Body Language
Overview
A dog’s main communication is through their body language. They have many different signals they use to express their emotional state ranging from very subtle to in your face.
When you start to learn their language you can predict a behavior that’s about to happen. Dogs are very honest with communication and don’t beat around the bush. A lot of people will say their dog reacted aggressively without warning but typically they did offer a subtler signal but it was missed or ignored.
Their body language can be very subtle. There is no single body feature that is a reliable predictor of what the dog is trying to say. Just because the dog’s tail is wagging does not mean they are happy. You need to look at the body as a whole as well as any environmental factors. How’s the tail? Ears? Body posture? Is there something nearby? Was there a loud sound?
Not every movement from a dog is a form of communication. They may be scratching because they have an itch, or it could actually be a displacement activity. The signals dogs use are universal among all dogs from around the world and they communicate to humans and other animals with the same signals.
When first learning how to read and understand your dogs body language; try not to assign any emotional tags to what you think your dog is feeling (anxious, fearful, happy). Simply start pointing out what you see without any assumptions. It can help if you video tape your dog when someone comes in the house or if there’s another dog around. Watch the video back in slow speed/framing through it and write down all potential signals you see. Combine what you noticed with the context of the environment and see what conclusion you come up with for how your dog was feeling in that moment. These moments are just that, moments. They come and go quickly so it can be easy to miss and assess with the naked eye.
The quicker you can start to learn what your dog is trying to tell you about their emotional state the sooner you’ll have a better relationship as the dog will finally be thinking, “Finally! Someone who understands me!”
Videos
These videos will help you learn how to start reading your dogs body language so you can better understand their state of mind and act accordingly. There are more videos throughout the handout as well.
Basic Signals
Ears
Ears need to be observed in context and in combination with other body postures.
Ears back could signal appeasement or a fearful or defensive state.
Ears pointing forward reflect a more bold or offensive dog.
Observe your dog in a neutral state then take note of ear positions in different situations along with their other body signals.
Eyes
Pay attention to your dog’s eyes. Are they staring at your purposefully or avoiding looking at you? Is your dog focused on another dog/person/thing?
Direct, prolonged eye contact with hard, cold eyes is usually indicative of an offensive threat. Reduce this eye contact with other dogs/humans by standing between them or blocking their view some how (blanket over a crate).
A dog that looks away and avoids eye contact may be indicating fear or submission. Anxious dogs may scan their environment over and over. These dogs are hard to get to maintain eye contact with their owner since they aren’t comfortable in their environment.
Dogs that are frightened may turn their head away but still want to keep their eye on the potential threat. This creates what’s known as “whale eye”, where you are able to see more whites of their eyes.
Defensive or fearful dog’s pupils might dilate. Their eyes will appear very black and large.
Dogs see on the yellow-blue-green spectrum. They do not have red cones. Therefore they see the world in yellows, blues and shades of grey in between.
Mouth, Muzzle, Teeth & Tongue
More often than not the first sign of communication is a stiffening/hardening of the face. Wrinkles or furrows may appear on the forehead or corners of the mouth.
When showing teeth as an offensive threat, the lips retract vertically so the canine teeth are showing. When showing teeth defensively the lips are more horizontally retracted.
A submissive “grin” has the lips drawn back and down at the corners. Some dogs do this as a submissive greeting. Often referred to as a smile.
Scenting organs are located in the roof of the mouth. Dog’s extend their tongue out and bring them back in to receive olfactory information from the environment.
Dogs in a conflict situation will do what’s called a “lip lick”, sticking their tongue out and bringing it back in a very quick motion.
Tail
A wagging tail does NOT always mean a friendly dog. It is simply a sign of excitement or arousal. It’s also thought of as a sign of a willingness to interact, though that doesn’t mean it will be a peaceful interaction.
A more dominant dog will hold their tail high, moving the tip back and forth quickly. This is a sign you should probably interrupt the interaction.
A lower tail, with a faster wag and more of a sweeping motion is a sign of a more subordinate happy dog.
Observe your dog’s tail position when they are emotionally neutral. Then observe changes of the tail in various contexts, compare this with what you understand about the rest of the dog’s communication to get a better idea of what your dog is feeling.
Baseline Posture
When a dog is relaxed their entire body shows that relaxation. They are fluid and move gracefully.
