This is a blog takeover today because I saw a book review!
Groucho Marx said: "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside a dog, its too dark to read."
There is a review from Sunday's New York Times for a book called Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell and Know here .
One thing that interests me the most is that Stella likes to look at my face and a little part of the review says that "An important variation from wolf behavior, dogs will look into our eyes. Though they have inherited some aversion to staring too long at eyes, dogs seem to be predisposed to inspect our faces for information, for reassurance, for guidance." This interests me because I am not a very chatty person with my pets, oh, I do talk to them somewhat, but Stella spends lots of time looking at me and she gives me the sweetest most loving face to face looks I can imagine.
I wonder if you all talk to your dogs a lot? This book says dogs love baby talk because it is different from the other sounds they hear and its just for them.
A friend who had a pair of cats said they followed her husband around constantly because he never stopped talking to them.
Perhaps because I am a deaf person, I really love silence. I don't like television, radio, people talk sound on all the time because I can't differentiate it. It becomes all one big blur of noise! Maybe both Stella and I need some baby talk! lolol
Cheers and hugs,
Jo, Stella's Mom
20 comments:
I talk to the dogs a lot.
I do have a special voice that I use with them that is much gentler than my normal voice (unless I am being stern). Mango responds more positively to my lovey voice and pretty much ignores my stern voice unless I bop him on the head. Dexter goes banannas over my lovey voice and gets very distressed if I use my stern voice.
Dexter makes a ton of eye contact. That might be due to all the attention and agility work we do. Mango is not so keen on eye contact and actually can find it a bit distressing.
Mango is a big fan of physical contact and will always have part of himself touching me or my chair if possible. If I am just standing around, he will stand with his flank against me or sit on my foot. Dexter less so. He likes being rubbed but prefers his own space when he is relaxing.
They are certainly interesting beings.
Mango Momma
I talk to Martha & Bailey a lot. Bailey responds very well to you talking nicely too her - she does not like being ordered about and stern voices!
Martha just loves you to talk any rubbish as long as you are talking gently.
I also sing which they love although nobody else does!!!
Hi, this is Mack and the still single Sally Ann's Mommy,
I sometimes sing to the doggies. Lucky for them, I not a real singer. Also, we read children's books out loud, and they quite like that.
Mack and Sally Ann's Mommy
I don't talk to the boys very much - just little things now and then (but several times a day). Bajas and I can have most of our communication with just face expression/body language. He's also most receptive to what I say if I whisper. If I whisper his name he'll jump up even if he's sleeping. I don't really use baby voices speaking to them (I think - I'm sure I do on occation), but we do speak on their behalf. ;)
Ane
Our momma talks to us all the time. She tells us EVERYTHING, even stuff that's not interesting like: It's time to vacuum. Heck, who cares about that! And, yes, she does use baby-talk with us but we thought that was her regular voice☺
We ♥ to look at momma's face and into her eyes then we know what she is thinking and feeling and if we are doing OK. Every now and then when we are all watching TV in the family room we will get up and go over to momma for a cuddle. If she's on the sofa, we're all cuddling anyway!
Momma was told a long time ago that the more you talk to your dogs the more they will listen, unlike men-humans where the more you talk to them the more they run away☺
This is Jazzi's mom, Diana. I talk to her all the time, and it isnt baby talk but in a gentler voice than my normal voice. She has her nick names:
Jazzi girl
Jazzors
Jazzor smashers
She looks when I talk to her and I guess she is listening. If I am laying on the couch, she likes to hop up on my lap and look at me in the face,and she wants to be petted,and she likes to be on my lap if I am on the computer chair. She will make eye contact unless she is in trouble, then she WONT look at you. LOL If, she is barking, I tell her to stop barking or go to her bed and she will stop barking. I have read too, that Dogs that are happy will roll around on their backs and make noises.
Jazzi is a pretty happy dog, she goes spastic when people come over which drives me crazy, cuz you would think that no one at our house pays her any attention!!
2 of my grandkids live with me and she is very patient and loving with the kids,ages 2 and 4 yrs.
Oh and if I sang to Jazzi, I think she would seriously start Howling cuz I am a horrible singer, LOL
I used to sing to my oldest daughter when she was a baby. When she got to be about 10 months old, I was singing to her and she reached up, covered my mouth and said No sing mommy!! LOL
I talk to my gang all the time as if they were human. There are certain trigger words that get their instant attention. "Do you want" is a trigger. They have to listen closely because something good could be coming such as a treat or a ride, etc. When the pups were little I guess I said"Are you ready" al lot. They all respond to that.
Portuguese Water Dogs stare into faces, people's faces which is interesting and other dog's faces which sometimes gets them into trouble. It's one of the things I like so much about this breed, the unusual eye contact.
Oh, yeah, I'm constantly spewing baby talk or outright gibberish to the dogs. They seem to love it, but anyone observing would probably think I was insane ...
Funny, I have found that Gail likes talking to me, but she is much less enthusiastic about me talking back to her. Does anyone have any idea why this is? It doesn't seem quite fair.
Cheers, H.
PS Stella - you can come and stare at me with your lovely soulful eyes anytime!
I like it when mum talks to me - I always watch her to see what she is saying.
Mum says she is trying to hold me down to get those measurements you want - we'll get there soon!
Huffle Mawson
My mom talks to me all the time!
And it is very funny when we are out walking because people think she is crazy!
She talks to me in that baby voice too!
Kisses and hugs
Lorenza
Mommy talks to me a lot too! She would tell me about her day and at times she would sing to me. She does that in public too and she doesn't give a hoot about people staring! Sometimes it's embarrassing for moi...
Cheers,
Maxx
Oh the things she tells me....
Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra
PeeEssWoo: My word is TATER!
HI STELLA!!!
Its me! Randi the Lab/Newf! I should have mentioned earlier...I'm a girlie girl with a pink collar! My name is a stupid boys name that confuses most people..so no worries at all!~ I get called handsome a lot...But its all good, right? My boyfriends are (in order of height) Wally the Corgador, Dexter the Labradude (he's my little cub & I'm his cougar 'ala Ashton & Demi) & then my Dear Darling Pippa in Spain...
You are so pretty Stella! Are you a Lab/Newfie too?
Love & Licks,
Randi
ps..I gotta get my mom/secretary to help me blog more & update my friends list...I'm gonna put you on it!
Mom here, I talk to Louie and Callie all the time even though they can not hear me. I tease Dan that they can read lips. I think they are just watching my facial expressions.
You being deaf too know that the other senses are more heightened. The 2 Red's constantly have their noses in the air..
Big Sloppy Kisses
Gus, Louie and Callie
Thanks very much to everyone who responded to my question. Your responses were all interesting to me. I sing to Stella a lot, and those of you who don't think you are good singers, well, wait until you hear a deaf person singing, but Stella seems to like it.
Cheers and hugs all around,
Jo, Stella's Mom
Mom and Dad talk to us a lot and Dad makes up funny stories and sings them to us, he is kinda weird ;)
Our bipeds talk to us all the time - not really in baby talk, though.
Mom used to love the Marx Brothers movies! Groucho was the best!
Love,
Ammy
Dear Stella Mumma,
Yeah mumma is a big fan of the baby talk for both hooman babbys and dawgs!
One of my little Hoomans has a disability and it took a lot of effort to get him to talk. The baby voice was easier for him to listen to and understand. Mumma learnt lots about how little hoomans learn to talk. Then she used the same principles on me (yes me!) and I know loads of words, although I can't say any of them!
smooches,
Mr Darcy
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