When it comes to communicating with you dog, it can sometimes be frustrating.
There are times when you are pulling your hair out and thinking "Why won't my dog listen?" The reality is that dogs process the world much differently than us.
It is important to remember this fact when dealing with your pets.
Try to be empathetic and put yourself in their shoes, or should I say paws.
For starters, a dog's primary and most powerful sense is its ability to smell.
Dogs have 45 times as many olfactory receptors in their noses than do humans which allow them to discriminate smells at concentration levels 100 times lower than humans can.
Because of this, dogs are trained to help in hunting, to find bodies, drugs, bombs, and even detect skin cancer in humans.
Their incredible ability to smell is why you should let a dog smell to recognize you if you haven't seen it in a long time.
Dogs also have excellent hearing.
They can hear things that humans can't.
They can hear things up to four times further away and lock in on the object's location quicker than people.
Dogs have more muscles in their ears too.
That's why you see them wiggling them around.
Contrary to popular belief, dogs are not color blind.
They can see in color that is similar to red-green color blindness in people.
They can also visually discriminate between moving objects at distances as great as one mile.
Dogs also have better night vision and a greater visual field of sight than humans.
These are the main senses that dogs use.
Of course, they still have a sense of touch and taste as well, but they are less developed than humans.
You can see how much your dog loves to get massages.
The main point is that dogs are different from humans, and you should always keep this in mind.
Your dog isn't trying to irritate you when it acts badly.
So, next time your dog shows some peculiar behavior or just won't listen, be sure to be patient and take a second to try to consider what they might be seeing at that time.