SPEAKING DOG LANGUAGE
Since a dog has no ability to verbalize words, he relies on body language in much the same way his ancestors did eons ago. Learning your dog’s language will give you a great opportunity for increased understanding between you and your dog. It also helps you to read what is going on between dogs when they are interacting.
Here are some of the basics.
PAWING: This is usually a friendly submissive action. It invites play or further communication. Sometimes it can be a demand for attention though. By all means, paw back at him! You can also take advantage of it to say “Shake” and you have an instant trick.
PANTING: This is an action that expresses many things. It will cool your dog’s body, since this is the way a dog sweats. It can also express friendliness and excitement. Panting can also indicate stress or anxiety in a situation where the dog may feel unsure of himself. If you think your dog is just being friendly you can pant back! Your dog may then play, or play-bow, to invite play or he may just wag his tail to show appreciation for the gesture.
PLAY BOW: To do this action a dog will assume a stretched out position with forelegs on the ground and rear end in the air. This is one of the main ways your dog invites play with you or another dog. Almost all dogs use this posture. They can also interpret this when done by a human!
MOBBING: This action of hurling himself at you and then trying to lick your mouth and face is most often seen in puppies, but adult dogs do it too! You can acknowledge this affection as low-key or as excited as you want to be. Just realize that you are encouraging the behavior if you participate!
SUBMISSIVE ACTIONS: Submission includes a variety of body responses. The actions include ears back, tail tucked, hind leg up, rolling over onto back, wagging tip of tail only, urinating. It is important to understand these for training purposes. You never want to verbally or physically correct submission.
TAIL WAGGING: Many people make the mistake of thinking that tail wagging indicates friendliness. Not necessarily. It does indicate happiness or contentment, but there are some dogs that would be very happy to bite you or another dog. Be wary of this. Be sure and check out what the rest of the dog’s body is doing.
TAIL TUCKING: Fear and submission can both involve a tucked tail. Be very aware of a fearful dog. Often, if a fearful dog feels cornered, he will bite. This is called fight or flight.
AGGRESSIVE ACTIONS: Beware of these when you see a dog doing any of the following: Raised hackles, ears forward, tail high, dog up high on his toes, teeth showing, lips pursed or lips curling back. In general, with everything going out and forward, this is an angry dog. Just be careful with any of these . . .
MOUNTING: This is used for sex but also as a display of dominance. A dog wishing to be alpha, will mount another dog of either sex as an act of self-assertion.
THE T POSITION: When two dogs are together, the more dominant of the two dogs will form a “T” by placing his muzzle, head or paw on the other dog’s back. Not always well received, this can start a fight. Be careful if you see your dog doing this or another dog doing this to your dog! Sometimes it’s in the act of play so it just depends on who the two dogs are.
SUBMISSIVE GRIN: A somewhat guilty looking grin when caught in the act of doing something naughty. Also, some dogs do this as a greeting behavior. Some may even show their teeth, but the corners of their mouths are up high as opposed to a fearful or angry dog whose mouth is pulled straight back.
LAUGH FACE: This is easy to spot. An open mouthed happy look that invites play or shows the dog knows he just did something particularly good!
