There’s a lot of talk these days about “speaking dog.” There are classes available for clueless canine owners who wonder what their dog is trying to tell them. Trouble is, dogs are as individual as humans, and they  have their own peculiar ways of expressing themselves.

When Beauty needed to take a trip outside, she’d come up to you. give you a barely perceptible nudge with her nose, then walk away. If you didn’t respond right away, she’d nudge you again and walk away.  When Fannie needs to head out for a bathroom break, she paces until you notice, then heads eagerly for the door.  This  behavior is far different than what she exhibits when it’s time for her morning walk.  That’s when you’ll be treated to an unceasing string of single short, puppy-voiced barks that end only when you attach the leash.

When Lady wanted your attention, she’d place her head in your lap, or a paw on your arm. It was a gentle touch.  When Fannie wants your attention, it’s a vigorous swipe with the paw and an attempt to climb into your lap–a demand.

When Fannie’s thwarted from barking at things that go by the window (a favorite pastime of terriers, I’m told), she changes the scolding, “get out of my territory” tone of her bark to more of a complaint aimed at the person who shooed her from the window–a kind of “how dare you interrupt my fun?”

Lady would meet you at the door with a wiggly back end and an honest-to-God smile on her face. Until she became too decrepit for such activities, Beauty would issue a joyful bark and jump to look out the window. Once she sees it’s only you at the door, Fannie barely acknowledges your return.

If Lady and Beauty, both Lab mixes, didn’t want to be touched or played with, they kept their dignity and got up and walked away. Fannie growls and lets you know in no uncertain terms when her “intimsphare” has been violated.