Hey Woofa’s,

I’m on a bit of a mission with this whole Wolf Pack thing, I know!  Hang in there with me.

In order for us to understand how our dogs communicate we really do need to go back to the very beginning.

When you think about it, if we want to understand our family better we head to our ancestors!

Why not do it for our dogs?

So far we’ve covered!

Where Does My Dog Come From?

Understanding the Wolf Pack!

Next we want to know  How Does The Wolf Pack Communicate?  By gaining knowledge on the Wolf Pack’s communication skills, we can learn how our dogs communicate with us.

WOLF PACK COMMUNICATION!

1. Energy
2. Scenting
3. Vocal Behaviour
4. Body Language

No smart phones necessary here!!

The Pack understands the Leader through these forms of communication.

PLEASE NOTE

The Energy topic turned out to be a blog post on it’s own!!!!  The rest will be covered in upcoming blog posts.

ENERGY!

It’s not only Wolves who use energy to communicate, we all do!

Animals use energy everyday to help navigate their surroundings.  They can sense the energy of their Pack, of predators, of prey and the environment.  It’s all about survival.

They don’t knowingly put out certain energies it comes naturally.

I.E The Pack Leader senses a predator, he reads the energy of the predator to tell if they are weak or strong and he puts his own energy out to the predator to stay away.

The Pack Leader also picks up on the energy of his Pack, he knows when to keep them moving, when to stop to feed, when to rest and play.  He communicates his strong leadership to them through his energy.

The Leader can also pick up the energy of the environment and knows when to move the pack on, or to keep them safe.

Animals use it all the time in the wild and they survive.

HUMANS USE ENERGY TOO!

Energy is like a sixth sense, it’s a feeling we get but mostly we ignore it.  It’s our intuition, some might say it’s all a crock of crap, but it’s not.

Have you ever walked into a room and instantly felt either a good or a bad vibe?  That’s you picking up on the energy of the room.  Have you been near someone who is angry and walked away feeling angry yourself, for no reason?  That person’s anger has entered your energy field and you’ve picked up on it.

Or have you met a person for the first time and for some reason you just get a bad vibe off them, or vice versa you feel instantly comforted around that person?

By interacting in the real world everyday we come across so many different types of energy that we don’t realise how much impact it has on us.

Then we bring it to our homes, our families and our pets.

We also put out energies a happy, nervous, sad, etc you name it we’re all putting out some form of energy for others to pick up on.  Energy doesn’t lie either.  We can fake being happy but our energy says otherwise.

Have you ever met someone who can really read energy, they know when you’re fake happy, and so do our dogs.

HOW DOES THIS EFFECT OUR DOGS?

Remember, our dogs descended from Wolves, they’re not stupid.  Our dogs know how to read their environment and the energy of other animals and the people around them.

Dog’s don’t lie either, they live in the moment and call it how they see it.

Somedays I think we’d be better off asking dogs what the weather is going to do rather than relying on predictions by people using instruments!!!!!!

I know many customer’s whose dogs are scared of storms and they can tell hours before a storm is coming because of the way their dog is behaving.

At the Dog Park your dog is reading the energy of every other dog (and owner) there, to sense for fun, for weakness and for strength etc, which will tell them who to interact with and who to stay away from, depending on your own dog’s energy.

Then our dogs have to deal with OUR ENERGY, the energy we bring home to them,  the energy that resides within the house and the dynamic of their human pack!!

For Example – Do you come home from a day’s work and just relax?  Your shoulders drop a few inches and you lose the tension of the day as soon as you walk through the door!  Your house temperature is just right, there’s plenty of food, you just feel calm and relaxed.

Your dog strolls up to you for a pat, you sit down and spend time together and all is right with your world.  You might play and laugh, have some food and you fall asleep near each other nice and calm.

OR –  Do you rush in the door because you’re running late, everyone is screaming and fighting with each other because they’re hungry and you’re late?  You drop everything a the door, rush to the kitchen, nearly tripping over the dog who is jumping up at you and barking, and everything is chaotic!!!!!!

Whether your house is one extreme or the other or somewhere in between, our dogs pick up on it.

They pick up on the energy all around us ALL THE TIME.

Dogs are pretty awesome at reading our energy.

HOWEVER, we’re not so good at reading theirs or taking notice of it.

Don’t beat yourself up over it though, be aware of it NOW.

I’ve misread Billy’s walking energy, I’m aware of it and we’re working on it.

Right now Billy is on his bed near my desk, he’s snoring and calm but he’s also very aware.  Every time I go to move out of my chair his eyes open and his ears move.  He’s putting out calm assertive energy to me right now.

WHAT DOES YOUR ENERGY COMMUNICATE TO YOUR DOG?

What energy do you feel in your house?

What energy do you and the other family members put out?

Now look at your dog, what energy are they putting out?

Sometimes our dogs are examples of us.

I had a customer many years ago who had me out to groom her gorgeous Pitt Bull.  I arrived and she was all over the place, her family were yelling out to her, she was on the phone as well as trying to bring the dog out to me.

He was jumping around and not listening to a word she was saying.  I managed to get him in the trailer and she went off to continue running around.

Halfway into the groom the dog was in the bath, I was massaging shampoo all over his body, and he was almost asleep.  The lady put her head through the window and gasped, she said she’s never seen her dog that relaxed before!!!!!  I wonder why?  This lady put out high nervous energy.

I politely explained the concept of our dogs absorbing our energy, she understood but her dog still only seemed to relax when he was in the trailer.

I know I put out an anxious energy (that I’m working on) when we’re out walking Billy.  I’m constantly trying to spot triggers and avoid them at all costs.  I now understand that I’m not helping him by being in this state of mind.

However, when we’re inside we’re both calm and relaxed to the point that Dean always feels the need to mention how LAZY Billy is!  I say to him that he does not want a hyperactive Staffy 24/7!!!

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Like their ancestors The Wolves, Dogs use energy to communicate with as well.

Be aware of the ENERGY YOU’RE COMMUNICATING to your dog.

Get real with yourself, energy doesn’t lie and nor does your dog!  If you’re unsure, ask friends or family (only the ones who tell it like it is) how they feel when they’re in your home, and/or around your family!  This will be the same energy your dog is picking up on.

Your dog is absorbing the energy from the household, the dynamic between other pack mates as well as from the Pack Leader!

Are you trying to put on a brave front but are constantly worrying about something?  Your dog picks up your worrying energy.  Are you fake happy all the time but deep down your sad and low?  Your dog knows your what your true energy is saying.  Get my drift?

Stop to take a look and try to understand the energy your dog is sending back to you.  Are they mirroring your energy, or are they reacting to the energy that’s around them?

Billy and I would love to know in the comments below how your dog communicates using energy?

Stay tuned for next weeks post on How Does The Wolf Pack Communicate – Using Scenting.

Cheers