Signals of the body and behavior of pets

Shaky tail, pressed ears, loud barking - if you have a pet, you probably all know these signals, but what do they mean? This question can be answered by trainers, breeders with long experience, zoopsychologists. We will use their experience to learn to understand the gestures of animals. Cats

Ears
Want to determine in what mood your pet, look at the ears. At the contented, relaxed animal they are directed forward. If the cat does not like something, the ears turn around or cuddle to the back of the head. Tightly pressed ears mean serious discontent, tension and fear.

EYES
If the eyes are wide open and the cat looks at you, then she listens to you attentively. But do not confuse this look with a stare at point-blank, which means: "Leave, do not climb!" If the pupils of the cat at the same time expand, it's time to take off your legs, she is ready for a decisive battle. At an angry cat pupils become simply huge, eyes as if glass. When a cat does not just blink, but gently and languidly covers her eyes, this is a sign of true bliss.

MUSTACHE
It is they who express the intentions of a cat more eloquently. A hunting cat has a mustache with a wide fan. They move when the cat is interested, looking for something and sniffing. When the cat is tense, excited or preparing to jump, the mustache rushes forward and spoils. The relaxed position of the antennae is a sign of appeasement.

TAIL
A cat twists its tail when she does not like something or is angry. The tail of cats - a kind of barometer: in a calm, relaxed state, it is lowered down when the cat welcomes you - raised and motionless. If the tip of the tail moves, it means that the cat does not like something. A quick swing or punch with a tail means a fright.

POSE
With all the expressiveness of feline gestures and facial expressions, it is difficult to truly understand what a cat has on his mind. But we can still treat some poses. An aggressive, belligerent animal struggles to seem bigger in size - this is exactly how the classic pose of an angry cat turns out: the back is arched, the tail is a pipe, the wool stands on end. The frightened cat, on the contrary, as if "blows away", spreads out, presses its ears and tries to become as unobtrusive as possible.

SOUND
Although this is not the language of the body as such, but the sounds eloquently speak volumes. The repertoire of cats is extensive: from rumbling to mewing. By the way, cats croak only when communicating with people. In addition to these well-known sounds, cats can still roar, growl and even chirr. By the way, chirping is a feature of predators, rapid movements of a strained lower jaw. There is another twitter - a short purr that you can hear when you get home and the cat goes out to say hello. Of course, this is a sign of friendship. But the direct opposite - hissing and snorting - are unmistakable signs of discontent.

BEHAVIOR
If the decoding of individual signals is difficult for you, try to look at the general behavior of the pet. The first sign that something is happening to the cat or she nervously reacts to changes in the house is a sharp change of habits. Cats are big conservatives, so if your pet suddenly starts to ignore the tray, indignantly meow or show unreasonable aggression, then this is an alarm: something is wrong. And how does a happy cat behave? According to many experts, the sign of true bliss is when a cat "kneads the dough" with its front paws, jumping on your knees or on your chest. In such moments it is literally in the seventh heaven.

Dogs
Ears
Read the mood of the dog on the position of the ears more difficult than the mood of the cat. All because depending on the breed the ears can stand, hang or even be stopped. But in general, the position of the ears and the mood of the dog is similar to what we told about cats: alerting and paying attention to something, the dog growls ears, unfolding them in the direction of the sight. Slightly shifted back ears - a sign of "friendly greeting", and completely pressed - a fright.

EYES
The expression "puppy gaze" did not appear in an empty place, the dog's eyes are not inferior in terms of human expressiveness, and the muzzle has eloquent facial expressions, thanks to the moving eyebrows and jaws. In a frightened or unhappy dog, eyes narrow and appear smaller. If the dog squints (without the bright sun), it is likely that she has something hurts. The indicator of mood in dogs is not only the size and shape of the eyes, but also the direction of the look. If the dog looks at you point-blank or, on the contrary, mows with the eyes so that the squirrel is visible, it is better not to communicate with it, it is bellicose.

THE PAST
What the dog, grinning with teeth, wants to say, understand everything without further explanation, but many forget that the dog's mouth is capable of expressing other emotions. A calm dog has its mouth closed or slightly ajar. A frightened or dissatisfied dog, as a rule, clenches his teeth and pulls away the corners of the mouth, but for complete clarity it is necessary to take into account the whole pose as a whole. Dogs have one interesting signal that is often mistaken for aggression, a submissive grin when the dog bares his teeth, as if scraping. It seems that she is about to attack. This is where you need to consider the situation, so as not to confuse the smirk with a grin.

TAIL
Wigging the tail in most cases means joy and fun, but there are exceptions. One of the most common myths about dog behavior is associated with the wagging tail. In fact, when the dog is about to attack, it raises its tail and waves it from side to side. It is important to look at the behavior in general: if the dog wags its tail, standing on straight, strained legs, bared teeth, it is likely to be a fight.

POSE
The dog's posture is about the same as that of cats: a belligerent dog tries to look more impressive - legs are tense, sometimes the dog even rises to tiptoe. A frightened dog clings to the ground, as if to say: "Do not pay attention to me, I'm small and harmless." There is one posture that is most often misinterpreted - sudden fading. The dog freezes on the spot when something disturbs it, very often it is a sign of a threat. Signs of fun and friendliness, too, a lot, among them - a slightly open relaxed jaw and overstepping from the paw to the paw. Another signal of friendly disposition is the attack on the front paws, the so-called invitation to the game.

SOUND
Lai can denote a whole gamut of emotions and it also needs to be seen in context. In the game, barking is usually accompanied by a relaxed pose and wagging tail. A short, abrupt, persistent barking with squealing is, as a rule, a request to stop. In combination with a tense posture and a uterine growl, barking can act as a warning signal. Another thing is watchdog baiting - a series of short loud "woofs." This is a warning, alarming signal to the owner that someone is going, and going - that there is a vigilant watchman in the house, who is on the alert.

BEHAVIOR
When the intentions of the animal can not be deciphered, look at the changes in behavior. If the dog spoils things, for example, gnaws at them, then something does not suit her. The first and the main cause of destructive behavior - the animal lacks movement and walks, it simply has nowhere to put its energy. Another sign of anxiety is the cardinal change of habits. For example, a dog goes to bed in an unusual place, often hides or more than usual sleeps.

Be attentive and sensitive and the sign language of animals will become quite understandable to you.