how to describe a dog

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How to Describe a Dog By Jacqui Murray On my blog, WordDreams , I have a series on descriptions of common items that writers cover in their novels. I cull them from books I read and originally collected them to spark my imagination when I got stuck. Id read through what other writers said on a topic and it would kick start my brain. Ive shared topics like nature, landscape, emotions (how do you show someone is irritated or pensive?), but the most popular by far is the collection I have on dogs. I get hundreds of people a day who read that article even though I wrote it months ago. I love dogs so every time there’s a dog in a story, I take notice. I like to see how authors describe their actions, emotions, movements, thoughts. I decided to share it here, for my Scribd friends. I hope you enjoy it! Greeting The dog snorted happily and bounded forward Tail-wagging Labrador bravado Feet like saucepans, took a cheerful rush at the American, leapt up and planted his muddy paws When a dog approaches a strange dog or man in a savage or hostile frame of mind he walks upright and stiffly; his head slightly raised; the tail is held erect, and rigid; the hairs bristle, especially along the neck and back; the pricked ears are directed forwards, and the eyes have a fixed stare Came in the room, sat quietly until I stopped what I was doing and said hi, then he turned and left. Exploring Max heard Susan moving around in the kitchen and hustled out of the bathroom to investigate. You could never be certain someone wouldn’t give you a second breakfast.

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On my blog, WordDreams, I have a series on descriptions of common items that writers cover in their novels. I cull them from books I read and originally collected them to spark my imagination when I got stuck. I’d read through what other writers said on a topic and it would kick start my brain.

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Page 1: How to Describe a Dog

How to Describe a Dog

By Jacqui Murray

On my blog, WordDreams, I have a series on

descriptions of common items that writers cover

in their novels. I cull them from books I read and

originally collected them to spark my

imagination when I got stuck. I’d read through

what other writers said on a topic and it would

kick start my brain.

I’ve shared topics like nature, landscape,

emotions (how do you show someone is irritated

or pensive?), but the most popular by far is the

collection I have on dogs. I get hundreds of

people a day who read that article even though I wrote it months ago. I love dogs so every time

there’s a dog in a story, I take notice. I like to see how authors describe their actions, emotions,

movements, thoughts. I decided to share it here, for my Scribd friends. I hope you enjoy it!

Greeting

The dog snorted happily and bounded forward

Tail-wagging Labrador bravado

Feet like saucepans, took a cheerful rush at the American, leapt up and planted his muddy

paws

When a dog approaches a strange dog or man in a

savage or hostile frame of mind he walks upright and

stiffly; his head slightly raised; the tail is held erect,

and rigid; the hairs bristle, especially along the neck

and back; the pricked ears are directed forwards, and

the eyes have a fixed stare

Came in the room, sat quietly until I stopped what I

was doing and said hi, then he turned and left.

Exploring

Max heard Susan moving around in the kitchen and

hustled out of the bathroom to investigate. You could never be certain someone wouldn’t

give you a second breakfast.

Page 2: How to Describe a Dog

J. Murray/2

The dog got worried, crawled up on the bed, raced around chasing a ball, finally chased it

out of the room. From her roommates room, she heard her barking, growling at the dog,

slapping and playing, tossing the ball and the dog returned. She wondered who thought

who was whose pack.

happy woofing sounds of a dog discovering

hidden treasures

Abby greeted me with an exuberant lunge

and when I went into the hall, I squatted

and endured her exuberance until it abated

I heard Spot return to the closed door and

snuffle a little, and sigh and lie down

against it. She seemed to have figure out

that there were times when we had to be

alone.

Sylvester forged ahead again, keeping the leash taut.

Angry

flopped onto the floor in full doggy snit

Characteristics

Dogs after voiding their excrement often make with all four feet a few scratches

backwards, even on a bare stone pavement,

Wolves and jackals behave in the same

manner, yet, as I am assured by the keepers,

neither wolves, jackals, nor foxes, when they

have the means of doing so, ever cover up

their excrement, any more than do dogs. All

these animals, however, bury superfluous

food.

Dogs and jackals take much pleasure in rolling

and rubbing their necks and backs on carrion.

