Most Common Dog Behaviors and What They Mean

As dog owners, we are often surprised and amazed by our dogs and all the bizarre things they do. However, we do not necessarily understand why they do it or what their goal is in wagging their tail or humping random objects in the house. For all curious dogs’ owners, the following are some of the most common dog behaviors and what it means.

Those Wet Noses: Like anything small, seemingly insignificant things, there are a lot of myths about what a dog's nose means and does. However, the essential function of the wetness on their nose is to help them cool off when they are too hot. Like how dog pants, they do it instead of sweating (which humans do). Another theory about wet noses is that they are there to absorb moisture when the tongue licks it. This is not available for all dogs since not every dog can easily reach his nose easily with their tongue. In general, however, if a dog's nose becomes hot and dry, it can be symptoms of feverish or that the dehydrated. This does not necessarily mean. It doesn’t necessarily mean other signs like stiff skin and or bloodshot eyes should also be taken into account.

Waging, Tails: A wagging tail is not always a happy signal. You should observe for other body language signal that your dog will share with you saying he is in a good mood. An open wagging tail that moves in a full sway means a dog is happy or excited. However, a quick wagging only at the tip of the tail may mean that the dog is frightened up or scared or that they are a little worked up about something that may have come into their lives. If they put their tail between their legs and wag, it means that they are absolutely terrified of something. This is an initial indication that they need to be eliminated from the situation in question.

Frequent Humping: Dogs have many instincts and those that have been altered changed may or may not know what they are doing when they carry another dog or their leg. For many dogs, this behavior is just a way of playing or showing their excitement and they really do not know why. Just take a look to see how confused they get. However, it is also a sign of dominance that male and female dogs use to show that they have dominated another dog. When a dog climbs another dog, it symbolizes it as bigger and more powerful. With this same reason, dogs will more frequently hump a stranger’s leg, trying to assert dominance.

Whiskers:These are special because they are thicker, coarser, with deeper hairs on the dog's face. It is also more sensitive because of its proximity to nerve endings. Think of dog whiskers like your fingers - they feel things that they might not be able to hear or smell. These whiskers can detect a shift in wind speed, rain, pressure changes, the distance between objects and much more. They are as well protective, used to catch thorns, dirt and other foreign bodies so that they do not enter their eyes or noses.

Your dog is an interesting little guy. He has many quirks and traits and over centuries over the centuries, he was breed to act in certain ways and use certain parts of his body. Don’t forget that the next time he does something you may not enjoy. He perhaps has a very good reason for doing it, at least in his instinct-driven dog brain. That does not mean you have to stand by and let him, but also don’t begin screaming or punishing just yet.