When a dog is aroused they will look rigid and hard, their gait will be less flexible.
Mutual Curving Nose to Tail
This is a form of greeting behavior. Friendly greetings may include submissive behaviors.
A friendly dog usually approaches another with somewhat relaxed body and wagging tail. If they are somewhat unsure they will be stiff and the tail will be held up stiff and high.
Friendly dogs might lick each other’s faces and sniff their rear ends.
Play Bow
The act of the dog placing their front legs on the ground with their rear end high in the air, seems to act as a social facilitator. It may invite play and some think it serves to make sure any playful growling or body postures are not taken in the wrong way.
Some also think of the play bow as a signal of their internal state of confusion. The dog is ready to do something but is not quite sure what to do.
The most common interpretation is that the play bow is a cue telling others that what will happen next is not serious, it’s just play.
Personal Space
Overview
Dogs are very concerned about their personal space. Many confrontations result from space issues. Much of a dogs communicative behavior is indicating their tolerance to having other dogs/people approach. A dogs tolerance of how much space they are comfortable with changes depending on the environment and context.
If someone or something comes too close they have entered their critical space zone. Once this happens a dog may display much more obvious signs that they are uncomfortable or they may feel the need to fight, flee or freeze.
Imagine your dog’s critical space as an imaginary line circling your dog. The circle can grow or shrink depending on the individual dog and other factors such as environment, arousal level and stress threshold.
Traffic Light Analogy
The traffic light analogy is used to help you understand your dogs personal space and how they feel about it. These feelings can change in each dog depending on where the dog is, who is approaching, and other variables.
Traffic light colors have different meanings: red means stop, yellow means caution, and green means go. A dog with a friendly or neutral reaction to someone approaching is a green light. For other dogs, the signal might be red. Just being within sight of another dog might be a violation of personal space, regardless of distance. Some dogs are predictable when it comes to distance, other dogs may have a variety of factors besides actual space that have an impact on where the line is drawn that day. Watch your dog and they will tell you what you need to know.
Green Light: “It’s a go! Meet me! Everything is A-OK! I have no space problems!” Due to adequate socialization, personality, environment and familiarity with the approaching individual the dog is saying '“I’m not worried, it’s ok to approach”. Their body language will be relaxed or excited. Be watchful: the dog may turn from green to yellow as the individual gets closer.
Yellow Light: “Caution! I’m a bit worried. Please don’t stress me further, I might not be under control.” This dog needs more work before anyone enters their space. They may show appeasement language or offensive or defensive threatening behavior. This dog needs to feel secure that no one will enter their space uninvited. They will need more time and positive experiences at a distance before the yellow will turn to a green.
Red Light: “Stop! I’m very afraid or very angry - I might not be under control!” The dog has defined at that moment in time their critical personal space. The dog does not want that space violated. They may make a last-ditch effort to keep people or dogs out of their zone. A defensive dog would rather leave or back up if given the option but sometimes due to short leashes that’s not possible.
Always Work Below Threshold
When helping socialize your dog or counter conditioning their responses to stimuli it’s important to work at the proper distance. You need your dog to not enter the red light zone. If you see them entering the yellow zone then you need to either make sure they don’t fall further to the red zone or create more distance so you bring them back to the green zone. Dog’s value their space!
Stress Behavior
Overview
Almost any reactive state can produce stress. Social situations and fearful situations are two examples of reactive states. Stress is an influence on the dog that changes the dog from their neutral, normal baseline state. It can make the dog more active or less active than normal. It can be a happy state or an unhappy one. Stress is abstract and subjective. What’s terribly stressful for one dog could be neutral for another.
There’s good and bad stress. Stress in manageable doses has a positive effect on training. It can help to perform to their potential. Too much stress limits the learning process because of chemical influence in the brain. Stressors leading to fear and anxiety behaviors activate the dog’s fight, flight or freeze responses. Too much stress can produce illness because stress hormones can accumulate and take a long time to dissipate.
No matter what, we stress a dog a little even in the most positive training programs. Withholding a reward to increase behavior could be stressful for the dog. Stress is linked with many behavior and training problems. Dogs under stress are more likely to have an aggressive act as a result of frustration.
Common Signs of Stress
If you see clusters of two or more of these signs, think of how you can manipulate the environment to make your dog more comfortable.
