Dogs are social creatures and communicate their feelings with us through sounds and body language. In a puppy’s first weeks, they’ll begin to yelp, whine, and grunt before growing and moving into more rich and complex communication methods. Learning puppy speak helps us better care for our puppy, and we can build upon these experiences as they age.
In the comprehensive book, Puppy’s First Steps: The Whole-Dog Approach to Raising a Happy, Healthy, Well-Behaved Puppy, Nicholas Dodman writes, “The better you understand how [your puppy] experiences their world, the less likely you’ll be to become frustrated or angry (and perhaps treat your charge unfairly). And, ultimately, the better and stronger the bond between the two of you will be.”
Get started decoding your puppy speak—here are five explanations to help you decipher the meaning behind their body language and vocalizations.
Whines: When a puppy whines, the sound pulls at our heartstrings. One study even found that the whimpers of a puppy feel sadder to pet owners than the sound of a crying baby. Puppies will whine when they are in need—your puppy may be cold, lonely, hungry. Try to comfort them with attention, food, or even a warm towel, and you’ll find they’ll probably stop.
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Grunts: Puppies grunt for various reasons, but it’s something they do while they are relaxed and content. You’ll find puppies grunting when eating, sleeping, or being petted because they enjoy it.
Circles Before Sleeping: As you get ready for bed, you fluff your pillow and pull back your sheets. Dogs have a similar sleep routine of circling and stomping around. It’s believed this primal instinctive behavior helped wild dogs prepare and flatten their grass bedding before sleep.
Licking Lips: Dogs will often lick their lips when they are nervous or anxious. You can help your pup by finding the source of their anxiousness.
Moving Away from Head Pats: This might be a surprise to you, but many dogs don’t like head pats. Dogs love to be stroked, petted, and scratched but not necessarily patted, and there’s an important difference.