Best Life Dog Training Blog

Over the weekend, my husband and I were visiting a nearby neighborhood.  As we waited in our car for the gate to open so we could drive in, a large dog barked at us from inside his kennel.  His tail, held high, wagged quickly from side to side.  

My husband made a comment about how he was happy to see us because his tail was wagging.  

Just a few days prior, a similar exchange happened with a friend just a few days prior when she relayed an experience with another friend’s dog. 

I realized in those moments how I had failed.  

I had failed in sharing knowledge on how to read your dog’s body language.  Let’s fix that today.

Body language is your key to learn how to effectively communicate with your dog and understand them better. This is HUGE in preventing reactions and assessing your dog’s stress levels.

The topic is broad and there are a lot of different areas to look at to read your dog.  I like to break it down into 5 areas:  Ears, Eyes, Tail, Mouth, and Movement.

Ears

A dog’s ears can share quite a bit of information.  When a dog is stressed, they may flatten their ears (“airplane” ears).  Some dogs may tense their ears and pitch them forward.  

Eyes

Whale eye (showing the whites of the eyes) is a common stress signal for dogs.  Dogs may also blink slower or faster, hard stare, or dart their eyes around in various directions.  

Tail

Most people recognize a tucked tail is a sign of fear.  However, a wagging tail does always mean a happy dog!  Generally speaking, I like to see a loose, relaxed tail wag.  A helicopter tail wag can mean happy anticipation.   However, a tail that is held high and wagging very fast (“tiktok tail”) can mean the dog is over threshold.   

Mouth

The mouth is more subtle and takes some practice to recognize.  Dogs can have a tight smile, holding tension in their commissures.  When a dog is stressed, they may get a wide spatula tongue.

Movement

Dogs will move toward the trigger in an attempt to get the trigger to run off.  Dogs may also stop movement by standing still and freezing.  Some dogs become very active when they are feeling anxious and have their  head on a swivel. A dog going belly up can mean they want pets, but it can also mean they are trying to rely they are not a threat and prefer to be left alone.   

Body language can be involuntary and behavioral responses as well!  

When a dog is feeling threatened or stressed, involuntarily changes happen like respiration rate panting, shedding, sweaty paws, yawning, shaking off, enlarged pupils, piloerection, muscle spasms, and body tension.  

Dogs also have behavioral responses like turning their head away, lip licking, sniffing, leaning away or leaning towards being touched, scratching, or slowing down walking speed.

It’s important to note that all of this should be taken into context.  A dog that is panting isn’t necessarily stressed if he’s been for a walk on a warm day.  

A word on growling….

Be thankful for the growl.  Hear me out.  All dog’s have a stress ladder.  When a dog is stressed out by that stranger petting them, perhaps they licked their lips and turned their head away.  But these subtle signs were missed – they did not work for the dog.  

So the dog learns he needs to ask louder for what he wants (usually more space).  

When lip licks, head turns, whale eyes, shake-offs, scratches, or other subtle signs are missed, your dog will learn what is effective and that is often growling.  

Do not punish the growl!  Your dog is asking as nicely as possible to be effective.  If you scold or punish the growl, your dog will only learn they cannot safely communicate with you.  Trust will erode.

Growls that are ignored or punished will be escalated and the next steps are often snapping and biting.  

Make sure you aren’t making this common mistake

Now that you are picking up and recognizing your dog’s body language, make sure you aren’t putting emotions behind it.  Check out this blog post for more!  

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What body language signs do you observe in your dog?   Share in the comments!