Panting - A dog that pants when not hot may be stressed. It could be an indicator of physical problems.
Drooling - Look for a deeper cause of stress if drooling cant’ be tied to anticipation of food, sexual arousal, or an upset stomach.
Trembling - Look for clusters of signs but shaking can be one indicator of stress. They may be trembling from the cold but if it’s not cold it could be a different stressor at work.
Sweaty Paws - See wet paw prints on the floor? It could be stress as dogs perspire through their paw pads.
Tense Body - Rigidity is an indication your dog is stressed. Sometimes you have to touch them to feel it, other times it’s clearly visible. Look for clenched mouth and jaws.
Shedding - Dog’s anxiety causes tensing of the body, which helps loose fur work it’s way out.
Change in Eyes - If it’s not that dark out but your dog is wide eyed and pupils are dilated then it could be a sign of stress. Frightened dogs will show more whites of their eyes as they are turning away.
Fearful Behavior
Fearful behavior is contextual. A dog can be afraid of some things but not others. Fearful behaviors are caused by experiences the dog considers risky. Fear doesn’t necessarily have to do with social hierarchy. A dog can be subordinate to, but not afraid of, other individuals. Dogs can be fearful without being threatening or aggressive.
The physiological indicators of fear are the release of adrenaline, cortisol, and other chemicals into the body. We can’t see this, but we can see the change in the dog’s body language and behavior. If given the opportunity the dog’s first reaction to fear is to move away to increase space. The overall body language is low; the dog tucks his tail, avoids eye contact, and will pull or flatten his ears into a backward position. His eyes may be dilated.
Most owners assume a dog has been abused if they react fearfully to harmless situations. This may be true some of the time, but it’s more likely that the dog has not been well-socialized.
Freezing, panting, trembling, or whining are other common fearful behaviors. When a dog is afraid, they may be reluctant or refuse to approach the dog or person.
Reactive, Excitable Behavior
A dog is considered reactive if they display any behavior (fearful, aggressive, friendly) that goes beyond the behavior of a “normal” dog in frequency, intensity, or duration. Reactive dogs have poor impulse control. Their energy builds up and if untrained, is not always released at the appropriate time. They will bounce into action when they feel the need.
Some dogs have an unreasonably strong reaction to events in comparison with other dogs. A highly reactive dog may do spins and jumps while they see other dogs or people on the street. A less reactive dog would not show such extreme behaviors. If you bring out a strange item for a game (like a cone), one dog may cringe on first sight of this new object. A more normal response would be for the dog to take notice and attempt to investigate.
Ambivalence
Ambivalence means being in conflict. The dog is unsure, unclear, undecided, and the body postures might show both offensive and defensive components at the same time. They may be staring but backing up, then may lunge forward. In a greeting situation, a dog can display mixed language that shows he is friendly and fearful. Which way the dog goes depends on the environment and how the other individual responds to the greeting. Ignoring them is typically the best approach.
Displacement Behaviors
Displacement behaviors are signs that the dog is unsure of themself or anxious about how to behave. They can be early warning signs telling you the dog is feeling threatened or fearful. They are signs that a dog is in conflict or frustrated and trying to hold it together, while deciding what to do.
Perhaps they are thinking of fleeing, but realize they are in a corner or on a leash. If retreating isn’t an option, they may consider a threatening motion forward to try to increase the space around them.
Common displacement behaviors are yawning, lip licking, and scratching. These behaviors can occur for other reasons, but when they seem out of context they are usually a displacement activity. When these behaviors are because of displacement they tend to happen with a higher frequency. Your dog may yawn occasionally when they are neutral but when they are stressed they will likely yawn repeatedly.
Displacement behaviors indicate a dog is in conflict; all is not well!
Calming Signals
Dog specialist Turid Rugaas is credited with coining the term “calming signals”. She explains them as cues that produce pacifying effects on the animal exhibiting them. She believes that the signals have a mutually pacifying effect that stops hostilities before they have a chance to escalate into more serious conflict. These signs are often associated with an attempt to resolve a social conflict.
They might appear to pet owners as out of place for the context. Clusters of calming signals will alert you to observe carefully. Make adjustments to the environment, most likely creating more space.
Yawning - Dogs yawn when things are getting tense.
