Information Sheet Dog Body Language

Transcription

1 Wouldn t it be great if our dogs could speak? It would make it so much easier for us to understand how they were feeling. Instead, we need to understand how dogs do communicate, and that is mainly through a series of body postures, signals and vocalisations. Knowing what it means when your dog shows certain signals can help to decide how a dog may be feeling, and then you may be able to change the situation for them, and avoid getting bitten! When you look at the below two photos of the same dog, you can see that in one picture Rubee is happy, and the other she isn t. But how do you know that? So let s look at body parts and signals in more detail, to see if we can figure it all out! Eyes Neutral (relaxed or happy): Iris should be clearly visible, soft almond like shape to eyes Aroused/Anxious: Pupils will be dilated and eyes more round in shape Whale eye during stress, fear and arousal: Whites of the eyes are clearly visible, sometimes only for short periods. Direct eye contact: The dog may be alerting to something or fixated on an object/person/dog), or scared and uncertain. Staring at other dogs often can cause the other dog to react. Blinking this is a good sign! It indicates non-threatening intentions (can be used to avoid eye contact!).

2 Showing the White of the Eyes (Whale Eye) This puppy is trying to avoid the outstretched hand! Notice also the tight mouth and position of the ears. A sure indication that a snap or bite may be next! Squinty Eyes This can be a sign of avoidance, or appeasement. I think Rubee is trying to avoid her photo being taken, notice the head turn as well! Ear Ear! Dog ear shapes vary a great deal from pricked, semi pricked, rounded, hooded, dropped and rose eared. Because of this, it can make interpreting them a bit tricky! Pinned back = fear, stress/anxiety, but there is always an exception to the rule. You can see this dog on the right has his ears pinned back, but the rest of his face is quite relaxed (mouth open, eyes soft). Context is everything! Ears pricked forward or straight up can indicate the dog is alert, engaged and paying attention. Sometimes dogs will flick their ears back and forth, this can indicate they are a bit curious, worried or uncertain.

3 Mouth Relaxed/happy: Open, tips of canine teeth visible, tongue relaxed Stressed/anxious: Commisures (corners of a dogs mouth) can be pulled back tightly and stretched, (also notice the ears and furrowed brow in that middle picture). Spatulate tongue mouth is open and tongue out, but tongue is hanging out of the mouth and looks curved (also middle pitcure). A dog being threatening or aggressive may have a closed mouth or tight face with the commisures forward. They may wrinkle the muzzle and expose teeth in a snarl or growl (picture on the right). Happy/Relaxed Sammy the Cocker Spaniel looks pretty happy in this photo. His mouth is open so you see the tips of his canine teeth, tongue is relaxed, and his eyes are soft. Lip Licking It can be a flick of the tongue or a more obvious lip lick, and it is a great indicator that a dog is worried, avoiding something or given as an early warning.

4 Head Turning/Turning Away One of the first indicators that a dog is a bit stressed or worried about something. It can be the whole body, the head and shuolders, or just a tiny movement of the head away from what is stressful. Perhaps the camera in these photos? Yawn You may see yawning when your dog is in a stressful situation say, at the vet. It s not because he is bored! The Tail Wag A lot of people think if a dog s tail is wagging, they are happy. Not necessarily so! This is really just an indicator of the dog s arousal level (or level of alertness). First find out what the natural tail carriage is for the dog. The sign of a friendly tail wag is a relaxed, slow wag with the rest of the body soft as well (think wiggly Labrador). If the tail is positioned very high (if it can be!), and wagging very fast like a flag, the rest of the body still, and the dog is staring intently at something, this could mean the dog is quite concerned. Best to stay away! Remember that some breeds can naturally carry their tails high (like Huskies). Natural tail carriage, tail may be wagging gently = Relaxed Tail is loose and wiggly; it may also wag in a circular fashion (helicopter tail) = Happy Tail held high and stiff with a rigid wag = Aroused/Excited (an enhanced state of alertness) Tail between the legs = fearful/anxious

5 But what happens if you have a dog with a tail like this Bulldog? While the tail can t go between the legs or be held high, the tail is an extension of the spine, so look at the whole body! The movement of the tail can be very subtle. Body Position This dogs ears are forward, he is watching something in the environment, but his mouth is closed and tight, his tail is low and body position is leaning backwards indicating he is stressed. A very similar body position here with the Labrador. Although this dog is barking and the ears are slightly back. This dog is worried!

6 The drawing on the right is a dog who is also worried by something. It has a direct stare, hackles (hair along the back of neck) are up, tail is high and stiff, ears and body are forward and mouth is closed. This could be a precurser to a lunge, best to back off! Playful A play bow indicates a dog s intentions to play, he may be ready to play but not be calm! Dogs can also use a play bow to calm down a situation or interaction between another dog/s. Shake Off Many dogs will shake their body (like after they have had a bath) after a stressful event even a mild one. Even something as simple as removing your dogs harness can often trigger a shake off. And it s often common after a rough play session with another dog. Try and observe this in your own dogs and don t forget the context in which it happens.

7 Paw Lift This dog looks worried! Ears are back, slight crinkling and tension across the brow, tight face/mouth closed, eyes wide, leaning back, and lifting paw. Unsure about something! Perhaps it is a combination of things camera pointing at the dog, hears a noise behind him that worries him etc. Sniffing the Ground Sure there may be interesting things to sniff on the ground, but you often see this behaviour amongst a group of dogs, perhaps at the dog park, and can often serve as a calming down behaviour, often called a displacement behaviour. Look here guys, this is interesting, perhaps in an attempt to distract the other dogs if a greeting or situation is too intense, or because the situation is too overwhelming. Freezing This behaviour is often seen when two or more dogs are interacting. One or both dogs may freeze their body and become very still, they are uncertain what to do and may hope the other dog leaves them alone. It is also often seen just before dogs growl, snap or bite, as a warning to back off. In the latter case, the freeze may only occur for a split second.

8 Scratching Sure dog s get itchy, but often (in context remember!), scratching can be a displacement or calming signal. Perhaps the dog is a bit nervous or uncertain and wants to indicate to other dogs to calm down, or the dog is distracting itself from and avoid responding to whatever is causing the stress. A displacement behavior reflects a dog s emotional state. It may indicate a dog is indecisive, needs more information, is buying time to contemplate the next move, or is overwhelmed. Similar to how we scratch our heads when deciding how to deal with a certain situation! Curving It is much more polite for dogs to approach each other in a curve, rather than head on. Unfortunately it is often human nature to approach something head on, and most dogs don t like it and can feel threatened by it. In the pictures below, notice the white dog in the left photo curving in a polite way to greet the other dog. In the photo on the left, the Collie is curving perhaps trying to calm the direct stare of the Doberman and indicate she is no threat.

9 Remember the 2 photos of Rubee? Picture 1: Happy, Relaxed. Why? Ears: Forward, pricked in anticipation Brow: Relaxed, no crinkly lines Eyes: Soft, slightly squinty, iris visible Mouth: Open, can see tips of canines, tongue relaxed Body: Although sitting, can see tip of tail was probably moving, and she looks balanced. Picture 2: Undecided/Fearful Why? Was Rubee was worried by a noise in that split second? Ears: Held back, but not pinned Brow: No lines, but looks more tense Eyes: Wide, but soft, pupils dilated Mouth: Closed, tense Body: Leaning back Dogs are individuals. Take this information as a guideline and not law! Behaviour is fluid and constantly changing. Observe your dogs as much as possible and take into consideration the context in which the behaviour is happening. The more you practice the better you will get. You can help your dog if they are concerned or afraid, learn how to avoid scary incidents and know when to back off a little to help your dog overcome something scary. Getting good at reading dog body language will be one of the best things you can do as a dog owner, for you and your dog!

10 References and Links Alexander, S (nd) What Is My Dog Trying to Tell me? Modern Dog Magazine Aloff, B (2005) Canine Body A Photographic Guide Dogwise Wenatchee USA Aloff, B (2002) Aggression in Dogs; Practical Management, Prevention & Behaviour Modification Dogwise Wenatchee USA Anderson, E (2014) Is That Smiling Dog Happy, Eileenanddogs Wordpress Anderson, E. (2014) Your Too Close! Dogs and Body Pressure, Eileenanddogs Wordpress Horowitz, A (2009) What Dogs See, Smell and Know Scribner NY Rugaas, Turid (2006) On Talking Terms wih Dogs: Calming Signals Dogwise Publishing, Washington USA Great websites