Pets Dr Chris’s expert tips for understanding your dog

When it comes to communicating, dogs are just like us

Chances are, if you’re a pet owner, you spend plenty of time chatting to your furry friends. And you probably get frustrated, wishing they’d understand human lingo. If you tend to alternate between slowly pronounced commands and high-pitched praise hoping you’ll get through to your p pooch, good news: you you’re on the right track.

A recent study reveals dogs process speech in a similar way to humans. Like us, the left side of their brain processes meaning and the right side deals with emotion. But here’s the kicker: your pooch is only ever truly happy when both sides of their brain agree they are hearing praise. So your best “good boy!” in baby talk does, in fact, go a long way.

To guarantee your best mate is always wagging his tail with happiness, my advice is to make sure you don’t deliver mixed messages. According to the study, dogs will only accept praise if your words and tone deliver the same message – their brains respond to actual words, not just the tone. That means sarcasm is a big no-no!

Here are some more ways to communicate better with your furry family member.

Build up their vocabulary It’s been shown that dogs can remember and understand up to 200 key words. So each time you venture out or use anything around the house or backyard, tell them the name. Provided you’re consistent with what you call the items, they’ll soon recognise at least some of your language.

Master your body language To make up for not being fluent in human language, pets have become experts at interpreting our moods based on our tone and body language. That’s why many dogs will stay away when we’re angry but look to comfort us when we’re sad. So watch what you’re putting out there – you’re probably being judged for it!

Work with their attention span While every dog (and cat) can benefit from better communication and training, remember that their mind is much like a child’s. They only have a short attention span, so trying to communicate with them when they’re tired can be a struggle. Short, sharp bursts are better than longer sessions.

Praise them at the right time If you smother your pet with love when they’re scared as a way to calm them down (during thunderstorms or fireworks, for example), you can actually be rewarding them for being anxious. The simple rule is: reward the good behaviour and ignore the bad.