26/03/2026
What an interesting picture. It was sent to me by a client this week and I am so grateful as it is so true 'a picture says a thousand words'.
We can never know exactly what your dog is feeling but we can read facial expressions, body position and take into account the context of the situation. With your own dog , your awareness is better as you learn what is 'normal' for your own dog, what worries them or gives them pleasure and how he or she has been affected by previous experiences.
Living with a dog is always a 'silent' conversation between you and them as you try and work out how they are feeling and of course he or she is also trying to ascertain your emotional state at any given time too. Your dog is always on alert, watching their family, mirroring your moods and some breeds more than others such as a Shepherd.
With these two dogs in the picture it is so interesting as I just loved the positioning of their bodies in relation to each other and clearly they are having a 'conversation' . They are in the garden which is good, humans are not present and although the Labrador has a choice to move or not she chooses to stay. Her head and ears are slightly back and she is looking away into space, wanting I suspect to avoid a direct eye contact with the other dog. Of course we don't know why but past experiences and their relationship is the basis on which she has made this decision.
The other dog is very comfortable, nose slightly up taking in the scent of the garden and sitting slightly to the side , we could assume more relaxed than the Labrador . How they are sitting in relation to each other suggests purpose and slight avoidance by the Labrador.
This is a moment worth its weight in gold, where the relationship between these dogs is for us to see and them to feel and continue to set boundaries with each other. We can learn so much from this picture but obviously more if we were there and knew the dogs .
Not only do dogs watch other we MUST watch them too. Give them space to have these moments as the dogs here are sharing emotions and reacting to the environment they are in. They undoubtedly could choose not to be there as both are not on lead.
I wrote last week about 'The Art of Doing Nothing' and this is one of the most interesting pictures I have seen for a long time, where two dogs who live together are doing that exactly for themselves.
Listen, learn and let it happen because dogs DO show us their emotional framework of which they live in. It is our job to offer these opportunties to our dogs and both canine and human lives together will be enriched for understanding each other better.
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