: Re: Help describing dogs' physical appearance and movement I'm writing a story about a group of dogs, mongrels mostly. I would like help finding the correct vocabulary to describe their physical appearance.

@Si5022468

Vote Up Vote Down

I would suggest dedicating time to your research.

Going to the dog park like the answer before me suggested is one possible idea, but that will only give you a very, very small demographic. Some other ways could be:

Go visit your local shelter. See if you can volunteer with them, and learn to play/bathe/walk the dogs. Many dogs there are scared or shy, and watching their interactions could help learn how they express these emotions.
Talk to other dog owners. I know that I, for one, can read my dog very well. I know when he sits on your feet, he is nervous and is asking you not to leave him. This isn't something that can be very obvious to an outsider.
See if there are opportunities to dog-sit or walk a neighbor's dog. This may sound silly, but developing a relationship with any dog will let them open up more around you, and you may see another side to them.
Don't limit yourself. Go visit small dogs, big dogs, sick dogs, scary dogs. Explore how they like to interact with different stimuli. If one dog doesn't like fireworks they may cower, but another may jump and bark at them in excitement.

Dogs aren't too different than people, but you've had to interact with people for the majority of your lifetime. Feel free to look for books, videos or experts on the subject (Fight!: A Practical Guide to the Treatment of Dog-dog Aggression by Jean Donaldson may be a good place to start for fighting and aggression).

I wish you luck in your writing endeavors!

(0)

Login to post a comment!