Lip Lick - A quick little flick of the tongue often goes unnoticed. It’s another way for the dog to convey the same calming message. Yawning and lip licking will often appear in photographs because posing for a photo can be stressful.
Scratching - A dog that scratches themself even though they aren’t itchy may be diffusing a potential conflict.
Turning Away, Curving - Dogs will turn their eyes, head, or their whole body away from a problem. This curving aways indicates a less threatening demeanor. Humans can do this as well to communicate with their dog.
Sniffing - Dogs use their nose to explore, but excessive sniffing can be a calming signal. They aren’t quite sure about what is going on so they employ this stalling tactic.
Blinking, Averting Eyes - Dogs approaching each other look away or make exaggerated eye blinks as a coping mechanism. You can gain the confidence of a worried dog by quickly avoiding eye contact and turning away. (I do this A LOT!)
Paw Lift - Similar to the sniffing, yawning, and lip licking this is where a dog raises one of their paws to show they are a little unsure or cautious. Some breeds of dogs do this as a pointing technique and not a calming signal, though it can be used for both. Always observe the context!
Conflict Resolution
Overview
Animals living in groups depend on each other for survival. It’s in the groups best interest to co-exist peacefully. Groups need a means to avoid or resolve social or competitive disputes without injury. Two general categories for resolving conflict are fight or flight.
In scientific terms, the behaviors used in response to social conflict or competitive encounters are called agonistic behaviors. In everyday language these sometimes get lumped incorrectly into aggressive behavior.
Aggression is an extreme (and rare) example of agonistic behavior, but the following categories, which are all forms of agonistic behavior are more helpful in dealing with dogs.
Here are some options dogs have to resolve social or competitive disputes:
Avoidance
One choice is to simply leave or flee, and avoid the potentially threatening situation altogether. Dogs will signal this intention to flee by backing away, or getting under or behind a chair or their owner. Dogs that are prevented by backing up by a tight leash are forced to select another option.
Appeasement
Dogs may make the choice to resolve social conflict by displaying behaviors that try to turn off or inhibit perceived threats from others. These are the “calming signals”.
Submission
This is different from appeasement. Behaviors labelled as submissive are shown toward people or dogs that have an established relationship with the dog. While respect for their leader is important, an overly submissive dog could pose a training problem. Positive methods and a change in relationship are in order. Submissive dogs may be conflicted. These dogs may be willing to approach unfamiliar people and then act submissive when they do.
Submission includes a wide range of postures, which are often sub-categorized as active or passive submission. Dogs assume submissive postures and may even urinate while doing so in an attempt to inhibit threats coming from another.
Active Submission
Passive Submission
Threats of Aggression & Aggression
A dog that feels in danger in the presence of another person/dog may try to keep that scary thing away. One way they do it is by warning of possible future aggression. The goal of this threat is not to cause physical injury but simply to warn the other to stop. These dogs can be quite dramatic with their lunging snarl-barks, and even snapping - just short of bodily contact. Air snaps are inhibited bites, they could have connected but chose to threaten in hopes to stop any further interaction.
Threats and aggression are on a continuum anywhere from a subtle warning to an all-out attack. Aggression is often the result of frustration or some type of inner conflict. Keep this in mind whenever you are training your dog or out and about with them.
Offensive Motivation for Threats/Aggression
The offensively threatening or aggressive dog is fearless, assertive, and self-confident. The body in general is up and forward from their neutral body posture. In general the offensively threatening dog makes themselves look bigger and faces the problem straight on.
The hackles (hair) along the back of the dog may be raised. The tail might be elevated higher than normal and wagging slowly. Ears will be up and forward. They maintain eye contact. The dog may show teeth, growl or bark. If given options, they will be willing to lunge at and chase people and dogs out of their critical zone.
Think of warriors with a spear and shield. If they are using the shield they are being defensive, if they are using the spear they are offensive and ready to attack others. The offensive one is calling the shots and commanding the situation. A truly offensive dog is very difficult for the average dog owner to manage. Luckily they are very rare.
Defensive Motivation for Threats/Aggression
A dog showing defensive postures looks the opposite of the offensive dog. They don’t want to use the spear. They want to stay behind their shield. The dog is hesitant, nervous, distrustful, fearful and hopes the scary thing just goes away.
