Dogs Expressing Emotion

It is fascinating to read the studies on the analysis of dogs and their expression of emotion.  We, of course, refer to emotion in the sense that we experience it.  Dogs; however, live in the moment so their emotion may be more raw than ours.  I don’t think they are capable of deceiving us by expressing an emotion they aren’t really feeling at the moment.   They don’t pretend as well as we do!

There are fun photographs of dogs smiling.  And they do!  Some more than others, but it still qualifies as a smile.  I also have seen more than my share of grumpy-doggy face.  The “it’s you again” look on some dogs when I (the trainer) show up for another training session can be very comical – for us humans more so than the dog.

With the cooler temperatures, the dogs seem quite content to cuddle on their beds a little longer than normal.  And, some days, I think they get up on the wrong side of their cedar-chipped, double-organic-fiber-stuffed, memory foam dog beds!  Perhaps they have bad dreams and restless nights too; so, I will cut them some slack.

Regardless, I think it’s fun to notice that much like a little child, a dog’s expression of “emotion” shifts in a nano-second.  In a flash, they go from grump-dog to tail-waggin’-ready-for-a-walk dog.  I wish it were that easy for us two-leggers!  Once again, we learn from our dogs how blessed it is to live in the moment.