Things Only Dog Parents Understand

About this episode

Janet Marlow discusses the unique sounds and behaviors that only dog parents can truly understand.

Welcome to We’re All Ears. I’m Janet Marlow, sound behaviorist, composer, and founder of Pet Acoustics and today we’re talking about something that makes dog parents smile immediately: The quiet, beautiful, slightly quirky things… that only dog parents truly understand. If you know, you know. Only a dog parent understands that you can identify your dog by the sound of their walk. The rhythm of their nails on hardwood. The soft shuffle on carpet. The excited gallop when you open the treat jar. You don’t even have to look up. You know whether it’s curiosity, play, or “I need to go out” just by the tempo. And here’s the deeper layer: Dogs are listening to us just as closely. They know our car engine. Our sighs. The difference between our “It’s okay” and our “It’s time.” Sound is relationship.

People in this episode

Host: Janet Marlow

Topics covered

• dog behavior
• pet parenting
• sound recognition
• dog communication
• animal behavior

Keywords

• dog parents
• sound behavior
• dog sounds
• pet acoustics
• animal communication

More episodes of Pet Acoustics: We're All Ears!

• The Dog Who Followed His Best Friend · June 12, 2026 · 6 min
• The Ones Who Know First: A Pet Mother’s Day Reflection · May 6, 2026 · 4 min
• Separation Anxiety: What Pets Feel, What We Feel, and How to Support Them · May 2, 2026 · 6 min
• Why Cats Fear the Carrier and How to Change the Experience · April 29, 2026 · 6 min
• When One Dog Loses Another: Helping Your Dog Through Grief · April 20, 2026 · 5 min
• What 318 Veterinary Clinics Revealed About Hearing Health — And the Gap No One Saw · April 16, 2026 · 5 min