Dog Body Language - Understanding Your Dog
Dog’s communicate with humans in two ways. They bark and they use body language. Barking is fairly limited and is more useful when you can’t see your pet. However body language is far more powerful. You can get a good sense of how your dog is feeling by understanding and studying his body language. This article will identify some of the meaning behind common dog body language.
The meaning of your pet’s body language will become clear once you have lived with him for a few years, until then however here are a few pointers about dog body language.
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.
The dog language of a dog in a relaxed mood is as you would expect. The dog’s weight will be even distributed and it will stand up straight. The tail may wag in a lazy way half way up. The head will be up, with the eyes focused on something that is of interest.
An alerted dog will have the same demeanor however the weight of the dog will be ever so slightly forward making appear to lean forward. The hair at the base of the tail may stand on it’s end. The ears will rise and point in the direction of the noise or disturbance.
An aggressive demeanor is similar to an alerted body language with a few important and obvious differences. Firstly the dogs face and muzzle will look completely different. The lips will be raises to reveal the teeth and it may even start to snarl. The eyes may have a wild or strained look in them as the focus intensely on the object of their aggression. The hackles will be raised. This is the fur on the shoulder blades just below the top of the neck. The body may be prone or rigid in a state ready to attach or run away.
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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