As a dog parent, you will need to learn to decipher all the different types of cues that your dog will give you. Considering that we haven't quite yet figured out how to translate Dog's barking, we're lucky that dogs communicate vastly through their body. That means not only their posture, but also their tail, their eyes, their ears, and their mouth. So let's delve deeper into this below so that you can better understand your pup !
The Tail: A Barometer of Dog Emotions
When you think dog's tails, you usually picture a dog wagging their tail happily whilst playing with other dogs or waiting for a treat. But actually, a dog's tail could also show a variety of dog emotions, from fear to anxiety, to alertness or even a warning before attacking. In general, to help you understand the tail wag, you need to consider the environment that your dog is in, the particular movement that the tail is doing, and the general body posture of the dog. The diagram below highlights the main tail positions/movements that you'll be dealing with, and what each of them means. The one I find most important is to make sure you can tell the difference between happiness/excitement and fear/aggression, so that you can prevent a dog fight from kicking off. If your dog's tail is wagging in a slightly odd way and his body seems stiff, your dog is probably feeling on edge.
Ears: Tuning into Their Feelings
A dog's ears are another good way to get some insight into your dog's brain. Test it out now ! Get your dog to look at you, and then call his name in different pitches. You'll usually get some movement that indicates he's trying to understand what you're trying to communicate. Alternatively, pay attention to your dog's ears when he's done something wrong and you are using a different tone of voice than usual. They're usually pinned backward in an effort to appear ashamed of what he's done ..and to win you over again. In summary, you're usually dealing with the below ear postures.
Eyes: Windows to Their Soul
Just like humans, a dog's eyes are like taking a peek into their soul. When was the last time you stared into your dog's eyes for at least a couple of minutes? It's quite a humbling experience. Although, I wouldn't suggest doing this with any dog you encounter on the street, as to them it might come across as a sort of dominance act. Below is a summary of what your dog's eyes usually indicate. No.2 is a very common one with my pup when he's waiting eagerly for me to throw his ball!
Body Posture: Reading Their Stance
Ok, by posture I did not mean a dog lifting his legs up to exercise, but you can't deny that that's hilarious. As mentioned earlier, the body posture generally comes with other queues such as the ears, the eyes and the tail , that eventually make it quite obvious how your dog is feeling. The best way to explain this is visually, so here's a quick summary below.
The Mouth : It's Not Just for Barks
Dogs don't only bark with their mouth, but they also use it to show us what they're thinking or feeling. The diagram below summarizes the different positions quite well. On the left-hand side, we have a relaxed look, where generally the tongue is out, the corners of the mouth are relaxed, and the panting is quiet and calm. In the middle we have a different variation of the first, where the panting is heavier and there's excessive licking of the lips/nose and/or salivating. This generally indicates stress in dogs, or that they are extremely hot (so watch out for this in summer!). On the right-hand side, we have a mouth that's tightly closed together and the corners of the mouth are curled forward. This is pretty much the same thing as humans clenching their teeth when they're angry. The dog is showing potential aggressive or threatening behavior.
The Importance of Context
Remember, it's crucial to consider the entire context when interpreting your dog's body language. Look at the whole body and consider the environment and the situation. A wagging tail at the dog park means something different than a wagging tail at the vet's office, or between one dog and another. Understanding your dog's body language is not such a difficult task, but it does require you to be present and attentive to be able to distinguish the different queues at first. This will definitely be worth it though, as you will feel more connected with your dog and more confident introducing him to different environments.
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