One of the best things about dogs is that they are extremely expressive animals. Owners can easily understand when their canines are happy, sad, fearful, nervous, or angry. Just like humans, dogs also use a variety of faces and body postures to convey this kind of emotion. We’ve put together some dog body language basics to help dog owners understand what their pets are saying:
A wagging tail
Most people think that a dog whose tail is wagging is friendly and playful, maybe excited. A lot of the time that’s true. However, sometimes a wagging tail might also be a sign of nervousness or even aggression.
- A nervous dog can still wag its tail, though usually the tail will be held lower.
- An aggressive dog might hold its tail up high, wagging forcefully.
- A slowly wagging, relaxed looking tail can indicate a satisfied and relaxed dog
- When your dog is excited to see you, its tail might be excitedly going all over the place, not just wagging from side to side.
Eyes
The intensity of the dogs’ gaze, the shape, and the size speak volumes, Normal eye shape is observed when the dog is relaxed and comfortable. Larger eyes indicate fear, threat, and discomfort. An ill or unwell dog may look like it’s squinting (…unless it’s looking at the sun, in which case it’s probably actually squinting). You may have heard that to dogs, making eye contact might be a dominant or aggressive gesture. This can be true, especially in your dog’s interaction with other dogs. If you watch how dogs interact with each other, you might notice that they don’t often look directly into each others’ eyes. However, fear not if your dog simply makes eye contact with you. Dogs tend to know that eye contact with humans is OK. As long as your dog’s stare doesn’t appear tense and he or she is visibly relaxed, your dog is probably just being friendly or wants your attention.
Mouth
The position of the lips, jaws, and teeth also indicate various emotions in dogs. Relaxed dogs usually have their mouths slightly opened or completely closed. Dogs pant to cool their bodies and some dogs are also known to grin, but because their teeth show when they do this, people might mistake it for aggression. Then again, some dogs that appear to be “grinning” are actually growling. Be careful if a dog “grins” at you while chewing its favourite bone. Aggressive dogs tend to retract their lips and expose their teeth while wrinkling the top of their muzzle, in which case it would be wise not to come any closer.
Ears
Relaxed and happy dogs hold their ears naturally relaxed. When they are interested or curious about something, dogs raise their ears higher on the head and rotate them toward the object of interest. Slightly pulled back ears indicate friendliness and ears that are stuck out to the sides of the head or completely flattened indicate submissiveness and fright. The same holds true for the tail. These are just a few body language signals that dogs can send off. All of these signals, put together with the dog’s overall posture, can let you know how a dog is feeling. For example, if you see a dog keeping close to the ground with its tail between its legs and ears flat against its head, that’s an indicator that the dog is afraid or nervous. Keep in mind that fear can manifest itself as aggression, so if you see an obviously nervous and tense dog it would be wise to exercise caution if approaching. Though understanding the body language of a dog is a rather elaborate and sophisticated process because it is a non verbal mode of communication, there is ample opportunity to interpret and recognize the signals and postures of man’s best friend that help owners understand their pets better. In addition, each dog’s body language can vary to an extent. It’s important to familiarize yourself with what your dog is saying by observing your dog in different situations.
Breed – Tibetan Spaniel
Breed – King Charles Cavalier
