look at you and with the gaze of his eyes and the tilt of his head communicate so many messages:
- F-U
- Are you crazy?
- What are you thinking?
- Give me what I want.
- WHY are you making me do that?
- I’m such a well behaved angel.
- Throw the ball again.
- I’m looking for trouble….
It is almost endless the ‘looks’ that he can give and the messages he can convey with the power of his eyes. I would suppose the same is true of humans, but it strikes me as funny coming from a dog. There is much controversy regarding if animals can actually ‘feel’. My personal opinion is yes, BUT it is more than just feeling. They can express their feelings through non-verbal expressions.
The bigger question: do dogs understand conversational language?
Did Brodie really understand my words and think I was calling him fat when I said he should lose a few pounds? I am less sure on that question. Maybe over time they learn more than commands and key words, they learn how to interpret our conversational language. Different topic for another time….