Dog Body Language Translated by Researchers

Your dog is talking to you through body language and finally researchers have translated these gestures and figured out exactly what your pooch is trying to say.

So, when Fido acts up, is he trying to reveal the meaning of life to you? Does he perhaps have some profound deeper knowledge about the universe that we have not quite figured out yet?

Nope, he is probably just asking you to feed him, play with him or give his ear a scratch, Fox News noted.

This was established by researchers from the University of Salford, in Manchester, who identified 47 different potential gestures that dogs use to communicate, and then translated 19 of them.

Their findings, which were published in the science journal Animal Cognition, highlighted which actions a dog uses to ask a human to either "scratch me," "give me food/drink," "open the door" or "get my toy/bone."

While these messages may seem very basic, do not underestimate a dog. History has taught us that our wet-nosed pals are capable of exceptional acts.

Earlier this year a 7-year-old Labrador saved a drowning man by leaping into a cold South Carolina river and pulling the distressed 24-year-old to safety after his boat capsized last week.

Last year a Tallahassee family’s dog woke them up close to 2 a.m. to let them know that their mobile home was on fire, ultimately sparing the lives of James and Theresa Parsons and their 14-year-old autistic son.

There was also a heart-breaking incident in 2016 in which a "hero" rescue dog that saved at least seven people from the rubble after Ecuador's April 16 earthquake died from heatstroke and a heart attack.

So next time your dog asks for a tummy rub or a treat, remember what acts of heroism he may be capable of before pushing him away.

Fox News compiled a helpful translation of a dog's gestures and what they mean, listed below:

FEED ME:

• Using its snout and head to move your hand on to its body
• Holding one paw in the air while sitting
• Turning its head from side-to-side, looking between a human and another object
• Standing on its hind legs
• Using its mouth to throw a toy forwards

SCRATCH ME:

• Rolling over in front of you
• Pressing its nose against you or another object
• Licking you or an object
• Lifting a paw and placing it on you
• Gently biting your arm
• Short shuffles along the ground while rolling over
• Lifting a back leg while laying on its side
• Rubbing its head against you while leaning against you

PLAY WITH ME:

• Briefly touching a person with a single paw
• Diving headfirst under a person or object
• Reaching a paw toward an object of interest
• Wiggling its body underneath a person or object

OPEN THE DOOR FOR ME:

• Lifting both paws off the ground and placing them on its owner or a nearby object
• Jumping up and down, either on to an object or not, while in the same location.

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