Can you read your sheltie?

Caro

Caro

Moderator
Does your sheltie have special 'looks' that they use to convey something?

I was reading the forum and glanced at Tully who gave me the 'Deska's up to something' look. And sure enough Deska was in the lounge with his head in my backpack eating my M&Ms. It made me realise that my dog's have certain expressions they use to talk to me and I was wondering if anyone else finds this - that their shelties have certain looks they give you to tell you something?
 
Yup. Like the "I don't know who could have done that" Look....
 

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Oh yes. All my dogs have such expressive faces.

Justice has his happy with the world face. His "i'm serious, fun police face" ,his worried" the girl are up to something" face and the I'm so excited face and many more.

Ember. Ah Ember she is the sheltie of a million faces. She wears her emotions on her sleeve and if you want to know what she is thinking just look at her. Sad, happy, uncomfortable, scared, worried, nervous, silly, goofy, alittle upset to down right ticked off.

Diva is usually happy but she has the silly, worried, get away for me face too.

Couple that with body language and what they want/feel is loud and clear. One just needs to know how to listen.:smile2:

One of my favorites of Justice : his fun police face.
http://www.sheltieforums.com/album.php?albumid=181&pictureid=1943
and a favorite of Diva- Just throw the damn ball
http://www.sheltieforums.com/album.php?albumid=222&pictureid=2495
and Ember Yeah what you going to do about it look
http://www.sheltieforums.com/album.php?albumid=171&pictureid=3462
 
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while we joke that Everett has just one expression, I can read him OK. In fact, I can read him better than my wife..
 
I know those faces - they are exactly the same as the ones mine use! So maybe its a universal language that shelties develop being around us. Wonder if they use those same faces in other cultures.

In Dog Sense the author says Shelties (amongst other breeds) have a limited number of visual signals left over from wolves and this in turn has limits their ability to communicate with other dogs. But maybe they have just developed an entirely different repertoire of signals because they have been domesticated. If we can read those looks I reckon other dogs probably can as well.
 
I don't think anything is as expressive as Sheltie eyes. All of mine have looks that speak volumes. Pixie's is demanding and trying to make me feel guilty for patting Checkers. Checkers' look is questioning and soft. Barkley is full of fun and mischief. They also have barks that underscore what their looks say, just in case I don't read them fast enough, LOL!
 
Layla has her, "Bunny!" face. She uses it when she wants to play with her plush bunny. She stands all alert, eyes bright, big smile -- it just melts me every time!
 
Oh, my! Definitely!

And its more than faces, it's body language as well.

When its close to feeding time, Indy's whole body goes on alert. He may be looking like he is sleeping, but in fact, he is tense and aware of my every movement. If I so much as move a muscle, he's up and staring at me with a very "hungry" look in his eyes. Feed me now!

Bacca has his own look. He definitely knows when he's "bad". Lately at the cottage, he has found the stream that runs behind the cottage. Its a mud pit, and for some reason, rather than drinking the fresh water I leave out for the boys, he insists on standing in the mud pit and drinking this muddy water. Of course, he is now up to his elbows in mud. Then he sneaks up to the side of the deck and pokes his head over to see where I am. If I look over at him, he actually ducks his head, then peeks up again. If I call him....he shuffles over with his head down, with the most Eeyore face ever!

I'm torn between killing him or killing myself laughing over this. (I had to wash his feet at least a dozen times this weekend!)
 
Chandler's eyes were the most expressive I have ever seen in any of my dogs. He would stare a hole in me to tell me what he wanted. Time for meds,time to get up,time to go out and as soon as I made a move to do as he wished the barking ensued sometimes with a Sheltie spin thrown in. God I miss him.

Gypsy is not a big barker so her eyes tell all. She glances one way to let me know she needs to go out, when she was incontinent and had a leak her poor eyes would bug out in a panic and she gives me the most adoring look to get up on the couch for some loving.

I do know one thing whatever their eyes are telling me, they never fail to melt my heart.
 
Catching up on posts again, this is a riot. Lucky and Lady? Lucky has this goofy sound he makes, time to play. Lady, oh my she is so hard to ignore with her antics. Both of them do a stare, but when she swings that butt, and does her whining, I want it now mom.

Then when Lady takes her body against my legs, she shows me what she wants. Little as she is, she knows how to push. What would I do without her? She is my shadow.
 
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