The behavior changes you might notice: less talking, less laughter, slower movements and declining a social interaction. If I were a dog you might notice: less chasing after squirrels, less of an appetite for my favorite meal, growling when you come close and keeping my distance. Our dogs cannot do as I can and let my friends and family know I'm not feeling myself through our common language. Dogs can only do so through body language. The challenge is their body language can sometimes come across as harsh. So much so the human might take it as a true threat rather than communication. When we don't listen we get even bigger communication. For example, they might go from a hard look to a growl to a bite when we don't listen or understand. If you don't listen to me I might yell at you or say things I don't really mean.
It is important we listen to each other's communication and as best we can our dogs all the time, but even more importantly when their behavior changes. Our dogs cannot drive themselves to the vet to get that shoulder that's been bugging them the last few days looked at. They can't even point to the spot that hurts! What they can do is communicate via their behavior so as to clue us in.
A parallel example is with my own Rock Star dog Curly. He's pretty social with people and a variety of dogs, but I had noticed he would yelp if people would pet his chest when he was first meeting them and overly excited. I also noticed that when a new dog would come sniff his butt (I call it getting a business card) he would turn quickly to get them to stop. This went on for some time, but I just thought he was excited or less friendly in those scenarios It turns out he needed a major chiropractic adjustment! Curly's rib cage and shoulder were out of place. The transformation after he'd been adjusted was amazing. He's more willing to let a new dog take their time "getting a business card" and doesn't yelp when petted on the chest. It made me sad to think all that time I thought his behavior was just his personality, when it really was in relation to his pain or discomfort.
Waiting for his chiropractic adjustment at Georgia Vet Rehab
As I sit typing this, in mild pain, I think about how many dogs get a label for being "bad", when in reality they just aren't feeling themselves for whatever reason. I encourage you to ask your dog how they feel when they display behaviors that are out of character or are not the typical happy-go-lucky dog. Their behavior could be telling you more than meets the eye.
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