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Kind Corner: Can you “speak” dog?

posts about dog training by AnimalKind trainers

Carefree Hounds AnimalKind accredited companyUnderstanding your dog’s body language is essential to establish a safe and fulfilling environment for your dog.

Sheelah Gullion, owner and trainer of Carefree Hounds, translates the non-verbal language that dogs use to communicate with each other and with us!

 

 


 

The basics of dog body language

Oxford defines body language as “the process of communicating nonverbally through conscious or unconscious gestures and movements”.

If you’ve ever travelled to a country where you don’t speak the language, then you know just how dogs feel sometimes in our world: lost, confused, unable to understand or be understood. And yet, dogs have incredibly complex non-verbal language. One that involves not only the various parts of their bodies, but how they behave and interact in their surroundings as well.

While we can’t know exactly what a dog is thinking or feeling, we can learn a lot from what they tell us non-verbally.

happy relaxed dog with tongue lolling out lightly

Take the classic wagging tail. It means a dog is happy, right? Well, maybe.

Think of a human smile. Does it always mean a person is happy? Can it indicate nervousness? Shyness? What about concern? Think of all the different situations in which you might smile. We need to know the context and why the smile occurred.

A dog’s wagging tail also has nuance and depends on the situation. For example, one study found that dogs wag more to the left side when they’re feeling anxious and more to the right side when not and that other dogs who see this behaviour pick up on this difference.

 

Oxford defines body language as the process of communicating nonverbally through conscious or unconscious gestures and movements.

Moods and feelings

Happy dogs have relaxed body language. Their eyes will appear soft, their tail wags are loose and moving in a side-to-side way and their mouths are often open, with their tongues lolling out slightly. You may be able to see the lower incisors and canine teeth when they are panting in a relaxed way, but the back teeth will unlikely be visible.

Ears, too, will appear relaxed and neither pulled back nor scooped forward, except for certain breeds, such as Shar Peis or bulldogs, there should be no visible wrinkling around the forehead or eyes.

happy friendly dog relaxed on grass

Worried dogs frown just like people do, and we often see some wrinkling on the forehead and around the eyes.

worried brown dog outdoors

They will often close their mouth or pause in panting and sometimes seem to look at us with a lowered head and tail. This expression can be mistaken for a “guilty look” when really the dog is simply wary and uncertain.

worried dogs can be mistaken for a guilty look

Fearful dogs go even further in communicating their feelings, pulling their tails between their legs and pulling their ears downwards and backwards—as much as is possible for their anatomy. They may arch their backs and try to look as small as possible and turn their bodies away in an effort to avoid or prevent conflict and to prepare to escape if necessary.

small fearful dog body language tail tucked in

If a fearful dog feels trapped, they may escalate their behaviour in order to ask for space. It may look like the dog is being aggressive but it is actually still a request. It typically starts with subtle signs like freezing or staring. If we miss or ignore these subtle signs, the dog may escalate to growling, snarling snapping or biting. Always move away and give space to a dog that is sending these signals.

reaction of dog snapping

Sometimes body language can be confusing. Piloerection is when the fur on a dog’s back is raised, aka their “hackles”. This can be interpreted as the dog feeling negative, yet it is simply an involuntary response similar to when people get goosebumps. My first dog was very shy and would often exhibit this behaviour when meeting another dog for the first time.

Therefore, it’s important not to look at only one aspect of a dog’s body language but instead, consider the whole body. My shy dog would raise her hackles but also look away from the other dog and sniff the ground—something Norwegian dog trainer Turid Rugaas calls a “calming signal” meant to let other dogs know she didn’t present a threat.

Is there an app for that?

Sadly, no. The best way to learn dog body language is to observe dogs. Whether this is your own dogs or dogs out in public spaces, dogs are always sending and receiving signals to each other. Taking some time to watch dogs interact is the best way to learn how to “speak” their language and know what they are thinking and feeling.

If you don’t have a lot of dogs to observe where you live, YouTube can be a good resource of videos of dogs playing and interacting together.

Skilled, science-based dog trainers will always explain dog body language to you, and assist you to understand what your dog is trying to tell you. You can find an AnimalKind dog trainer recommended by the BC SPCA on the AnimalKind website.


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