Understanding Dog Body Language for a Well Behaved Dog

Belly Rubs

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 23:33:00 +0000

I've seen a lot of mentions recently of research that supports the idea that dog behavior is not equivalent to wolf behavior. To me, this just makes common sense. An awful lot of dogs adore belly rubs and back scratches from people and are very motivated to get them, but as far as I know, there is no equivalent wolf behavior.

What do you think?

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Is leash agression a myth?

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 03:21:00 +0000

It's a known fact that many dogs are more aggressive when on the leash than they are when off leash. This is generally blamed on the restriction of being leashed. However, I suspect the problem has more to do with how humans act when dogs are on leash than the restriction of the leash. Over time, this may result in superstitious behavior on a dog's part when leashed, but only because humans have trained this behavior. When a dog is leashed, humans usually expect them (and train or force them) to behave politely according to human standards - these standards are often aggressive by dog standards. For instance, humans consider walking in a straight line to be polite and usually insist on it, dogs view doing so in the territory or presence of another dog as rude. Dog standards call for arching. Humans usually want to walk through an area briskly - particularly if another dog is barking at them; dogs consider sniffing to be the polite, and non-aggressive, response. People often encourage leashed dogs to greet each other by touching noses, again this can be a signal of aggression - a polite dog greeting is a quick tail sniff. Finally, I've often seen dogs who feel threatened attempt to hide behind their owner, only to have the leash shortened so they are forced to come stand beside their owner.

By forcing dogs to act in an aggressive manner and discouraging retreat behavior when on leash, you are ruling out the option to appease or submit to another dog and limiting dogs' options to escalating the aggression. So, what can we do to not teach leash aggression? We can encourage our dogs to sit perpendicular to the path or arch ourselves when passing another dog. We can allow - and even encourage - sniffing in the presence of other dogs, particularly dogs who appear threatened or aggravated by our presence. We can be our dogs' advocates and protect them from other dogs. We can encourage polite dog greetings and remove our dog from situations with rising aggression. Of course, if you have already trained your dog to be leash aggressive, it will take longer to turn things around than if you start from the beginning encouraging non-aggressive behavior even, and especially, on-leash.

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Sniffing OR I'm minding my own business here

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 05:27:00 +0000

Sniffing has a lot of functions for a dog. Dogs communicate by leaving scents for one another and dogs are excellent at using their noses to keep track of what is going around in the world around them. However, sniffing has a function beyond smelling. Sniffing (usually sniffing the ground) communicates to other dogs that the sniffing dog is just minding his or her own business and is not interested in trespassing, taking part in any dominance challenges or otherwise interacting with the other dogs.

Pico, seen here practicing her sniffing, is trained to sniff on command. This is very useful for walking past barking dogs and other dogs that might cause problems. Because this sends an appropriate message to the other dogs, she is comfortable doing this no matter what the other dogs do (although given her choice, she'd rather bark back at them!) Sniffing also works very well in situations where arching would not be appropriate - for instance when you need to pass another dog on a narrow path.

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Arching OR I'm Just Passing Through

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 05:21:00 +0000

It's probably not a surprise to anyone with a neighborhood dog that barks at everyone that walks by that dogs can be territorial and have strong feelings about who passes through their territory or personal space. Dogs need a way to let other dogs know that they are not impinging on the other's territory, just passing by or through. One of the ways they do this is arching. As one dog approaches another, rather than walk in a straight line (the most direct route), the approaching dog will walk in an arch around the other dog.

This is in direct contrast with human nature and leads to a lot of the problems with walking on a leash. When humans want to signal that they are just passing through, they attempt to travel the quickest route, an accompanying dog will want to make an arch through the area, which often results in pulling.

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The Grumpy Bitch - a little more than body language

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 22:39:00 +0000

In dog social situations, such as at the dog park, my dog, Pico, often eschews calming signals to be a grumpy bitch (bitch here in its original definition of female canine.) This is behavior that we humans tend to think is rude, but most dogs immediately understand and take in stride. Essentially, this is how a mother dog behaves with her puppies when they are getting old enough to be self-sufficient and they are bugging her. I've only seen this from bitches who have had at least one litter, but I would imagine that non-dams and males could pick it up by observation.

