Let’s talk about communication (pt. 2) – I miss most of what Pinot is trying to tell me

We think of dogs as ‘mute,’ but that’ really far from the truth. They talk. A lot.

Pinot communicates using body language, physical touch, and sound. Her version of tone comes in octaves, but she makes many many sounds.

When I’m working at my desk, Pinot settles on the ground beside me or in a nearby chair. She’ll usually sleep or gaze at our backyard longingly. But every once in awhile, I’ll hear a little whimper. I turn to check on her. She’s still staring outside or at the carpet.

She’s not bored; my room is littered with toys. She doesn’t have to pee; she’s not sitting by the door staring at the doorknob. She doesn’t want to investigate what someone else is doing; no one else is home. She doesn’t want my attention; she’s not nuzzling my ankles.

She whimpers a few more times, puts her head down, and goes back to sleep or staring idly.

Some of her communications are explicitly easy to understand.

Like when she has a staring contest with my ice cream sandwich. Or when she tucks her tail between her legs and pulls my shoulder out of its socket trying to get away from the neighbor’s lawn that has two very barky dogs. Or when she runs to the door when she hears the grill start.

But most of her communications are a mystery to me.

My parent’s assistant comes down the stairs and Pinot immediately sprints to her with her wiggly butt in full force. After spending a few moments petting Pinot, the human returns to the task at hand.

Pinot howls, a low-octave long howl. 

Everyone in the room turns their attention to her and then to me, “What does that mean? Is that a nice sound? That doesn’t sound very good.”

What is Pinot trying to communicate? 

In Inside of a Dog, Alexandra Horowitz comments that a howl when in the company of others may be a rallying cry or celebration of the group. The howl can have a contagious component, leading others in the vicinity to pick it up.

She makes this sound usually while lying on the ground or standing with her tail at “half-mast” wagging lazily. Body language that does not suggest a dominant or aggressive intent.

All this suggests that Horowitz’s idea may be correct; this sound, while a bit jarring to humans, is Pinot celebrating the group around her. Or she’s looking for more attention. 

Whatever her reasoning, I smile whenever she makes this noise. 

I’m sure that I miss a lot of her communication signals, in addition to the ones I just don’t understand. But we’re learning together.

All I can do is hope that Pinot celebrates her family in any and every way that is meaningful to her (no matter what it sounds like to human ears).