Flehmen Response in Dogs
It is possible that a dog who is panting more out of interest or excitement rather than fatigue may be using that open-mouth tongue-out posture to bring more air past Jacobson’s organ to help identify a smell.
Why Do Dogs Wag Their Tails?
It’s something we all know: our dogs wag their tails because they’re happy. Because they’re thrilled to see us. Because they love us. But it turns out that what we “know” may not be the truth. Or it may be only part of the truth.
Why Do Dogs Sit on You?
Back in the late 20th century, people—and even trainers—believed that this kind of dog-sitting-on-us behavior was related to the dog’s desire to assert their dominance over humans. Luckily, science has now roundly dismissed this dominance theory as, in a word, bunk.
Why Do Dogs Lay on Your Feet?
We think that dogs may lay their head on our feet as a way to show they love us by being close.
Recognizing Displacement Behavior in Dogs
Displacement behavior is when your dog does something normal, but at weird times that feel out of context due to your dog experiencing conflict or frustration.
How to Win the Dog Body-Language Game
The key to dog body language is recognizing stress signals, and understanding what our own body language communicates to our dogs.
Are Dogs Ticklish?
Like humans, enjoyment of tickling sensations differs between dogs. Some love it. Others loathe it.
How to Introduce a Cat to a Dog
There are millions of homes where cats and dogs live together in perfect harmony – mine included. How does that happen? Careful introductions of...
Why Dogs Sneeze When They Play
When a dog sneezes due to an irritation in her nose, the sneeze is forceful and may include nasal discharge. A social sneeze is small and delicate with no nasal discharge and very little head movement.
Do Dogs Have Periods?
Do female dogs have periods? No, dogs do not have periods. During one stage of the dog's reproductive cycle there is a bloody vaginal discharge that superficially resembles a period.
Dog Kisses: Is Your Dog Really Kissing You?
You either love it or hate it: the wet, warm sensation of a dog licking your face. Many of us seek out this kind...
Do Dogs Smile?
A well-accepted theory among dog behavior experts is that dogs smile because they know that we humans love it. We see our dogs lounging on the rug with their mouths hanging open, lips pulled back, looking utterly satisfied with themselves, and we go ga-ga with praise and pets. Dogs probably also observe their humans smiling at them and among themselves; they know people smiles are inherently positive (at the very least, benign), and that they can communicate amicability by miming that behavior.