Dogs are naturally social animals and would like nothing more than for you to understand what they are trying to say to you. They may not use words, but do try to communicate with you in other ways. They whine, bark, and use their body language to try and get you to understand them. If you want to get to know your dog consider the following information.

What most people know is that a dog will wag their tail when they are pleased or happy. What most people don't know is what the other tail movements mean. For instance if your dog is holding their tail high up it means they are alert, and keeping a watchful eye on whats going on around them. A slow wagging tail means that there is something going on, or someone that is making them feel insecure right now. However, if your dog is moving their tail in large wagging movements they are exited about something, or someone. If your dogs body is low to the ground, wagging their tail, and hindquarters too, this means they are being submissive. When your dog is scared they will put their tail between their legs. There you go dog tail communication. Now on to what their ears are trying to tell you.

Your dog's ears are another way for you to figure out how they feel. If your dog's ears are erect and facing forward, you'll find that your dog is very alert and interested in what is going on, while ears that are pressed back mean that your dog is feeling more nervous or unsure of themselves. You'll also find that some dogs, particularly ones that have features more like wolves, will hold their ears down but facing forward, a sign that they are feeling pleased. Keep in mind that your dog's ears may also rotate as they are listening for something.

When getting to know your dog, you will also begin to notice that they have different types of barks when trying to communicate with you. They have different tones that indicate what that bark means. Such as a deep, loud, and a bark that has a bit of a growl to it, means your dog is threatening an intruder, and are trying to let you know that there is an intruder near by. While you'll find that a short high pitched yip like bark just means they're happy to see you, and are trying to say hello. A high pitched bark means they are disturbed or nervous about something.

Simply spending more time and noticing the different tones and body movements will let you know exactly what your dog wants to say. Also, know that your dog will pick up on a few of your tones too. So during any given situation they may let out a familiar tone.