SPEAK DOG!
Understanding doggy (body) language is the key to truly understanding your dog! As dog owners, when we agree to take a dog into our household, we are taking on a huge amount of responsibility. Not only are we responsible for providing adequate care and love for our dog but we are also responsible our dogs behavior.. good or bad! One of the best parts about owning and working with dogs was learning their language. How they think, how they communicate and how our behavior, as owners, affects them. In fact, our behavior can and will make or break the harmony in the household.
In short, dogs are dogs, they are not humans nor do they think as humans do. It is important to always keep this in mind. They do feel certain human emotions like happy, sad, scared, angry, tired, unbalanced.. but the way they reach and express these emotions are entirely different from us. Something that seems like it is not a big deal to us may be a huge deal to your dog... If your dog is uncomfortable, stressed, happy, threatened or feeling any emotion they will always show it through body language signals. A dog never does anything "for no reason" or "out of nowhere", contrary to what it may seem.
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Dogs show a ton of body language signals with different body postures.. just think about how many words are in the English language, and how words can change meaning when you add tones and expression.. it's the same in doggie language! These can be broken down in different categories. We will go through each of these signals and explain what they mean with photos, scroll down!!!
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Puppies learn to communicate and understand communication through body language, facial expression and vocalization. The puppy will practice body postures and learns what responses it gets from its litter mates and mother. Dogs seem to understand this “language” as a method of communication regardless of breed, size, age or gender. Dogs assume that we, as part of their pack family, can also understand this language. Problems occur when we misunderstand what the dog is trying to convey to us. It is important to recognize the body language and behavior patterns of dogs to help us to understand the dog’s frame of mind.
Play, Relaxed & Inviting
Distance Decreasing Signals
Play or inviting signals mean the dog wants whatever it is they are interacting with to come closer or initiate play. In other words, decrease the distance. For example, if a dog gives a tongue flick and then a play bow he is telling the other dog "Come on, lets play!"
Play or inviting signals mean the dog wants whatever it is they are interacting with to come closer or initiate play. In other words, decrease the distance. For example, if a dog gives a tongue flick and then a play bow he is telling the other dog "Come on, lets play!"
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Signs that indicate that the dog is relaxed, receptive to attention or wants to play:
Relaxed Body Posture:
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Sage, the black dog, happily takes off starting a chase game in response to Snowman's neutral wagging tail, loose body language and play bow!
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Stress Behaviors
Stress Behaviors, body posture and Displacement Behaviors in dogs happen more then you would think! You will most likely see your dog exhibit some stress during every day life like when they go in the car, go to the vet or when you have company over or maybe during thunder storms or fireworks! Just as in humans, there is good and bad stress for dogs. For example, doggy obedience class can be a stressful situation for a dog. There are strange people, strange dogs, new room, loud noises along with having to learn new commands, but this can all good stress depending on the dog. This is socialization and a learning experience your dog will have positive results from. Bad stress can be in the form of flooding.. dong too much too soon for the particular dog. An example; surrounding a dog with children who is afraid of them just because "dogs should love children."
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Stress behaviors include:
Stress body posture:
Displacement Behaviors
These are behaviors performed in an effort to resolve an internal stress or emotional conflict for the dog. They may be observed in a dog who is stressed and in isolation, for example a dog left alone in an exam room in a veterinary hospital. You might also see Displacement Behaviors if your dog is getting frustrating, maybe during a training session or if he has to be let out to pee!
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In the video to the above you'll see TJ, who is extremely scared of thunderstorms. He can sense even the slightest essence of a storm coming and he'll be sent into full panic. We help him by setting up his safe places, preemptive anxiety medication and soothing music.
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To think about when you see stress body language: Is my dog going through good or bad stress?
- If your dog seems particularly stressed out about a certain situation, lets say he is afraid of garbage cans, be sure not to coddle him. That will just enable the behavior. Instead get some high value treats and dog some obedience and tricks in front of the big scary garbage can. Start out far away, and then move closer over time dependent on your dogs comfort level. Throw some treats around the floor of the garbage can. Make it a treat dispenser! Your dog will soon learn to love it!
- Can I do something to make my dog more comfortable in a beneficial way? Don't force situations your dog is uncomfortable in, for example if he is nippy or barky with new people, put him away when people come over, and call your trainer.
Very, very important... Calming Signals
A dog exhibits calming signals when they are feeling uneasy or are in an uncomfortable situation. Calming signals are usually precursors to distance increasing signals (below). The dog is often asking for space and trying to show they are not a threat. Calming cues mean A LOT in context with a certain situation. For example, if your neighbor walking into your house and your dog sits by your leg with their paw raised and a tightly closed mouth, they are sending your neighbor calming cues and asking for space. A dog can exhibit caring cues and distance increasing signals at the same time.
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List of Calming Cues:
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According to world renowned Dog Trainer Turrid Rugaas, the following is a list of some typical situations that dogs are naturally uncomfortable with and try to communicate their discomfort with calming signals:
- A person bending over the dog
- Direct, prolonged eye contact
- A person's face too close to the dog's face (e.g., kissing on the nose)
- Someone sounds angry
- There's yelling and quarreling in the family
- Someone is walking directly at the dog
- The dog is excited with happiness and anticipation (for instance, by the door, about to go for a walk)
- Someone asks the dog to do something he does not feel like doing
- Training sessions are too long and the dog gets tired
- The dog is confused
- A person hugs the dog
- The dog feels trapped
Bite Warning "I need Space" Cues
Distance Increasing Signals
Does a dog really bite out of nowhere... NO.. totally and completely FALSE. In all our years of working with people, dogs, other rescuers and canine professionals we have found this to never be true. There will always be some sort forewarning either in the moment or previously.. often both!
