"Does Your Dog Communicate or Manipulate You? Discover the Border Between Emotions and Strategies"

The article written by Giorgio Maggiolo explores the relationship between dog and owner, analyzing whether the dog communicates or manipulates to get what he wants. Dog communication is not always conscious, and can be a mix of spontaneous emotional expressions (such as discomfort when he lowers his ears) and adaptive strategies (such as looking at the owner during meals to get a morsel).

The concept of "manipulation" in dogs does not imply a conscious intention, but rather the use of learned behaviors to obtain advantages, such as adopting attention-getting postures or changing the owner's tone. Many dogs develop strategies that influence human behavior, such as the famous "puppy stare" to obtain extra food.

Manipulation can result from owners misinterpreting signals, which can reinforce unwanted behaviors without meaning to, such as rewarding a dog for wagging its tail even when it is not happy. In fact, dogs learn to use signals to receive rewards such as food or attention, but this ability is not the result of conscious "manipulation" but rather of an adaptation to human reactions.

Finally, the relationship between dog and owner is a continuous exchange of signals, where both influence each other. The difference between puppies and adult dogs is that puppies explore different ways to get what they want, while adults refine their strategies. Understanding when a dog is communicating genuinely and when it is using an adaptive strategy is essential to building a balanced and conscious relationship.

Read the article HERE.