Author: Adrian Fletcher
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.
Let's start with the fun things first. A dog that has it's rear in the
air and tail wagging is generally in a happy or playful mood. This will
be accompanied by a prancing or jumping motion. The head will be
lowered to the ground but the eyes will be focused on you or the object
that is causing the dog to act playful. The mouth will be open in a
smile.
Dogs will also show submission to you as a superior in their pack or to
other dogs that they feel are superior. The most obvious sign of this
is when they roll over revealing their belly. Other forms of submission
are a lowering of the head, ears and eyes as they walk towards you. The
tail may wag gently in 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.
Body language that indicates aggression is similar to an alerted
behavior however there is one important distinction. The hackles are
generally raised. the hackles are the fur between the should blades at
the join between the torso and the neck. this will really be obvious as
the hair stands erect. The eyes will stare intently at the subject of
potential aggression to the extent that the whites around the cornea
will be visible. the eyes will look wild or straining because of this.
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.
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