It is said that dogs and humans evolved together. As soon as humans started to domesticate dogs, they also started to be more accepting towards humans and developed their love for them gradually.
But the certain biological differences could not be evolved like language. So to overcome that, both humans and dogs figured out a way to communicate. The only issue with this is, dogs feel we understand everything they are trying to communicate to us. And there are times when it doesn’t happen. We teach dogs our vocal commands but to infer what they are trying to communicate through unusual gestures is a completely different story.
When you start petting a dog, you tend to develop a bond with them. It doesn’t take long for you and your dog to become the best friends for life. You will eventually understand the cues about what they are trying to say to you. Like dogs know when it’s time for them to go out so they start barking or wanking their tail to get your attention.
But, apart from these, there are certain things that your dog would do that would get you confused as to what exactly they are trying to communicate.
Dogs Winking At The Owner Means Something:
One of the cutest and the most confusing gesture that your dog can make is winking their eye. Irrespective of the breed of your dog, that little wink will get you and your dog excited.
As the best friend to your dog, you’d constantly try to find out what would each gesture mean and what is that your dog is trying to communicate.
Some owners believe that winking has a very significant meaning. Well, you can definitely think it that way or it may be true as well. But what exactly does it mean is the bigger question.
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They Don’t Want To Pick Fight –
The main reason why dogs wink is not just that they are trying to act cute and get your attention. It could also mean that they don’t want to get into a fight. Dogs and humans have different ways of using their facial features to express or communicate. When humans make eye contact, it could mean that they are being respectful and trying to engage the person they are interacting with. But for dogs, eye contact can mean invited aggression.
If you notice, that when your dog doesn’t like some other dog, they both will keep staring at each other. It’s like showing power dominance over each other. Both dogs wait for either of them to look away. When it doesn’t happen, there is a possibility that they will start a fight.
But then the rivalry is between two dogs not between you and your dog. So when your dog finds you staring at them and there is constant eye contact, they would wink to submit themselves indicating that they don’t want to fight you.
That little wink your dog does to you is just a way to maintain peace and show you that they are not going to hurt you or pick a fight with you.
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Your Dog Is Probably Copying You –
There is a very high possibility that your dog simply copying what you do. Dogs are more intelligent than what you perceive them to be. They know what you are doing. And to express their love and to play around, they tend to mimic your actions.
Usually, you can’t notice much of this behaviour. It starts with daily routine things like sleeping when you sleep, running when you run, eating when you eat and etc.
If you tend to wink at your dog quite often, they can mimic that gesture and wink at you back.
It can actually be a good thing that your dog is mimicking your actions. It means they listen to you. This will make it easier for you to train them. They’ll follow what you teach them.
If you have multiple pets, then the younger ones will follow the older ones. Dogs learn a lot of their behaviour by observing their surroundings. Professional dog trainers tend to use this ability of dogs to train them.
Dogs who have had a traumatic past can have psychological issues. So to heal them from the memories of the past, they are grown around healthy dogs. It helps them follow their healthy role models.
Health Complications Also Cause Winks
It is very unfortunate, that winking can also mean that your dog is sick. There is a genetic condition called entropion that causes constant winking and blinking. It is common with dogs who have short noses and squishy face.
It causes the dog’s eyelids to constantly flip towards the eye. Dogs that have this condition are constantly blinking to express their discomfort.
If you notice that your dog is blinking or winking too much, a visit to the vet is recommended. The only way to treat entropion is to undergo surgery. If you let your dog be with this, it can cause vision loss and other serious vision issues in future.
Better late than sorry, visit your vet.
Shape Your Dogs Behaviour With Winks
If you enjoy your dog winking at you, you can teach them to do it often. Winking once in a while is pretty normal for healthy dogs. Bonus is that dogs love pleasing people. They would do anything and everything to get your attention and play around. You can choose to encourage this action.
When you see your dog winking at you, praise them and give them treats. They’ll soon understand that you like them winking at you. Some people also include commands with winking. Words like “wink” or “flirt” are usually used to train the dog to wink on command.
Even if at times you don’t give them treats, your praise and attention will get them to wink at you often. It’s a little accomplishment for them to have your attention by any and every means.
Always remember, just because winking may not come across as a very significant gesture to you, but for your dog, it means a lot. You must think their gestures towards you from their perspectives. These are just little tricks they do to get your attention and play with you.
However, it does become a concern when they are winking way too much. In a situation like this, it is only imperative that you take your dog to the vet and do as necessary.
But anything other than that is all about your attention. Shower them with love and they’ll do it just to get that from you all the time.