You might think that the only way your dog communicates with the world is through barking, but you'd be wrong. All day long your dog is busy expressing how he feels in a variety of subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, ways. Trouble is most of us humans haven't bothered to learn to speak doggy language...so here is part one in a crash course on understanding your dog's body language.
All of the signs outlined in this post are your dog's way of indicating that he is uncomfortable with the situation he finds himself in. Sometimes you might hear them called 'appeasement gestures' or 'calming signals' - what you call them isn't really important, the fact that you are able to notice them and respond to them accordingly is. As a responsible dog owner you should therefore intervene in order to prevent pushing the dog to the point of aggressing.
A growling dog is a bad/aggressive dog. Isn't it?
A key point to remember is never to punish your dog for showing these signs. We WANT our dogs to show us when they are anxious or uncomfortable. You should therefore NEVER punish a dog for showing that he wants to be left alone by growling, leaving the situation or demonstrating more subtle signs.
But why? Isn't my dog showing aggression by growling? Shouldn't I tell him off and show him who's boss?
When your dog growls he is communicating very clearly that he is unhappy. Chances are he has been trying to tell you this for a while but lumbering oafs that us humans are you have missed the subtler signals. He is now trying to make it explicit that he wants whatever is going on to stop. Most dogs have several stages of showing their discomfort with a situation before they resort to biting. If you punish a dog for showing this discomfort, be it a growl, looking away, moving away etc you are effectively removing one of these steps from your dog's repertoire. You are therefore reducing the likelihood that your dog will show warning behaviour before going in all guns blazing. The dogs who 'bite out of the blue' are rare, those that truly do have usually been punished for showing warning signs - result = they don't warn they just do.
The dog who is punished for growling at a child, moving away from a person he is unsure of, not maintaining eye contact still FEELS EXACTLY THE SAME about the situation, but now he has no way to show it and no way out of the situation. Be glad if your dog gives a warning and take steps to modify the situation your dog is reacting to (child approaching/dog approaching/the vet etc), work instead on conditioning your dog to view these events/situations as positive and create safe spaces so your dog can 'escape' if he needs to.
ONE PAW RAISED
This may look like a cute trick but all too often this is a signal that the dog is not happy. This is a calming signal and is the dog signalling that they are more interested in 'flight' than 'fight.' This is not a time to force your dog to meet other people/dogs. Watch their behaviour, make a note of the situation this occurs in and take steps to address.
A raised paw can mean a variety of different things in doggy language it is therefore important to look at the rest of the dog's body and the context the paw lift is shown in, in order to evaluate the situation.
Just as an indication of the myriad different signals a dog lifting a paw might be giving in Brenda Aloff's book - Canine Body language - paw lifts are classified as:
1. Paw lift w/smile, relaxed mouth = happy dog and in "submissive*" state of mind
2. Paw lift w/ backwards orientation, rounded back, tucked tail & braced legs = anxious dog doing avoidance behaviour
3. Paw lift w/extreme rounded topline (back), flat ears, lowered head, drawn lips and tucked tail = fearful dog "STOP approaching me"
4. Paw lift w/alert yet relaxed body posture = dog filled with good anticipation
5. Paw lift w/alert, relaxed body and ears erect = curious dog
6. Paw lift w/dog on dog greeting - side by side bodies, half mast ears, relaxed bodies = polite greeting "Hello There"
7. Paw lift w/human greeting, squatting/sitting, ears back, soft eyes, lowered tail = polite human greeting "I'm friendly and respectful" (BA's quote)
You can also see paw lifts when a dog is stalking (prey), targeting, warning, neogtiating a pass by, playing, pointing...the list is endless. Try and get to know what different paw lifts look like and when your dog does them.
(* Here at 4Paws/LDG we prefer to use the term appeasing/non aggressing to submissive and assertive instead of dominant.)
IT'S ALL IN THE EYES
Eyes may be the gateway to the soul but with dogs they are also a great indicator of how he is feeling. Here are some to keep an eye out for...
Half moon/whale eye
Whale eye/half moon eye is what us training types call it when a dog's white of the eye is clearly visible with the eye either goggling or rolled slightly to one side, sometimes with the head averted. This is another sign the dog is uncomfortable and needs some space. This is a very common expression in dogs that are being hugged. If you see the half moon eye when the kids approach the dog or are interacting with the dog, it's time to intervene and give them all something else to do.
This dog is showing a 'half moon eye'
Here is a good example of 'whale eye'
Lip licking
This is one of the most common calming/anxiety signals dogs show. Like so many doggy behaviours what it means varies depending on the context. Lip licking can be just a quick tongue flick, but sometimes it can be a more obvious repetitive lapping, both are often accompanied by a turned head. This behaviour usually indicates nervousness and appeasement. The dog is trying to diffuse the situation he finds himself in.
You may also see a form of lip licking when dogs greet one another, depending on the situation - whether your dog is meeting a friend or another dog for the first time this behaviour can either be an appeasing gesture - 'I'm no threat' - in which case it is often accompanied by rolling onto their back, or a sign of affiliation - sort of like them saying 'hey buddy, we're good right?'. Why not see how many times your dog lip licks and in what context each day?
Yawning and lip-licking, are a type of behaviour commonly categorised as displacement behaviours/appeasement gestures/calming signals. These behaviours are typically 'normal' behaviours displayed in an unexpected context. Usually they indicate conflict and anxiety and are part of a dog's attempt to deflect a perceived threat. The dog wants to do something, but he is suppressing the urge to do it. Instead he replaces the suppressed behaviour with something else such as a lick or a yawn.
Some examples of such behaviours include:
- Yawning when not tired
- Licking chops without the presence of food
- Scratching when not itchy
- Biting at paws or other part of his own body
- Sudden sniffing of the ground or other object
- Shake off when not wet or dirty
These are all things that dogs do anyway. The key is to look at the context and see if your dog is offering these behaviours when he might not otherwise be expected to do so.
For example: if it is bedtime and the dog gets up, stretches, yawns and goes to bed, then that yawn was not a displacement behaviour. Compare this with the situation where a child comes over and starts hugging the dog or lying on him and he yawns.
The importance of noting displacement behaviour is that they show you when to intervene. The dog in the above scenario is most likely uncomfortable with the attention he is getting from the children. He wants to get up and walk away, he may even want to bite, but he displaces that with other behaviours such as yawning or licking either the children or himself. In this context you should either prevent whatever was causing the dog to show displacement behaviours from occurring in the future or use positive training techniques to teach the dog to enjoy (not just tolerate) these situations.
Avoidance behaviours
Some dogs deal with anxiety by attempting to remove themselves from the situation. Never force a dog to stay in a situation in which he feels anxious, especially if children are involved. Here are some examples of avoidance behaviours:
- Getting up and leaving an uncomfortable situation
- Turning head away
- Hiding behind person or object
- Barking and then retreating
- Rolling over to expose his belly
Other body language signs that your dog may be anxious...
His tail is..
between his legs
low and only the end is wagging
between legs and wagging
tail down or straight for curly-tailed dog (eg spitz-type dogs)
His ears are...
sideways (for erect eared dogs)
back and this is accompanied by rapid panting
The dog urinates or defecates - the dog is so anxious they pee/poop themselves in fear. This is usually a signal of extreme stress.
All dogs should have a safe place in the house - such as a crate or mat that they can go to when they want to be left alone. All family members and guests should be taught to respect the dog's space and not to bother the dog when he goes to his safe place.
More sites to look at:
Dog body language photos and explanations
The eyes have it - what dogs' eyes can tell you about how they are feeling
No comments:
Post a Comment