Canine Body Language: Understanding Your Dog part 2

Calming Signals

Dogs have a variety of non-aggressive skills they use to avoid confrontation. These are called calming signals. They will also use these when they feel stressed or uncomfortable with another dog, situation or person. Below are some of the calming signals dogs use

Moving Slowly

A dog intending to use signals, upon seeing another dog in the distance, will start to move slowly. This exaggerated slow motion is a calming signal and one that can be used early and effectively when meeting. For example, joggers, bicycles, and children approaching quickly may appear as a threat.

Moving in an Arc

Rarely upon first meetings will dogs approach each other nose to nose. More frequently dogs approach each other in curving lines, walk beyond each other’s nose to sniff rear ends while standing side to side. Most apprehensive dogs are more easily approached by people if not confronted head on.

Sitting or Lying

These positions are probably the most graphic calming signals of all and you can see them being used in active play sessions. A dog will spontaneously drop when things get out of control. How many dogs, when receiving a reprimand from the owner will sit or lie down?

Blinking, Averting Eyes, Turning Away

When a dog approaches another, it is a very interesting moment in time for those individuals. Why then, do we see dogs looking away, exaggerating an eye blink or turning their heads away from approaching dogs? Is it disinterest, distraction or a calming signal? A direct stare can be very intimidating, so by blinking or averting the eyes, dogs will try to calm each other down.

Sniffing the Ground

Dogs use their nose to explore their environment, but at times sniffing can also be a calming signal and can often be seen when dogs are meeting. Owners have attributed out of context sniffing as a stalling tactic. If one looks at it strictly in terms of dog behaviour, it is more likely being used as a calming signal in response to stress. For example, in trying to recall a dog the owner shouts “Dogs name, COME!” The dog approaches slowly, in a curve, and then pauses to sniff. Is she being “naughty” or could it be conflict resolution? Has her past experience taught her that “Come!” is often followed by an unpleasant consequence – time to go home, time to come away from something more interesting, time to receive a punishment?

What tone of voice, body posture and facial expressions are being used when calling the dog?

Yawning

Perhaps the most intriguing of all signals is yawning. While it is true that a dog may just be sleepy, observation will often show that the dog is using it as a calming signal. People can also use this signal to help calm a dog.

Lip Licking

This quick little flick of the tongue is language that often goes unnoticed because it is shadowed by more overt signals such as yawning, moving away or even staring.

Dogs have threatening signals just as they have calming signals. If you read the list you can see how the way people act can be interpreted as aggressive by the dog: staring, approaching head-on, standing over another dog, growling, barking, and baring their front teeth with a tight mouth.

Dogs may greet their owner like Figure 1 below when they come home and the dog has chewed something. The owner often interprets this as the dog feeling guilty for what he or she has done and often feel (even more) justified to punish the dog as “the dog knows “it’s” done wrong”.

Hopefully, you recognise now, that this dog is merely picking up on the owner’s body language and tone of voice (or has been told off in the past when the owner has come home to a chewed object) and is trying to appease the owner and avoid a confrontation.

We hope you have enjoyed reading this article and find it a useful tool when trying to determine your best friends body language! Be sure to visit our blog next week for more interesting tips and topics. And if you missed Part 1 of the article, here is the link:

https://www.mybestfrienddogcare.co.uk/canine-body-language-3/