Here's how it works: A dog will always show Calming cues or Stress behaviors before resorting to Warning Cues. However, if the Calming or Stress behaviors are missed, the dog will have no choice but to move onto these more "i mean business" cues. Warning cues are the dogs last ditch effort to communicate "I need space now". Therefore, if you work hard to observe the most subtle cues, you will rarely have a bite incident on your hands. and your dog will feel heard and listened too. Sometimes dogs are punished for giving Warning cues. For example, a dog gets yelled at for growling. This does not train the dog.. it simply suppresses the growl. The dog may then skip the growl and go right to a bite which is never a good thing. Never punish communication! (or anything..!)
Does a dog really bite out of nowhere... NO.. totally and completely FALSE. In all our years of working with people, dogs, other rescuers and canine professionals we have found this to never be true. There will always be some sort forewarning either in the moment or previously.. often both!
Here's how it works: A dog will always show Calming cues or Stress behaviors before resorting to Warning Cues. However, if the Calming or Stress behaviors are missed, the dog will have no choice but to move onto these more "i mean business" cues. Warning cues are the dogs last ditch effort to communicate "I need space now". Therefore, if you work hard to observe the most subtle cues, you will rarely have a bite incident on your hands. and your dog will feel heard and listened too. Sometimes dogs are punished for giving Warning cues. For example, a dog gets yelled at for growling. This does not train the dog.. it simply suppresses the growl. The dog may then skip the growl and go right to a bite which is never a good thing. Never punish communication! (or anything..!)
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Warning "I need Space" cues:
Alert body posture:
Offensive body posture:
Defensive threat posture:
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What to do if you see these signals?? Cease all interaction with dog, look away and give dog the opportunity to leave, do not approach, do not make eye contact, do not talk to the dog. If you are touching the dog, stop and move your hands slowly away. If you are taking something from the dog, let go of it. It is better for him to keep it than for you or a child to get bitten. If you are bending over the dog, slowly straighten up and look away.
You also NEVER want to punish a dog for growing, showing teeth etc. Remember, these are communication signals.. similar to a human speaking. If certain signals are punished, a dog will learn they don't work and will opt not to use them the next time. So need, you can teach a dog to use less signals before they bite.
You also NEVER want to punish a dog for growing, showing teeth etc. Remember, these are communication signals.. similar to a human speaking. If certain signals are punished, a dog will learn they don't work and will opt not to use them the next time. So need, you can teach a dog to use less signals before they bite.
A dog will also change his body language and posture depending on the context of the situation. For example, say a dog, we'll call him Rex, is out walking with his owner down the street. As they're walking, they both see another dog/owner pair approaching from a distance of about 50 ft. As the pair closes in on Rex, his hackles go up, tail straightens out and ears pop forward.. he begins to lick his lips, look away and smelling the ground. His body posture shows his alertness with this approaching dog, his cues are stress and calming signals, the very important precursors of what's to follow. No action is taken by his owner as she's not paying much attention. As they pair gets within 20 ft, Rex's body posture continues to be out ahead and forward, his mouth is closed and does a little low growl. His owner tightens up on the leash, which only makes Rex more tense with the added feeling of being trapped... none of his previous calming/stress signals worked so he will move on to more serious signals to express how much he wants this other dog out of his space. Rex is now lunging and barking at the approaching dog. His owner now decides to cross the street as Rex continues his display.
What could have been done differently? If Rex's owner was paying attention and understood some doggie language basics, she would have seen Rex begin to feel uncomfortable at the 50 ft mark. At that mark, Rex was already showing signs that he was perceiving the approaching dog as a threat and he was asking for space.. if his owner keep her distance she could have capitalized on behavior Rex was already doing! If she shifted Rex's attention from the other dog and brought it onto her using a 'look' command and some tasty treats, this whole episode could have been avoided. In turn, Rex would not have continued to practice unwanted behavior and he would have felt safe knowing his owner understands him.
This kind of situation happens ALL the time. People tend to only pay attention once barking, lunging and growling come into play and they become reactionary instead of proactive. Listen to these signals and you can begin to become proactive with your dogs behavior and live in harmony! How amazing and what a gift!!
What could have been done differently? If Rex's owner was paying attention and understood some doggie language basics, she would have seen Rex begin to feel uncomfortable at the 50 ft mark. At that mark, Rex was already showing signs that he was perceiving the approaching dog as a threat and he was asking for space.. if his owner keep her distance she could have capitalized on behavior Rex was already doing! If she shifted Rex's attention from the other dog and brought it onto her using a 'look' command and some tasty treats, this whole episode could have been avoided. In turn, Rex would not have continued to practice unwanted behavior and he would have felt safe knowing his owner understands him.
This kind of situation happens ALL the time. People tend to only pay attention once barking, lunging and growling come into play and they become reactionary instead of proactive. Listen to these signals and you can begin to become proactive with your dogs behavior and live in harmony! How amazing and what a gift!!
Written by Jamie Ianello, IAABC-SBA