They are trying to protect themselves from real or perceived harm. The body will be low to the ground, as if trying to protect their vulnerable parts. The hackles may be up. They typically avoid eye contact. Ears and tail will be down. They may growl and bark or whine and whimper. They may lunge a little forward but then immediately retreat.
Although these may seem like brave behaviors for a dog that is scared, it could be because the dog has learned that those behaviors (like lunging) tend to work to make the perceived threat go away. Or they may be confused and ambivalent.
Conflicted or Mixed Motivation for Threats/Aggression
Some dogs just can’t make up their minds. They will shift back and forth between offensive and defensive actions. Their body language reflects the confusion and in turn can be difficult to interpret.
Your immediate response should be to diffuse the situation. The best neutralizer is space. Create distance and as soon as you see your dog start showing signs that they are reaching their emotional threshold. Another approach to diffuse the situation is to keep your dog busy and focused on a rewarding task.
Make sure you evaluate why the threat occurred and take steps to not let it get to that point again.
Triggers, Categories & Reasons for Threats/Aggression
The following are various terms used when referring to reasons for aggression or reactivity. Categories are arbitrary and they overlap. Some dogs are aggressive due to triggers from more than one category occurring at the same time. It seems the motivations are the same regardless if it’s a dog-to-dog interaction or dog-to-human. Try to describe the behavior instead of label it.
Fear - Fear is a defensive type of aggression that occurs when an animal perceives their physical safety is threatened or when their critical space has been invaded. Fearfully aggressive dogs will not generally chase their opponent or continue an attack once the opponent has retreated outside of the critical distance. Fear-motivated aggression is associated with defensive body postures. Fear seems to be the main trigger of threats and aggression.
Dominance - This term is heard often and seems to be a popular label for threats and aggression. It’s usually not well-defined. This type of aggression can be triggered when another individual (human or dog) in the social living group fails to display the proper appeasement behavior. It can be triggered when an individual attempts to take possession of a valued resource: the bone, couch, ball. This is not a personality trait or emotion but a reaction to a social situation. The body language appears more offensive than defensive.
Possessive - Possessive aggression happens when the dog has a valued resource such as a bed, toy or food and does not want to share. This can be tied to dominance aggression, territorial aggression or guarding behavior. This type of aggression may have offensive and defensive body language.
Protective - When a dog is defending one or more members of its social group, it might be termed protective aggression. This can be tied to material aggression or territorial aggression as a special type of protective aggression that includes the defense of a home or breeding area. This type of aggression may have offensive and defensive body language.
Territorial - Territorial aggression is shown when a dog is defending their home area or social group. Is this possessive aggression or protective aggression? These are the grey areas. A dog’s sense of territory may extend beyond what you find appropriate like a park they visit every day. This type of aggression may have offensive and defensive body language.
Pain-related - This is defensive aggression seen in response to physical pain or discomfort. This is sometimes labelled as fearful aggression. Be alert for a dog that might be in pain and visit the vet just to be safe.
Redirected - If a dog is prevented or blocked from attacking their primary target they may redirect toward any individual who is within reach.
Socially-Facilitated - This is sometimes called pack-facilitated aggression. If one or more dogs in a group display aggressive behavior, it is easier for the others in the group to follow suite.
Predatory Behavior
Predatory behavior is sometimes listed as a form of aggression. Most authorities do not consider predatory behavior to be aggression because the intent is to obtain food. It is not displayed as a reaction to social conflicts. It’s directed towards individuals or objects moving away such as joggers, bicyclists, or skateboarders, which stimulate predatory-like behavior. Or small animals like a squirrel or cat. Some dogs will chase a cat if the cat runs but if the cat stops the dog does nothing. Some attacks on children are probably motivated by predatory behavior. The dog perceives the quick jerky movements and high-pitched vocalizations of children as similar to the behavior of prey animals.
Stalking, chasing, and nipping at the legs or ankles are characteristics of predatory behavior. It has nothing to do with malice. The fisherman doesn’t hate the fish, he just wants to catch a meal. Catching prey is not emotional. It is business-like and based on instinct.
The term predatory drift most often refers to dog-to-dog interactions. Dogs can be getting along fine, when suddenly something causes a heightened arousal level, which triggers a limbic response, making one dog regard the other as prey.