{"id":10719,"date":"2023-03-30T12:34:13","date_gmt":"2023-03-30T19:34:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/osfbl01.justfoodfordogs.com\/?p=10719"},"modified":"2026-08-08T11:37:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:37:34","slug":"what-is-your-dog-trying-to-tell-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/what-is-your-dog-trying-to-tell-you","title":{"rendered":"What Is Your Dog Trying to Tell You?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019ve ever felt like your dog is talking to you, you\u2019re not alone. Turns out, dogs really do communicate with humans\u2026in their own ways, of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s right! According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/life-style\/dog-gestures-what-they-mean-communication-humans-paw-roll-over-scratch-food-study-a8402076.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">scientific study<\/a> done by the University of Salford, dogs not only follow our commands but also use their own set of instructions to tell us what they want and need. For example, a \u201cpaw hover\u201d or turn of the head may suggest they are asking for food or water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-your-dog-is-trying-to-tell-you\">What Your Dog Is Trying To Tell You<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dogs tell us what to do every day. You may notice it when they wake you up in the morning with a bark to go outside or stare at their toys and back at you to suggest it\u2019s time to play. Some of you may have already noticed these signs before, but have never had a way to explain them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s not just one form of communication either. Funnily enough and maybe not-so-surprising, the study found that they use at least 14 different gestures just to obtain belly rubs. They are very thorough when it comes to <a href=\"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/dog-body-language.html\">dog body language<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What makes this discovery so significant is that we always wonder if dogs can understand humans, but never really question our ability to understand our dogs. It was previously thought that dogs were only repeating a learned behavior taught by us and could not comprehend the reasoning behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We now know they use movements and sounds to tell us things, but what\u2019s so interesting is that they are actually concerned if we understand the gesture or if they need to clarify their message to achieve their goal as if to say, \u201cHey, human! Do you understand what I want, or shall I say it in a different way?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additional research from the Learning &amp; Behavior journal in June found that dogs can read our faces and know when we are feeling happy, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/do-pets-get-depressed.html\">sad<\/a>, angry, and everything in between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-communicate-with-your-dog\">How To Communicate With Your Dog<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A group of 26 dogs were shown photos of human faces displaying six <a href=\"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/can-dogs-sense-emotions.html\">different emotions<\/a>: fear, anger, sadness, happiness, disgust, and surprise- as well as a \u201cneutral\u201d face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When shown anger, happiness, and fear, their heart rates rose and they tilted their heads to the left. This indicated that the dogs were being exposed to a more stressful situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A surprised face resulted in a right head tilt, suggesting they view a surprised face as a non-threatening expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The study also included a voice recording being played while they viewed the photos. The dogs were able to match the photo with the appropriate tone of voice!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After living together for so long, the communication between humans and dogs continues to evolve into a beautiful symbiotic relationship. There is evidence to suggest that they are now born with the ability to understand humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s what we\u2019ve known all along\u2013 with the science to back it up! How cool is that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Is your dog trying to tell you they need a nutritionally balanced diet? Call one our Nutrition Consultants to learn more about our USDA-certified, human edible recipes at (866) 726-95099 or <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justfoodfordogs.com\/contact-us\/\">contact us.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><em>This content is for informational use only and does not replace professional nutrition and\/or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is not a substitute for and should not be relied upon for specific nutrition and\/or medical recommendations. Please talk with your veterinarian about any questions or concerns.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019ve ever felt like your dog is talking to you, you\u2019re not alone. Turns out, dogs really do communicate with humans\u2026in their own ways, of course. That\u2019s right! According to a scientific study done by the University of Salford, dogs not only follow our commands but also use their own set of instructions to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":10720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_jffd_show_updated":"1","footnotes":"","_ppma_block_editor_authors":""},"categories":[80],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[294],"class_list":["post-10719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wellbeing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.8 (Yoast SEO v28.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Is Your Dog Trying to Tell You? | JustFoodforDogs Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore the fascinating world of dog communication and learn how dogs convey their needs and desires to their humans.