For Pico, this behavior follows a specific pattern. First she will move to a stance that shows she is uncomfortable with the situation standing with a rounded topline, erect tail, and braced legs (similar to the position she is displaying in this video.) If the dog or dogs in question don't take the clue and leave her alone at this point, she'll lift her lip when other dogs come too close. Next she moves to growling. If that doesn't work, she'll move to warning nips from a large distance - for instance she'll snap her teeth from a foot or more away. Adult dogs pretty much always "get it" early on and leave her alone. Sometimes puppies (or dogs that were removed from their dam and litter too early) don't get it. I always try to step in and protect Pico from dogs that are bugging her - that's part of our contract. I usually intervene by blocking Occasionally, on our walks we come across neighborhood puppies that are better at running off than their owner's expect and we need to corral the puppy until the owner catches up - so Pico has to put up with them. If her initial signals don't work, she gives up and just lies down and lets the offending puppies swarm all over her while she ignores them (though her eyes roll and you can see that she wishes that she'd never have to see a puppy again.)

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How Dogs Communicate With Other Species

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 22:54:00 +0000

Dog communicate with other species as if they are dogs unless and until they learn or are taught otherwise. Years ago, I had a rabbit that strongly objected to having his tail sniffed by dogs and when a single hop away did not discourage them, he would kick the dog in the face. Dogs that met him learned quickly not to greet rabbits as if they were dogs. It is much better for everyone if you carefully supervise your dog around other animals and train it to treat other animals in a manner that they will find mutually safe and respectful.

Dogs also try to communicate with humans like they communicate with dogs. (Of course, we do the same thing - or else you wouldn't catch so many of us chatting away at our dogs.) Some of these communication methods are benign or even useful to us if we learn to use them ourselves - like yawning, for instance. Some methods of dog communication are inappropriate for dogs to use with humans - like nose biting as a greeting - and the dog needs to be trained not to use them. Dogs will learn on their own what works and what doesn't, but that doesn't mean that you'll like what they decide is effective - like barking.

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Yawning

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 21:18:00 +0000

Because both humans and dogs naturally yawn, it is one of the easiest ways for humans to use body language to communicate with dogs. It is well documented that dogs use yawning to tell each other (and other animals) that everything is okay and there is nothing to worry about (i.e. a classic calming signal.)

What is less well-documented is that dogs will yawn looking for feedback or reassurance as well. In other words, in addition to saying "Hey, everything's fine," they'll ask "Everything's fine, right?" by yawning and looking for a yawn (or other reaction) in return. My dog, Pico, shown here caught mid-yawn, uses yawning in both these contexts all the time. It is her all-time favorite, calming signal. We use this in training all the time. If she is looking unsure or we are going into a situation that I know is difficult for her (such as needing to ignore a badly behaved dog ahead of us on the sidewalk), I'll just yawn at her. When we are practicing things like long stays or waits (or actually doing them in real life), I look at her and yawn so she knows she is doing the right thing. She will also yawn at me if she needs feedback that she's still doing the right thing. Over time, this has almost become a reward for her. Yawning is particularly useful in service dog public access training, because you can yawn at your dog in situations where verbal praise or treats would be distracting or inappropriate.

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Panting Dog - Take Two

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 01:57:00 +0000

Last week, we looked at a video of dog stress panting. This week, I got video of the same dog, my service dog Pico, demonstrating hot, tired panting. Notice how floppy the tongue is and the relaxed line of the head, ears and body. In this video, Pico is also lying down on her belly. In addition to being comfortable, particularly for a tired dog, dogs use lying down in this manner (as opposed to on their side) as a sign to others that it is time to slow down and calm things down. This is another sign that she's tired and ready to take a break.

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Calming Signals or Stress Signals?

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 06:19:00 +0000

Take a deep breath... Hold it... Release slowly...

Do you feel calmer or more relaxed?

We all pretty much know - or have heard - that deep breathing helps us humans relax and that if we are getting tense or angry that taking a deep breath can help us get our focus back. (It also raises our endorphin levels and lowers our adrenalin levels.) You may also have noticed that if one person starts taking slow deep breaths, others around them often will also start breathing slowly and deeply. You may also have noticed that people who are relaxed tend to breath more deeply and slowly.

So if people are breathing deeply and slowly, is that a sign of stress or relaxation? It can really be either one. A better description might be that the person is either relaxed or self-aware and in control of themself.

Dogs have a number of behaviors that they use similarly to how humans use deep breathing, such as yawning and nose licking. They will use these behaviors when they are stressed to calm themselves, but they also use them to tell others to calm down and they do them naturally when they are relaxed. I often see these behaviors referred to as stress signals - particularly on the internet; but I think that Turid Rugaas' interpretation of them as calming signals is much more appropriate and meaningful.

