Sunday 9 June 2013

Dogs Have Emotions Too!

Some people don't believe or want to understand that dogs have emotions, but they do.
Having owned dogs myself, it is clear that dogs experience different emotions and have feelings, just like humans do.

Our Kangal mix boy shows his emotions all the time, here are a few examples:

* He is happy/excited when we come home, when he gets a tasty meal/snack, when he gets a new toy, when he is on his walk.
He shows this by jumping up at us, wiggling around, having a big sweeping tail wagging, giving out licks and initiating play with his house mate - a German Pointer.

* He is sad when we go out.
He shows this by finding one of his favourite teddies and carrying it back to lie down with him for comfort.

* He is afraid/scared when he can hear a thunderstorm or fireworks.
He comes to us for reassurance, he paws for us to stroke him and he goes to hide under a table or in his tent. (yes he is lucky he has a tent!)

* He sulks when we tell him off for pulling his teddies apart or removing the eyes from them.
He does this by lying down with his head positioned away from us and refuses strokes.

* He is sometimes stubborn when he doesn't get to walk the way he wants to go.
He will lay down and refuse to walk any other way.

* He is grumpy when he doesn't feel well.
He goes off into another room to lie on his own and if you to try to interfere with him, he gives us a side way glare, as if to say leave me alone.

So this is how I can tell that dogs do have emotions, thoughts and feelings and these are the ways in which our boy shows it!