The odor seems delightful to them. wolves

don’t roll in the odor

Nothing but bone and bark

Miscellaneous

It’s take your dog to work day

Page 3: How to Describe a Dog

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the one which first sees the other, lowers its bead, crouches a little, or even lies down;

takes the proper attitude for concealing himself

trotting gravely with high steps, head much raised, moderately erected ears, and tail

carried aloft but not stiffly.

Dog crawling up the back of the chair

Paying Attention

With pricked ears, he watched for a

moment and then yawned

Roaming the backyard, engaged in dog

intrigue

Defending

Dog’s eyes wide, ears flat, a vibrating

growl deep in his chest

As he prepares to spring with a savage

growl, canine teeth are uncovered, and the ears pressed close backwards on the head

dogs when intently watching and slowly approaching prey, keep one of their fore-legs

doubled up for a long time, ready for the next cautious step. they behave in exactly the

same manner whenever their attention is aroused. I have seen a dog at the foot of a high

wall, listening attentively to a sound on the opposite side, with one leg doubled up;

dogs wandered off to rest their noses in their paws

roughed them up the way Labs expect to be treated

Playing

Ran to the couch and got a pillow and shook it violently until it was dead, and came back

to show us.

she lay down with a headache. The dog got worried, crawled up on the bed, raced around

chasing a ball, finally chased it out of

the room. From her roommates room,

she heard her barking, growling at the

dog, slapping and playing, tossing the

ball and the dog returned. She wondered

who thought who was whose pack.

Dogs scratch themselves with one of

their hind-feet; and when their backs are

rubbed, they rapidly scratch the air or

the ground in a useless and ludicrous

Page 4: How to Describe a Dog

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manner. by licking the air as if it were a hand.

young dogs in play growling and biting each other’s faces and legs

One of them ran around for a while with a pine cone in its mouth

Took a silk cushion from the chair and carried it around wagging her tail.

Exulting in whatever it is that dogs exult in

a real dog’s dog

doggy yo-yo

Dogess

Sleeping

Shifted in his sleep and licked his muzzle with one slow sweep of his tongue

I think she’d bark and snuffle and paw at us

Casey stood up, turned around three times, and settled back down with a large sigh.

Clearly it was enough chitchat for the night.

Stoney was draped diagonally across her feet

the dog slept with one eye open all night because he didn’t trust her to feed him in the

morning

An aging cocker spaniel came around the corner and gave me a token bark before she sat

with her tongue out, waiting for me to pat her.

Sandy loped around my apartment, alert for something to chew

April picked up her squeaky toy and shook it and looked at me, and made a decision, and

jumped up on the couch with her squeaky toy and lay down with it underneath her.

The dog curled into a wet lump and lay

shivering on the ground

Dog was doing impression of a corpse

He stretched, shook himself and circled

several times before dropping to the

ground

paws up, aerial

The dog was sprawled across her lap,

his sides rising and falling, his nose

mashed against the ground in a most

uncomfortable-looking manner. Dogs

were funny. They could sleep in

peculiar positions.

She shifted on to her back with her feet up and her head lolling over the edge of the

couch

Eating

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Dan got off the bed and went purposefully to the kitchen where I could hear her lapping

water from the dish.

He gave a dog biscuit to Dog. She ate the biscuit and resumed her scone watch.

The dogs finished eating and settled in on the sofa, overlapping each other in ways that

no human would find comfortable.

shifting his attention from Mary Lou to me. Food can come from any direction

Ben was an efficient and focused eater. By 4:13 her dish was empty and she topped it off

with a long lap at her water dish.

Explored where the kids had been sitting in case they had left edible refuse

Swam one more circle and gave up and came back into shore and began rummaging in

the waterweeds again

Begging

Pacey coiled in and around our feet, ever

hopeful

Ned hopped up onto the picnic table and

stared at my sandwich from very close

range. I broke off a piece and gave it to

her. It disappeared at once, and she

resumed the stare.

wag its tale and watch with hopeful eyes

Vick rested her chin on my knee and rolled her eyes up to look at me. I gave her the

remainder of my sandwich.

dog watched him, ears up, head slightly cocked.

Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and

creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of

Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school

to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs,

an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com, and a weekly contributor

to Write Anything and Technology in Education. Currently, she’s working on a techno-thriller

that should be ready this summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a

Tech Teacher.

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