The Doggy: how to understand what our dog is telling us. Lesson 1
We must make a distinction between the acoustic communication represented by barking, howling, etc. and non-acoustic communication meaning the expression of their snout (position of the mouth and ears) and position and movements of the body.
In this article we will talk about the body language and try to interpret it.
Dogs can often misunderstand human behaviours, especially what we consider acts of affection: hug or pet dogs on the head is actually perceived as a dominance signal as the strongest dogs rest their snout in the submissive dog’s neck. Other example is the smile: we risk looking like a growling dog, therefore, get a submissive reaction or what is worse, an aggressive reaction from the dog we have before us.
In general, a relaxed attitude seems to reduce the dog’s size by rolling over, stand on its back or snuggle near the owner looking the other way and lowering their ears. If by the contrary, the dog’s posture is tense with straight ears and stiff tail that makes them look larger, it means they are trying to communicate aggression in that particular situation.
The dog also send calming signals to their peer dogs to avoid misunderstandings or to express their discomfort and try to stablish a peaceful relationship. These attitudes can also be expressed to humans who can comprehend and use them. Let’s take some examples:
Yawning: Threating dogs who see at their opponents yawning calms down because they don’t perceive dominance nor aggression. It’s a signal that dogs ‘read’ in the facial expressions of humans.
Have you ever seen dogs turn their heads to a side when they meet another dog or when you nag them because they’ve done something wrong? It’s a way to express their discomfort and ask the other to calm down.
Looking away is a signal dogs use to communicate they don’t want to challenge nor dominate. Crossing glances, especially between male dogs, determines a challenge that sometimes ends up in a fight. Never stare directly at dogs eyes’ you have not met or at least remember to squint your eyes or blink because these small movements make our expression less strong and it is perceived as less threatening.
Unlike humans, turning their back is a very strong sign of calmness. If the dogs give a very warm welcoming, turn around could be the solution to let them know they must calm down. It is an attitude often used with cheerful puppies and adult dogs that seek calm or among not interested females and pushy males.
When dogs shake, for other reason than to dry themselves when getting wet or to wake their muscles after resting, it means their bored or that we are invading their space and that they need to re-establish the boundaries.
The tail plays a fundamental role in the canine language:
• if they are tense, in horizontal position regarding the body, it indicates tension and nervousness, whilst a stretched tail upwards may indicate aggression.
• Try to think about when you see your dog again after being absent: do they crack down rapidly to show excitement and euphoria.
• A slow tail, downwards, away from the body, shows calm and relaxation.
• A tail close to the body or between the legs touching the belly indicates fear and insecurity.
When we get close to dogs, especially if they are strangers, the best thing is not to generate misunderstandings and treat them with respect and comprehension remembering they act by instinct, like all animals. If we learn to spot these signals in our dogs, our friends’ dogs or dogs we don’t know, we will be able to live this relationship with them and stablish mutual respect.
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