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Is Your Dog Trying to Tell You?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Explore the fascinating world of dog communication and learn how dogs convey their needs and desires to their humans.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/what-is-your-dog-trying-to-tell-you\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"JustFoodforDogs Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/justfoodfordogs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-03-30T19:34:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T18:37:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Dogs-Tell-You-Blog-Featured-Image.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"240\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dr. Oscar Chavez, MRCVS MBA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dr. Oscar Chavez, MRCVS MBA\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/justfoodfordogs.com\\\/blog\\\/what-is-your-dog-trying-to-tell-you#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/justfoodfordogs.com\\\/blog\\\/what-is-your-dog-trying-to-tell-you\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Dr. Oscar Chavez, MRCVS MBA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/justfoodfordogs.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/64261f2c05438ee117d5e5f207e4b861\"},\"headline\":\"What Is Your Dog Trying to Tell You?\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-30T19:34:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-08T18:37:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/justfoodfordogs.com\\\/blog\\\/what-is-your-dog-trying-to-tell-you\"},\"wordCount\":589,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/justfoodfordogs.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/justfoodfordogs.com\\\/blog\\\/what-is-your-dog-trying-to-tell-you#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/justfoodfordogs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/Dogs-Tell-You-Blog-Featured-Image.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Well-being\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/justfoodfordogs.com\\\/blog\\\/what-is-your-dog-trying-to-tell-you#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2023\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/justfoodfordogs.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/justfoodfordogs.com\\\/blog\\\/what-is-your-dog-trying-to-tell-you\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/justfoodfordogs.com\\\/blog\\\/what-is-your-dog-trying-to-tell-you\",\"name\":\"What Is Your Dog Trying to Tell You? 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Dr. Chavez is a veterinarian and business executive with a progressive career founded upon a solid commitment to pet advocacy, integrity, education, and sound veterinary principles. Dr. Chavez graduated in 2006 from the Royal Veterinary College, University of London, and started his career with Banfield, the world\u2019s largest veterinary practice, where he became Chief of Staff. In 2009, he joined the faculty of the Animal and Veterinary Science department at\u00a0California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. There, he was Director of the Animal Health Science veterinary technician program from 2010 \u2013 2013, and remains an adjunct faculty and researcher, and professor of veterinary clinical nutrition. Additionally, he served as a member of the Multidisciplinary Committee and the Registered Veterinary Technician Committee for the California State Veterinary Medical Board. In 2012, Dr. Chavez completed a Master\u2019s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of California at Irvine. As Director of Canine Clinical Nutrition, he brings not only a deep technical expertise in researching and working exclusively with freshly prepared whole food diets at Cal Poly Pomona, but a true love for dogs that all of us here share. His own Golden Retriever, Rey, was a successful case study for our food. Rey\u2019s kidney disease was successfully managed with our Renal Moderate Protein vet-directed diet, which made Dr. Chavez\u2019s involvement even that much more personal to him. A graduate of the Royal Veterinary College in London, UK, Dr. Chavez is a licensed practicing veterinarian who has focused on clinical nutrition since graduating vet school. Dr. Chavez notes, \u201cIt all starts with nutrition. You are what you eat, and practically any health issue can be addressed through a higher-quality diet. We are in a unique time for veterinary medicine where people are seeking whole food diets using real USDA ingredients over commercial kibble or cans that use feed grade ingredients. I\u2019m excited of the possibilities we have in further increasing the health of our dogs with this trend. Our goal is to raise awareness of these diets and help bring a simple, fast and affordable solution to as many pet parents and their dogs as possible.","user_url":"","linkedin":"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/dr-oscar-chavez-realtor","instagram":"","x":"","facebook":"","description":"Dr. Oscar Chavez, BVetMed MRCVS MBA, is a veterinarian and business executive who previously served as Chief Medical Officer at JustFoodForDogs, leading its Canine Nutrition Team. A graduate of the Royal Veterinary College at the University of London, he has focused on clinical nutrition since vet school \u2014 researching and working exclusively with freshly prepared whole-food diets during his years at Cal Poly Pomona. His commitment to nutrition is personal as well as professional: his own Golden Retriever, Rey, had kidney disease successfully managed on a vet-directed renal diet. Dr. Chavez's career is founded on a deep commitment to pet advocacy, integrity, education, and sound veterinary principles."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10719"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10719\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10719"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=10719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}