My first Publication CC April Edition-19-High Resolution | Page 22

Pet Behaviourist
WHEN POOCH MEETS
POOCH
By Vinod Poyilath *
“Communication is to a relationship, what breathing
is to maintaining life”
– Virginia Satir.
ooking from the human world, where our communication appears to
be verbal mostly (it actually is not, with experts saying that 93% of
all human communication is non-verbal), it would appear that our
canine companions rarely talk! Apart from the occasional bark, whine
or growl, you hardly hear them speak like we do all through the day.
But this is a misconception brought about by our inability to understand
the fantastic language of dogs. Th e language of dogs, for that matter, rarely uses any
sounds, but is more of using their body to convey the message. Th ese messages are
mostly communications of emotions or intent. Like humans, dogs are extremely
social animals and their social interactions would fall apart in the absence of clear
communication. Equipped with teeth and jaws, sharp and strong enough to tear
each other apart, it was vital that the dogs evolved a language to understand each
other perfectly, so as to avoid confl ict and harm and to maintain peace.
L
If your dog is getting ample walks and
outdoor times with you every day, then
it’s almost impossible for it, not to come
across another one of his own species.
Many a times, this puts the owner at a
predicament as to what to do in those
situations. When let to meet other dogs, it
is also not uncommon to see dogs lunging
and barking at each other, or an interaction
that seemed peaceful to the owner suddenly
turn into a fi ght. Sometime, it is their own
time of talking and understanding, which
makes the owner feel that they are fi ghting!
Such perplexity! Th ese experiences make
many owners not take their dogs out at all,
restricting them to a life of boredom inside
their homes, or compounds. It is sad for a
dog to be deprived of free runs and walks
like that, because they have evolved for
some amount of rigourous activity every
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day and they have an inherent need to smell
and explore a wide range of environments.
A lack of playful opportunities leads to a
making it a doleful dog, which is exactly
not what the owner had bought it for. A
dog is bought to bring joy to the individual
or the family, and if it too is frustrated,
then who would be responsible bringing
a peaceful homeostatis? It would get more
vexing to see aggressive and unfriendly
dogs with the already bland and stressful
life of humans. Th e intention of this article is to help
you make the right decisions regarding
whether to let your dog socialise in his
own community, by understanding their
ways of communication.
Unlike in a natural environment, where
it is allowed the full range of motion,
your dog is restricted in his potential
movement, when on a leash and hence
it becomes additionally important that
you as the owner do not put him in
situations where he doesn’t want to be. Anyway, meeting another dog should not
be the highlight of your dog’s walk. Its
time to go out for the daily walk should
be like the best opportunity for you to
bond with it and understand its behaviour.
Th at exclusive time with you is what your
dog should be looking forward to. If it is
Creature Companion | April 2019 • Vol. XII • Issue 4 • Noida
Just like an energetic baby cannot be
locked up in a room so that it doesn’t get
hurt or does not not lead to any accident;
a dog cannot be caged either to avoid any
fi ghts or mishaps in the environment.
Isolation is the way to depression.