Dog Communication

Farley Here,

Woof Woof

I’m still at the lake, but guess what? I have a visitor. Hailey is a Doodle who’s the same age as me but way more into mischief. She’s spending the weekend and thinks she owns the place. Look what she’s doing to me.

Hailey and Farley

Now I don’t’ mind this rough play, but all the humans get excited when we play indoors. We keep getting in trouble and sent outside.

Hailey may be the trouble maker, but I’m the smarter one. When Kristina puts out my food, I eat it before Hailey has a chance to get near it.

Hailey likes to munch all day and leaves her bowl full of food – right on the ground – right in front of me. So I grab every opportunity and eat her food. She doesn’t care. She knows her humans will put out more.

Kristina scolds me for eating Hailey’s food.

“What?” I bark and look all innocent.

“You know you have allergies.”

“Allergies Schmallergies,” I bark. “This food is tasty.”

I do behave and leave the food dish. But ah ha! I found Hailey’s food bad. And when no one is looking . . .

Farley Eating

And then I remember. I’m allergic to wheat. My feet itch. My ears itch. And now I’m not so happy about eating Hailey’s food.

Kristina gives me a benadryl, and I start to feel better. Then I need ear drops. Gooey stuff dribbling in my ear canal is not a feeling I cherish, but I put up with it.

Why can’t I remember to only eat my dog food?

Do you have allergies? and what do you take for them?

Woof Woof

Farley here.

So this week my human is reading The Genius Of Dogs: How Dogs are smarter than you think.

Well I could have told her that. Kristina keeps reading me tidbits that I already know.

This is my best "fedd me" stare. How hungry to I look? — This is my best “feed me” stare. How hungry do I look?

Here’s what I do when I need to tell her something:

Tap on floor with my nails during the night if I need out. That seems to wake her up, but not my male human though. He sleeps through everything. If she won’t wake up I breathe in her face. First time I did that she seemed a bit startled. Humans don’t like to be woken up with someone breathing in their face I guess.
Whack my water boil against sliding glass door when I need water. Seems to really get her going at 3am.
Stare at cupboard, then at Kristina, then at cupboard where my treats are kept. She knows this means she should open the door and hand me a treat.
Give her my most intense stare when I’m hungry. I can even do this in a run by stare and she knows it’s my “feed me stare.”
Press the top of my head on the sliding glass door when I need outside quickly (if there’s an emergency – I don’t like to throw up inside.). Kristina wants me to bark in this case, but that’s too undignified for me. I’m not a barky kinda guy.

This is my "I'm not getting off the trampoline and you can't make me" roll. — This is my “I’m not getting off the trampoline and you can’t make me” roll.

I can even ask Kristina questions with just a look.

When we’re hiking, if I come to a place on the trail where I have to make a choice on direction, I look back at Kristina and she points, telling me where to go. I’m a big eye contact guy, but I do know words too.

If we come across strangers, I glance at Kristina. If she waves away from the people, I don’t approach them. If she says “okay” I run and greet them.

Kristina says her last dog was more word oriented, and that I do better with hand signals. Whatever . . . I’m still a genius.

How do you communicate with your humans?

Woof Woof.