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Speak Dog!

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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 they we they reach and express these emotions are entirely different. 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.  

​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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    1. Play, Relaxed or Inviting (or Distance Decreasing Signals)
    2.
Stress Behaviors 
    3. Bite Warning "I Need Space" (Distance Increasing Signals)
    4. Calming Cues
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 

Play or inviting signals mean the dog wants whatever it is they are looking at to come closer or play. In other words, decrease the distance. For example, if a dog gives a lip lick and then a play bow he is telling the other dog "Come on, lets play!"
Signs that indicate that the dog is relaxed, receptive to attention or wants to play:
  • loose body language and features
  • eyes, mouth and ears appear soft 
  • panting, relaxed, happy expression
  • body position relaxed
  • lying with one paw tucked under
  • enthusiastic tail wag; circular, wide, hind-end wiggling with it
  • play bow (front end down; rear end up; tail wagging)
  • Stretching 

Relaxed Body Posture:
  • Tail neutral
  • Ears up but not forward
  • Head high
  • Corners of mouth relaxed 



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​Both dogs here show relaxed, loose body posture with open mouths, relaxed ears and a swinging tail! 
Lucy, the brown dog on the right, is signaling a play bow.. lets go play! Rose, on the left, is blind and probably trying to figure out whats going on but sure feels the loose, chill play vibes happening here! 
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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!

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, when they are in doggy obedience class or when you have company over as well as 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 is all good stress. This is socialization and a learning experience your dog will have positive results from.  Bad stress is surrounding a dog with children who is afraid of them just because "dogs should love children."  ​
Stress behaviors include: 
  • Whining and/or pacing
  • Dry, rapid panting with corners of the mouth pulled tight
  • Sweaty paws
  • Excessive drooling and shedding
  • Yawning 
  • Lip licking
  • Refusing to take food
  • Avoidance behaviors: We LOVE the printable flyer from 4PawsUniversity to the left!!
  • Displacement Behaviors (read below)

Stress body posture:
  • Low or tucked tail 
  • Low, slinky body movements and lack of body movement 
  • Ears pinned back, concerned brows, tense body 

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, differentiating them from behaviors related to relationship. You might also see Displacement Behaviors if your dog is getting frustrating, maybe during a training session has to be let out to pee!
  • Blinking (eyes blink at a faster-than normal rate)
  • Lip licking
  • Chattering teeth
  • Scratching
  • Shaking off (as if wet, but dog is dry. This is often use to break tension or after a particularly invasive or stressful event for the dog)
  • Yawning
In the video to the left 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 give your dog structure and obedience training. ​ 

Very, very important... Calming Signals

A dog exhibits calming signals when they are feeling uneasy or are in an uncomfortable situation.
List of Calming Cues:
  • Lip licking - dogs lick their lips to appease (soothe) a person or animal they perceive as a threat in order to ward off aggression.
  • Averting the eyes - breaking eye contact, by averting the eyes is often the first sign of stress observed in a dog.
  • Sniffing the ground - Sniffing as a calming signal must be reviewed within the context in which it appears. Obviously, dogs sniff for other reasons than to just indicate stress. If the dog has been standing in the same place for a little while and suddenly starts to smell the ground when a dog enters it's space bubble, then this is a Calming Signal or Avoidance. 
  • Head turns away/full body turns away - If your dog becomes nervous about the approach of another dog or person, he may turn his head from side-to-side, or may just turn away. This signals the other dog that they are approaching too quickly or too directly.​
  • Yawning - yawning must also be observed in context and believe it or not, you can actually yawn to your dog to help calm them down!
  • Smiling - not to be confused with showing teeth, smiling is an appeasement/calming signal often accompanied with squinty eyes and lowered body posture. 
  • Laying down
In the photo to the right we have a dog averting his eyes, closed mouth with a paw raise. This dog is communicating "I am no threat, please give me space."
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In the photo to the left you will see a calming or stress yawn from a dog because of something invasive like being picked up. 
In the photo to the right you will see a dog in a defensive position while giving off calming signals - paw raise, sitting, low body posture - while also giving a hard stare and tightly closed mouth You would NOT want to approach this dog. 
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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

Does a dog really bite out of nowhere... FALSE.. 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. 
Warning "I need Space" cues:
  • dog freezes - becomes suddenly stiff
  • dog stands with front legs splayed, head low, looking at you
  • lip curl
  • showing teeth
  • growling
  • hard eyes
  • high, tense tail position (may or may-not include a quick wag or tail twitch)
  • tightly closed mouth​​​
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In the two photo to the left, you'll see Koda showing his teeth, licking his lips(stress/calming), whale eye, furrowed brow and ears forward. He is telling another dog to move away or else I may snap. 
Alert body posture:
  • Tail straight out
  • Ears forward
  • Mouth closed
  • Standing tall on toes and chest forward 
Offensive body posture:
  • Tail up and stiff
  • Hackles up
  • Ears forward
  • Nose wrinkled
  • Corner of mouth forward
  • Standing tall and forward on toes 
Defensive threat posture: 
  • Tail Tucked
  • Hackles up
  • Ears back
  • Pupils dilated
  • Nose wrinkled
  • Corner of mouth back
  • Body lowered
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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. ​

Here's an example!!

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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!!

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For the Love of Dogs Rescue
Ossining, NY

lovedogs.bedfordny@gmail.com | (914) 487-3018
  • HOME
  • ADOPT
    • Adoptable Dogs
    • Adoptable Dogs in Southern care
    • The Grey Muzzles Club
    • Our Adoption Process
    • HOMIES
  • ABOUT
    • Mission
    • Our Dogs
    • Rescue Stories
    • Love Dogs Staff
    • In Loving Memory
    • Testimonials
  • LEARN
    • Dog Trainer Jamie's Corner >
      • Facebook Poll
      • Leash greeting = BAD idea
      • Don't Use a Retractable Leash
      • Greeting a Dog.. Their Way!
      • Jamie Visits South
    • 10 Essential Dog Rules
    • Children and Dogs
    • Keeping your dog HAPPY
    • Pet Poisons
    • Resources
    • Speak Dog!
    • Surrendering your Dog
    • Welcoming Your New Dog Home
    • What do Dogs Dig?
  • Gratitude
    • Recently Adopted!
    • Happily Ever After