| By Rachel Ackerman of Pawsitivity |
As all loving dog owners know, dogs are expressive and emotional creatures. They communicate when they’re sad, happy, excited, fearful, angry, or anxious. Their language is elaborate and sophisticated, using eyes, ears, faces, tails, mouths, fur, and body posture. While describing every mood and its signals would be enough to fill a book, we’ve decided to share with you a few of the lesser-known signals your dog may be giving you. Of course, to truly interpret what any dog is saying, you must take her behavior in context, so please use caution and common sense when approaching or communicating with any dog.
The happy roll: Katie’s dog Boo does this when he’s content, usually after a meal or a long walk. He goes out into the yard and “itches” his back on the grass, tail wagging, belly up. I love this one!
The yawn: Sometimes dogs yawn to calm themselves or when they are happy, much like a cats uses purring. When offered as a signal between dogs, or even between human and dog, a yawn says, “Hey, just relax, I’m cool.” The dog may be a little unsure of another dog’s intentions and wants to assure him that he does not want to start a quarrel.
When a dog is communicating with a human, a yawn often means that he doesn’t like what you are doing, but doesn’t want to challenge your authority. In the grooming environment, we occasionally see this when brushing or drying — usually from a dog who knows us well: it is a way to complain. If a dog who doesn’t know you well gives a dramatic yawn, this is a clear warning. He may actually bite you. It’s best to stop what you are doing and move away.
Play bow: Most of us know this one: the rear end up, tail wagging, front end bowed down. “Let’s play!” Another favorite of ours, and one we see between pals at the spa all the time! Our client Brady is a large white Standard Poodle who often play bows toward smaller dogs to let them know he’s safe to play with!
Tail held high: Most people recognize that the tail between the legs indicates a fearful dog, but few realize that tails held high should alert you to be cautious as well. Your dog may hold her tail high when super excited and happy, but it will go up as well when she is highly stimulated for other reasons. A stiff high tail — even if it is wagging — means that she is exerting dominance or protectiveness.
Lying with one paw tucked under or with front paws crossed: This posture signals that the dog is comfortable and relaxed, but alert. When a dog is completely relaxed, he will lie curled up on his side or even on his back. When he’s comfortable but still interested in what’s going on, he will often hold his head up high, lie on his chest or belly, and tuck one paw under or cross the front paws. If he wasn’t comfortable, he would keep all four paws on the floor so as to be ready to spring into action if needed. Rachel’s dog Jessie, when at the spa, spends most of the day lying with her paws crossed, observing the goings-on.
Lip licking: While lip licking is common when hungry or just after eating, it can also be a clear signal of stress. Lip licking may mean your dog is fearful or nervous. Stress can cause excessive salivation, so often when dogs are uncomfortable they will lick their lips and swallow a lot.
Head cocked to one side: This is a sign of curiosity or anticipation. We find it adorable to snap photos of this gesture after asking if they want a treat, or the classic “Who’s a good boy?” However, let us not forget that our dogs are simply exhibiting how intelligent they are. They use their ears to size up and understand the situation. A dog that is confident she is safe will be curious, not afraid. Our client Miss Kinko tilts her head when her mom picks her up and asks her if she wants to go visit doggie friends!
Staring: While we love to imagine it’s devotion that motivates our fur babies to stare intently at us, they’re likely looking to us for direction or with desire for food, treats, or simply our attention. Staring between dogs, or between a dog and a human he doesn’t know, is a sign of dominance or aggression. Because of this, a dog is unlikely to maintain eye contact with a new owner or any person he doesn’t know well. But over time, as the dog learns to trust you, he is very likely to stare at you. Dogs’ capability of reading us is a large part of why they evolved into the domesticated companions they are today.
If a dog—including your own— seems uncomfortable, do not maintain eye contact. This communicates that you are asserting dominance, which in a dog’s language is an attempt to start a conflict.
Smiling: Dogs who smile are one of our favorite things, because it shows how far a dog will go from his own communication standards just to communicate with humans. In their own language, dogs never show teeth except to communicate aggression. However, some dogs who are particularly in tune with human communication will occasionally pull their lips back and show all their teeth in what looks like a snarl. They are actually imitating our smiling communication between humans, and are saying that they like you and are happy to see you. The way to know whether this is the dog’s intent is to look at their overall body language.
Often a true smile is accompanied by a sneeze! If the dog is not maintaining eye contact, his body is loose, his tail is wagging side-to-side, and he is showing his teeth and sneezing, he is smiling at you! If he is showing teeth with a tense body, his tail is up or down, and he is staring at you or looking at you from the corners of his eyes, that is aggression.
We find all of these non-verbal communications fascinating and very useful to us here at the spa. We urge you as a pet owner to brush up on dog body-signals, particularly if you have children. Dogs never bite without warning, so knowing the warning signs — especially the subtle ones — can make our cohabitation with dogs safer. They do their best to learn our language, so it’s a kindness for us to do the same!
We hope you found these tidbits interesting and useful. Please remember to exercise caution with all unfamiliar dogs. Listen to and respect the signals your dog gives you — especially those looks that say “treat, please!”
Having worked in a variety of pet salon settings since 2005, Rachel Ackerman founded Pawsitivity Pet Spa in West Asheville in 2014. Her goal is to offer her canine clients a grooming experience with the same level of quality, cleanliness, and comfort as is expected in the human spa industry. To learn more, visit www.pawsitivitypetspa.com, or contact Rachel at 828-505-8278 or [email protected]. Rachel wrote this month’s pet article with the help of one of Pawsitivity’s assistants, Katie Maloney.
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