How To Read Your Dogs Body Language

 How To Read Your Dogs Body Language

Photo by Blue Bird from Pexels

As humans, we communicate with one another through verbal and non-verbal communications.  We have use of our words, facial expressions, body language and tone of voice to get our message across.  It can be "ruff" for your dog to communicate all the things they want to convey to you. They express their emotions through posture, facial expressions, body movements, and vocally like barking, whining, whimpering, growling and howling (but we'll save that for another future post 😃). Understanding their body language can be beneficial to help identify what emotion they are feeling and/or what their intentions are. 

Communication and connecting is what makes the bond stronger between you and your pet.  Like you, they feel the same emotions- happy, sad, anger, joy, fear, anxiety, stress and more. 

As a dog lover and previous owner of two chihuahuas (not at the same time), I feel it is important to take the time and responsibility to acquaint yourself with some of the signals and messages that your dog is communicating with you.

"According to veterinary behaviorist Dr. Melissa Bain, a professor of clinical animal behavior service at UC David School of Veterinary Medicine, visual communication is especially important for dogs because it can be switched on or off instantly based on the outcome of an interaction." (https://www.greatpetcare.com/dog-behavior/dog-body-language-guide-how-to-read-your-dog-like-a-pro/)

Some signals can be more obvious than others so let's dive into this in a bit more detail by looking into some of the most common signs of a dog's body language. 

Relaxed

Image: Wikimedia Commons

When your dog feels safe and comfortable within their environment, they are at their most relaxed state.  How can you tell if they are in a relaxed state? Eyes are wide-eyed and bright, ears and head is raised up, posture is straight.

Confused

Image:Pixabay

Frozen pose, intense eye contact, head tilt.

Bored

Image: Stockvault

Relaxed, lazy, lying on the floor, no eye contact, neutral on greeting.

Sad

Image: Stockvault

Head is low, still paws, tail low with soft wagging, closed mouth.

Nervous

Image: Piqsels

Yawning, pointedly look away, stubborn, avoid eye contact.

Friendly

Image: Max Pixel

Open mouth, tail wagging, playful bow (down on front legs), squint eyes, relaxed ears.

Playful

Image: Flickr

Mouth open, tongue wagging, play bow (down on front legs), tail up and wagging, ears up.

Stressed/Fearful

Image: Pixabay

When a dog deems a situation to feel threatening, they can demonstrate defensive or offensive body language as a safety measure (see signs for Aggressiveness). This is can also take an opposite effect and they could show signs of stress/fear in their body language.Yawning, indirect eye contact, dry panting, low tail, sweaty paws, tail between legs, excessive scratching, trembles.

Aggressive

Image: Wikimedia Commons

 Growls/barks, cold staring eyes, body posture upright and slightly leaning forward, biting.

Happy

Image: PxHere

Tail wagging, dog is inviting to play, relaxed posture, mouth open.

Worried

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Avoids eye contact, body tense, tail low, licks lips or yawns.

Your dog is an integral part of the family.  They need just as much love and care in their life, so why not take the time and learn to read your dog's body language. It will not only help you gain a better understanding feelings and emotions, but also help build a stronger bond between you both. How PAWsitively amazing that would be!

Until next time, keep your paws up and tails-a-wagging!

Interested to learn more? We're here to help.  Check out:  https://sites.google.com/view/supdogs/home where you can find more information on a wide range of topics.