Taunton —
What is the dog trying to say with its barking and behavior?
Tracie Laliberte, a dog specialist who is studying the canine mind for a doctorate at Salve Regina, answered these questions in a detailed lecture to approximately 35 dog owners at the Silver City Canine Training Center on Sunday morning.
At one point, Laliberte imitated several dog barking sounds and interpreted them for the crowd. She let out four quick, sonorant woofing sounds, paused and then did it again.
“That is, ‘I think there’s a problem,” she said. “‘There may be danger. But the pack leader needs to check it out.’ Guess what? The pack leader might be you.”
Next, Laliberte produced a series of mid-pitched barks, spaced out by three seconds each.
“Somebody shut that dog up,” Laliberte joked. “But what that means: ‘Is anybody there? I’m lonely.’ If you are going to tie your dogs up, at least tie it up with a friend, so there is two.”
The two-hour lecture cost $25. Jo-Ann Laughlin, owner of the center since it opened six years ago in the Myles Standish Industrial Park, said it’s important that dog owners, breeders and show trainers try to understand the language of dogs.
“The people that are here to learn are a mixed group,” Laughlin said, noting the spectrum of dog handling experience in the crowd.
“People need to learn to communicate with their dogs so they are not disappointed with their behavior. It’s important to be able to communicate with dogs. Is your dog exhibiting aggression or is it afraid? Let’s back up to understand. Sometimes, it’s just about confidence. We can build the confidence of the dog if we understand them.”
Laliberte said people need to prepare themselves for handling a dog by becoming better acquainted with their language.
“My goal is to understand what their body language and sounds mean,” Laliberte said. “It’s teaching people dog languages, basically. Like if you were an American going to France, you’d have to learn French to communicate effectively. I’m trying to help (people) understand what all the different body languages and sounds mean.”
Laliberte said dog owners are often confused by their dog’s actions.
“A good example of that is when a dog is acting like he wants to rip a toy to shreds,” she said. “Some people think the dog is being aggressive. It means the dog is being joyous and playing. When a dog kisses you it’s not affection. It’s actually showing you submission. In the wild, dogs lick their mothers’ faces to show them they submit to their authority.”
Tina Sparuk, of Easton, said the lecture was informative and helped her understand one element of her dog’s behavior that, prior to the lecture, she had been misinterpreting.
“I wanted to get info on reading my dog’s signals and to be able to communicate with him better,” said Sparuk, who brought along her border collie. “This was very informative. I learned that I was misreading one of my dogs behaviors. It was (a) herding, or crouching behavior when it saw other dogs. Now, I think it’s a sign of stress.”
Laliberte divided dog behavior into three basic categories. She said the drive for prey, the drive to be part of a pack and the drive for self-defense all are part of the chemistry that helps explain dog actions.
Laliberte also explained how humans can employ dog language when dealing with pets. She said that if people, specifically children, learn to approach dogs with a sideways stance, they will be perceived as less threatening to a dog, allowing it to stay calm.
Before the lecture Laliberte laid out some ground rules.
“No question is a stupid question ... and no peeing on the floor,” Laliberte said, eliciting a wave of laughter from the audience.