I've said
for a long time that I'd like to speak Barklish. That's my imaginary language between people
and dogs.
But I've
learned that my dogs communicate just fine with me without an actual language. They talk, sure, but that's mostly barks from
them when they want my attention. And I
can interpret those barks to know what they're intending to say.
For
example, my older Cavalier, Lexie, will bark when she wants to go outside. That often means she wants to go potty, or at
least pretend to so I'll give her a treat when we're back in the house. In case I don't hear Lexie barking, Mystie
will come to me and stand up at the side of my desk chair (which is usually
where I am, writing) and paw at me to make sure I hear and obey. Mystie will also do that when she's the one
who wants to go outside even if Lexie isn't barking.
Then there
are the barks from Lexie that mean she wants me to open our front door so she
can go outside on our fenced-in porch and watch the world go by. And if the dogs are out there, they'll bark
in a different, warning tone to let all people and other dogs passing by know
that this is their turf and they're protecting it. Mystie will also bark when she thinks it's time for a squeak-ball game.
Lexie will
jump onto the sofa and paw at a pillow.
Sometimes she gets it arranged the way she want, but other times she'll
look at me until I try to put it into the right position for her--not always an
easy feat.
Their
dinner time is usually around 6:00 PM.
That means that both of them, Lexie in particular, will start coming in
to my office and circling me or staring at me around 4:30, just to be sure I
don't forget.
And during
the day, when I go into the kitchen to warm my coffee in the microwave, they
always join me because they have me trained to give them a small treat each
time I nuke something.
Do I talk
to them? Sure. In English, punctuated by gestures. They'll sit on command. They'll "hush" if I'm strong enough
about it. I hold conversations with them
that they respond to with their own body language, including cocking their
heads if they're really interested. And
if I put on shoes, Mystie in particular will start barking because she knows I may
be either taking them out or putting out the trash, which is also interesting
since she gets to see the front of the house.
My husband
just returned from a trip yesterday. I'd
joined him in Chicago
As I write
this, they're both sleeping near me. But
as soon as I stand up they'll be wide awake and demanding something.
Which will
be a good time for me to kneel and hug them.
How about
you--how do you communicate with your pets?
4 comments:
I talk to my cats and surprisingly they seem to listen. We let them out in the backyard with supervision and when it's time to go in, at least one of them actually listens and goes inside on his own.
I'm not surprised that your cats seem to listen, Betty. Cats are intelligent. They may prefer doing things their own way, but if you tell them to do something that's in their best interests then their heeding what you say makes sense.
You're right, Linda. Cats haven't sold their souls to humans like dogs have, God bless them. But cats do hear and understand. I can identify at least four kinds of "meow" one of my cats makes. He sometimes wanders through the apartment at night crying in a harsh existential voice - I don't know why. When his tummy hurts and he's going to throw up, his cry is a low monotone, giving me enough warning to move him to a hard-surface floor. When he's gotten himself outside and the cat door through the screen hangs up so he can't get back in, his cry is soft and pleading. And when he wants me to turn the water on just a trickle so he can lap it up, he speaks in a kind of persuasive chuckle.
Your cat definitely communicates with you, Monica. It sounds as if you've taken instructions well and know what he's saying--at least most of the time!
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