what are they saying?

Question

hi im just curiouse. what are some ways cats and dogs show they are happy, sad, tired, angry, hungry, they love you, pain, worry, scarce, or any other emotions? I wanna know what my pets are trying to tell me sometimes. like my cat brok. whenever i get too close he will run. yet if you ever see him lying down and you pet him he is the most cuddly adorable cat in the world. and my dog bandit. we got him frokm a abusive owner about 1 yr ago. and whenever you approach him he puts his head down and looks away as if scared. but we treat him well. also bandit my dog will ALWAYS get up off the coach if a person sits on it. i hold him down sometimes to see if he will mellow out and stay but after like 10m seconds of letting go he jumps off and lays on the floor. whats going on with my cat and dogs? and how can i tell what they are saying to me?

Answer 1

I don't think I would pin Bandit down. If he was abused, being pinned probably just stresses him out more. Play with them regularly, and don't forget to use lots of positive reinforcement in training. You'll eventually build up trust with both of them.

Answer 2

Animals "talk" to us through their body postures and facial expressions. When your dog lowers his head and looks away, he is showing that he is submissive to you, or, alternatively, that he sees you as dominant over him. This is not a bad thing. But it probably does have roots in his previously abusive situation.
Signs of fear in dogs include turning the head, averting the eyes, lowering the head and tucking the tail. In extreme fear situations, a dog may bear his teeth in a sort of "grin" and may bite.
Happiness is an easy one to read. Some dogs will actuallly grin, meaning they hang their lower jaw loosely and wag their tongue at you with a twinkle in their eyes. A loose, relaxed tail is a sign of happiness, as are upright, forward-facing ears.
Your dog sounds very submissive, so you probably see him tuck his tail and not meet your eye contact quite often. Work on building his trust and he may come around. On the other hand, a dominant dog who stares you down doesn't make the nicest of pets, so beware!
Cats, well, cats are cats. They only tell you what they want you to know. I've seen dying cats who act like everything is hunky-dory, then keel over and die. Everyone knows that a purr is good and a hiss is bad, but beyond that, it seems to be very individual.
Have fun with your pets, and love them lots! They're the best family member I've ever had.

Answer 3

My guess is that the previous owner of Bandit, probably hit him or yelled at him if he was on the furniture. so he is probably scared you will too, so he jumps down. Remember the old saying " you can't teach a dog new tricks", he may never change his behavior. The cats behavior is harder to explain, some cats are always skiddish when people approach them.

Answer 4

You need a horse whisperer