Belgian Malinois Gets The Sweetest 'Pep Talk' After Facing His Surprising Fear
As a pet parent, you can become pretty good at spotting the signs your dog is stressed. Over time, many of us learn unique ways to calm our pups. One especially adorable tactic has been captured in a TikTok video, and it involves one very worried Belgian Malinois and the sweetest pep talk you've ever seen.
@tangotboy Pep talk #belgiummalinois
Tango the Belgian Malinois is no fan of flags. Apparently, it's their sound that's especially jarring, but thankfully, Tango's dad gave him some advice on how to interact with flags, once and for all. "All you have to do is go up and smell them, and they won't be scary anymore," said his dad. Then, in an even sweeter twist, the dad thanked him for protecting them against what Tango considered to be a threat.
The pep talk ended with something Tango could look forward to when they got home: two treats! This interaction seemed to work quite well, as Tango stared peacefully at his dad while he spoke. Viewers admired this sweet moment, too. "This is gentle parenting," said one commenter. Others chimed in agreement that even though Tango got a bit scared, he's still a very "good boy."
Do our dogs understand us?
Tango looked to be totally calmed by his dad's words, but did he actually understand them? Well, believe it or not, dogs are even better at understanding our words than we thought. Researchers in Hungary found in a 2017 study that dogs can actually interpret the meaning of words quite like humans can. Though canines can't necessarily speak our languages back to us, they do seem to understand a fair number of our words. In fact, those same researchers shared in a 2024 Current Biology study that dogs do, indeed, know that some words represent objects — like "flag" for the strange rectangle object Tango was frightened by.
Another way dogs understand us is through our emotions. You may have heard the phrase, "dogs smell fear," and it's true! A 2017 study in Animal Cognition explains that dogs respond to a signal humans emit called chemosignals. They're basically odors we release depending on our current emotional state. So, it makes sense that Tango responded so calmly to his dad's calm demeanor and voice. He was quite possibly responding to both his sweet words and chemosignals at the same time.
The next time you're looking for ways to comfort an anxious puppy or full-grown dog, remember it's not just your words they're reacting to — it's your mood. Think happy thoughts!