For thousands of years, dogs and humans have had a close relationship. Although dogs rely on skills such as hunting, retrieving prey, guarding, and searching, there is no doubt that they are also full of friendship, trust and understanding with humans.

   Canine Senses

In the wild, dogs live by hunting, and their senses are developed to adapt to this life. For them, hearing, sight, touch, taste, and smell are all important. But today's pet dogs have undergone years of selective breeding that have altered the level of development of their various senses. For example, fast-running hounds (eg, greyhounds, Afghan hounds, salukis) hunt by sight and lose interest in hunting if they cannot see their prey. Whereas bloodhounds, bassethounds, and beagles hunt by smell, they will spend hours tracking a week ago smell to find prey.

All dogs have a keen sense of smell. Their noses are as sharp as human eyes when it comes to distinguishing two similar individuals. Smell is not only used for foraging, but also an important means of communication between dogs.

The dog is very farsighted, which is useful in hunting. But most dogs cannot concentrate when looking at objects within 25cm. Dogs can recognize a variety of colors, including those that are dull to them. Dogs can see better in the dark than humans. Although dogs are not very good at recognizing details, they are sensitive to moving objects. They may not notice a stationary object in the distance, but as soon as the object moves, the dog will spot it immediately.

Canine hearing is well developed, they can hear a wider range of audio frequencies than humans, and they can hear sounds farther away than humans. To exploit this ability, we often train them with ultrasonic sirens. High-pitched noises, such as those from vacuum cleaners and other electrical appliances, can also be uncomfortable and even painful for dogs. Dogs with erect ears (their ears act as loudspeakers) and those whose ears can be rotated in the direction the sound is coming from will hear better.

The sense of taste and smell determines the dog's preference for different kinds of food. Most dogs have a wide range of tastes, while some have a more sweet tooth.

Like other mammals, dogs are sensitive to temperature, pain, and, moreover, prefer a friendly touch. Each dog's body sensitivity is different, and most dogs like to touch their head, neck, and back. They get angry if you touch their tails, hips, or feet.

Smell

By smelling in the air and on the ground a dog can tell what is going to happen. There are two ways that dogs communicate by making scents. First, they can leave odors in the environment through feces, urine, or glandular excretions for other dogs to spot. Second, the scent of their bodies can also convey some information.

A dog urinates not just to empty the bladder. We can find that male dogs will raise their legs to urinate in different places from time to time. In this way, they mark their territory and their presence. Raise your legs to urinate to bring the lingering scent up to nose level. Bitches also raise one hind leg when urinating, and sometimes some dogs will raise both hind legs to perform a wonderful handstand if they want to urinate on a vertical object.

Male And bitches will carefully search for scents left by other dogs and re-mark that area with their own urine - a dominant bitch will wait behind another urinating bitch and urinate in the same place. While territorial marking is not as important for domestic dogs as it is for wild dogs, marking with the familiar scent of their own excretion can also make them feel at ease.

> The common body odor of dogs is also an important means of communication between dogs. The odor is produced by secretions from glands in the body, especially around the face, anus, and tail. When encountering dogs they do not know, they will check each other by sniffing each other, especially around the head and anus. A docile dog will pinch its tail to prevent the other from sniffing.

Canine Body Language

One of the main reasons dogs can be pets is because they can communicate with people. Dogs see us as their own kind and understand our moods and intentions. Observant people can understand a dog's intentions by observing dog-to-dog communication.

Dogs can communicate through a range of signals, including facial expressions, body posture, noise and smell. Your dog will express his emotions through his mouth, eyes, ears and even his tail. By taking a comprehensive look at your dog's body language, you can tell which dog has the upper hand in a conflict or other situation.

The appearance of a fierce or aggressive dog gives a powerful feeling. They will stand upright with their ears, tail raised, chest raised, and the fur on their backs raised. It may also wag its tail slowly and growl.

A submissive dog will act like a puppy because an adult dog will only frighten puppies and not attack them. It will crouch to approach larger individuals from the side, with its tail drooping and wagging enthusiastically. They will also lick the hands or face of their master or the dominant dog; if this is not enough to quell the anger of the other, they will also turn their feet in the air, exposing their groin. In this position, some dogs will involuntarily pass a small amount of urine.

The dog's most familiar behavior is tail wagging. A dog wagging its tail lightly is a sign of happiness and friendliness. Some subordinate dogs and short-tailed dogs wag their tails sharply over the entire rump.

In addition, the tail can also express other emotions of the dog. The dog wagged its tail slowly and rigidly in an expression of anger. Dogs in a state of anxiety and tension will tuck their tails down to quell this feeling.

As dogs are bred and their tails trimmed, the way dogs carry their tails has also changed. Some breeds (eg, the Little Spirit and the Italian Greyhound) naturally have their tails tucked under. But when its tail is raised and at 45 degrees to its back, it usually indicates alertness or interest in something.

When dogs are alert or paying attention to what they are listening to, their ears stand up, but they droop over their heads when they are happy, submissive or fearful. To specifically identify their emotions, you should also watch for other accompanying bodily signals.

The dog squints when happy or submissive and widens when angry. In the wild, the leader of a pack can stun them simply by glaring at their subordinates. When two dogs clash, they will continue to glare at each other until one of the dogs attacks or gives in and walks away with its head down. If the submissive dog finds that the other is still staring at him, he may be confused and bite him out of fear. If two dogs keep glaring at each other, the dominant dog will intimidate the other with a growl, and it will even attack. So, if your dog is aggressive or nervous, you should never stare at him for long periods of time, as this may cause him to attack you. Continuing to comfort your dog with a gentle gaze will strengthen your bond.

A docile dog (such as a Labrador Retriever) will bart his teeth and grin when he is friendly. However, when angry, it will show all its teeth and growl at you.