Despite what the experts say, dog people know that pups smile. We also know that they convey their feelings in many ways with different parts of their bodies.

When Misha’s ears are back, he’s in his happy place. When they bounce around during an off-leash walk, he’s clearly relaxed. Back and floppy? He’s among the happiest and mellowest of dudes at that moment. All that changes the moment he picks up a scent. Now he’s on alert, and so are his stiffened ears. Every once in a while, however, he’ll look around with just a single ear standing at attention, a throwback to his puppy days that I’ve labeled “periscope-up.”

Harley, Misha’s sister who lives with my close friend, Leah, doesn’t quite have that kind of range on the ear front. But she has Misha beat on the tail front. His wag moves from an occasional flick to breeze-producing enthusiasm. When Har is happy, like when she and her brother are sure they’ve cornered a critter (who usually has fled unnoticed minutes after being discovered), her tail gymnastics include routines accented with bold zigzags and wide circle wags.

She also has Misha beat when it comes to vocal expressions. She woos when she’s excited to go on a walk, she woos a greeting when pleased to see you, and she woos her displeasure when her mom is doing the dishes instead of paying the attention that Har clearly feels is due. The woos sound slightly different, and her body posture reinforces her message.

Misha’s vocal communication includes a sharp “heads-up-you-need-to-feed-me” woof, along with a sound of disgust when he exhales through pouched lips, making him sound positively French as he expresses his displeasure, disappointment, disapproval, or pure disgust.

The point is that, although they’re related, Misha and Harley have distinct expressions that communicate not only meaning, but their distinct personalities as well. You can convey this kind of information through your characters’ expressions. Granted, they probably won’t be wagging or wooing, but giving your protagonists and antagonists, along with other important characters, their own unique set of verbal and facial expressions and body language will bring them to life and make them more memorable.

The last thing you want is for all your characters to sound the same. However, each must be consistent. That can be quite a feat when writing a novel. Consider creating a cheat sheet with each character’s language patterns, favorite sayings, and physical tells. Or add those to your favorite character development worksheet. That way, you’ll remember who inhales their “g”s on their “ing”-verbs, who drops any pretense of grammar, who brings in colorful local jargon, and whose exhalations and accompanying head shakes make you want to crawl back into bed.