Dog sounds

If you’ve had more than one dog in your life, you know that every dog is unique. Non-dog people may not be able to tell two dogs of the same breed apart, but if it’s your breed, a single glance tells you who’s who. And if they’re your dogs, you can probably tell even without looking. Dog sounds, as well as looks, are singular.

It’s not just the dog’s bark that lets you know who’s talking, although that’s a dead giveaway. All of our Boston Terriers had barks that started with a “w” sound. Spunky (our first dog!) said “Wubba! Wubba!” Daemon was “Watt! Watt!” Ceilidh, the only girl, rarely barked, but when she did, it was a little “Wuff!” Booker is a big boy with a big “Woo! Woo!” bark. And Simon has the gruffest “Wah! Wah!” you’ve ever heard.

Little sounds mean a lot

Those dog bark sounds are unique to that dog. But their little, everyday-life sounds are special, too. Some are incredibly annoying – Torque has a habit of licking his paws and it drives Hope crazy. Simon is a weirdo and licks walls he’s sitting next to. Also crazy-making. But those aren’t the sounds we’re talking about.

Every dog has sleeping sounds, dreaming sounds, settling sounds. Non-dog people don’t know that subtle “hmmph” with a little open/close mouth sound that dogs make when snuggling down. They haven’t experienced the little yips dogs make when chasing bunnies in their dreams. And those people don’t understand why a dog’s snoring is cute, not annoying. Just like their crunching of enjoyment when they actually bother to chew a treat.

Walking sounds are different, too

Picture of a Boston Terrier play-bowing and making dog sounds
Booker almost always bounces through life

Each dog’s movement sounds are different, too. Tango’s paws rarely make any sounds. He’s really good with getting his nails trimmed, and he also has fuzzy feet. Combined with his tendency of coming up behind us, it results in Tango getting stepped on more than any other dog we’ve ever had.

Booker tends to walk on his tip-toes, and he’s horrible about nail trims. Not even mentioning that he dashes through life, usually bouncing. We always know when Booker’s on the move. And while he’s the loudest of our dogs in every day life, in training he’s the quietest. Thinking takes all his concentration.

What we miss the most

And it’s those little, audible things that are huge reminders of loss when they’re gone. Sadly, a dear friend of ours lost two of her dogs in the past couple of weeks. One was almost a teenager and her loss, while sad, was peaceful and expected. The other dog was only six, and her death was truly tragic. Their house must be so damn quiet now.

Enjoyed this post? Click here to sign up for the weekly newsletter and never miss another!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *