Dog Body Language – Understanding Your Dog
A dog communicates with you by barking or through body language. Unlike humans, and like other animals, dogs communicate more via body language than barking. By understand common dog body language you will understand you pet better and have a closer relationship with him.
Once you have lived with your pet for a while his idiosyncrasies will be obvious but until them here are a few common signals in the meantime.
When dogs are happy or in a playful mood they will raise their hindquarters in the air and wag their tail. They may also prance or bounce about on their front legs. This is really obvious when they drop a ball in front of you hoping you will throw it for them. Their mouth will be open in a doggy smile.
A dogs body language will also reveal submission to you or other animals. Since you are the pack leader or a higher status in the pack according to your dog you should see signs of this on some occasions. Typically, submission involves rolling onto their back to expose the belly to you or the superior dog. If you are reprimanding a dog, it will walk to you with the head, eyes and ears lowered. The tail may wag but it will be in a lowered position between the legs.
A dog that is in a relaxed mood will have it’s weight evenly spread on the four legs. The tail may wag sporadically at a half raised position in a lazy fashion. It head will be raised and the eyes focused on you.
The dog will look the same if it is suddenly alerted to something. However it my start to put more weight on the front feet, leaning forward. The hair around the joint between the tail and back may raise up. The head will point in the direction of the noise with eyes focused and ears pricked towards the source of attention.
An aggressive demeanor is similar to an alerted body language with a few important and obvious differences. Firstly the dogs face and muzzle will look completely different. The lips will be raises to reveal the teeth and it may even start to snarl. The eyes may have a wild or strained look in them as the focus intensely on the object of their aggression. The hackles will be raised. This is the fur on the shoulder blades just below the top of the neck. The body may be prone or rigid in a state ready to attach or run away.
By understanding these signals, you can prevent possible problems from occurring. You can also understand when your pet is just playing or may have more serious intentions. You can also confirm that you are still the pack leader by watching your pets body language when you call it.
