Dog Body Language
Over time canines have developed a detailed system of dog body language, facial gestures, and vocalism they use to communicate effectively with one another. Learning how your pet is expressing himself by watching how they stand, listening to what they have to say and watching facial expressions, will bring you that much closer to understanding your pet, and help solve any bad dog behavior that may arise.
Believe it or not, most dogs can read your body language better than you would be able to read theirs. By taking the time to understand how your pet is communicating with you, will help develop a better alliance between you and your beloved pet.
There are many kinds of signals your canine will exhibit when trying to communicate with you. They may wag their tails, lower their tails, pop their ears up, show their teeth and so on. The key is to not just focus on one signal but to read the numerous parts of your canines body to give you an accurate assessment of what the dog body language is telling you
So, what are the most important dog body language signals you must be aware of? You must pay attention to how the animal stands in posture, if their ears are up or down, if their eyes are wide open, is their tail waging or positioned high or low?, and is their mouth opened or closed. Paying attention to these important signals, as well as, keeping an eye on what is going on around your pet when an expression may arise, will help you determine what your pet is feeling at that moment in time.
Here are some of the key canine elements you must pay attention too:
Canine Ears:
Aggressive: Can be forward or back, close to the head
Alert: pinned up
Anxious: partially back
Dominant: up straight or forward pointing
Excited: up forward pointing
Friendly: picked up
Submissive: pinned down
Canine Mouth:
Aggressive: lips open, pulled back
Alert: open or wide
Anxious: closed or slight grin
Dominant: closed or partially open
Excited: open, possibly panting
Friendly: lips relaxed, smiling mouth
Submissive: lips pulled far back
Canine Eyes:
Aggressive: narrow and staring
Alert: open or wide
Anxious: partially narrow
Dominant: wide open and staring
Excited: wide open
Friendly: soft direct contact
Submissive: no eye contact, or head turning away
Canine Tail:
Aggressive: straight out & up, hair up
Alert: up, could be wagging
Anxious: slightly low
Dominant: stiff up and straight
Excited: up wagging
Friendly: height is low to medium, gently wagging
Submissive: tucked under between legs
Canine Standing In Posture:
Aggressive: very tense and upright
Alert: normal, partially on toes
Anxious: tense, partially lowered
Dominant: very tall and straight
Excited: normal, possibly pacing
Friendly: normal, possibly waving of butt
Submissive: very low, could be laying on back
Use these key dog body language meanings to help you better understand what your canine is trying to say, the next time he tries to communicate with you. If you learn just a few of the elements provided above, you will be well on your way to creating a better bond, that will help relieve much stress in your dog training endeavors.