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Is your dog walking you? or How to walk a dog that pulls

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 08:43:00 +0000

I regularly speak with people who complain that their dog pulls when on leash no matter what they do. Walking the dog often becomes a daily battle for these people and this daily struggle starts to damage the dog / human relationship – or they give up on walking the dog, who then often acts out in other ways due to lack of exercise.

The problem is, every time you let your dog walk you, you are teaching them that that is okay. If by pulling they get to sniff what they want and go where they want, you are rewarding them for behavior you don't want. Why would they ever stop if you reward them? On the other hand, how are you going to get your dog enough exercise to pay attention to training if you can't walk him or her?

The first step is to quit rewarding your dog for pulling, unless you want your dog to pull. Now, I'm sure some of you are sitting here thinking – why would I want my dog to pull? Well, if you are reading this, chances are your dog likes to pull, so maybe you'd like to get him or her involved, formally or informally, in a pulling sport like weight pulls, bike- or skijouring, carting or dog sledding. Also, particularly in the beginning stages of teaching your dog not to pull, walking your dog can be very stressful for both of you and it can be hard to get enough exercise in. Finally, learning to pull really helps some dogs learn not to pull. Generally, dogs wear special pulling harnesses for all of the pulling sports. However, you can use any standard harness for those times when your dog is allowed to pull on the leash. If you are going to purchase a harness, I highly recommend the RuffWear harnesses, because they are designed to handle light pulling work and work better than pulling harnesses for walking your dog. You can also use a well fitted dog backpack with a leash loop for this purpose.

Starting right now, the rule is your dog cannot pull unless you say so AND he or she is wearing a harness appropriate for doing so. And put away your retractable leash. Retractable leashes can be useful in some situations, but for the most part they just teach the dog to pull and reward them with a longer leash for doing so.

So, how do you stop your dog from pulling? One solution is mechanical – using a head collar / halter or walking harness. These are devices designed to be comfortable for your dog to walk in as long as they are not pulling on the leash. These can work really well if they are properly fitted to your dog, however if they are not, they can be uncomfortable all the time. Martingale and prong collars can also be used in this way. I highly recommend against using a slip or choke collar, it is too easy to hurt your dog accidentally. If you want to go this method, the Easy Walk Harness seems to give the best results with the majority of dogs. Again, make sure it is properly fitted.

Whether you use a mechanical solution or a plain flat collar, your behavior when walking your dog is crucial. If your dog takes even a step without pulling, you need to give him or her praise and treats (if you are a clicker trainer, click and treat.) Over time you can gradually reduce the praise and treats. For the rest of your lives together, if your dog pulls inappropriately, you need pretend to be a tree or boulder and not reward your dog by allowing him or her to be successful in deciding where you go. If you have taught your dog a no reward signal – like "too bad" – use it. You can also turn around and start walking the other way. Over time your dog will learn that if he or she wants to get anywhere, a loose leash is the only way to do it.

Be patient and over time walking your dog can be an enjoyable experience for both of you. Good luck and have fun!

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More on stressed versus relaxed dogs - tongues

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 05:23:00 +0000

If you enjoyed yesterday's video quiz "Is this a relaxed or stressed dog?", you'll appreciate the great photos of spatulate and relaxed dog tongues on the Austin Dog Trainer Blog by Buddy's Chance Dog Training. Pico and I have met Cara, the owner, and she's a great trainer by the way. If you are looking for a trainer in the Austin, TX area, you should definitely check her out.

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Is this a relaxed or stressed dog?

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 03:14:00 +0000

Does this video show a hot, tired dog or a stressed, pained dog?

Answer and explanation below the tags...

Don't be distracted by the staples and recent cauterization marks. They use cauterization because most dogs don't even notice it and the first time this particular dog had a staple, she was running around showing it off like she would a new collar.

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This dog is in fact in pain, but not from any of the visible surgical marks. Her collar irritated and opened a cauterized area on her neck and she has a large painful open sore under her neck (note, this video was taken while waiting for treatment.)

However, you don't need to see the sore to recognize that she is under stress. She is giving off at least 3 clear signs of stress in the video. Her silhouette shows a rounded topline and braced legs. Her tail is down. If you look closely at her tongue as she pants you can see the wide bottom of what Brenda Aloff calls a "spatulate tongue" from muscular effort as compared to the the lolling tongue of a hot or tired dog. It's important to get this question right, because a dog in pain or stress deserves help, and they are also much more likely to bite or nip.

Some Related Sites

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 04:34:00 +0000

It's a cold rainy day and my service dog Pico spent most of the day today curled up on the couch next to me snoring. This is her way of telling our new bunny, Ben, that while she accepts the bunny's dominance and rights to the best of five identical dog beds, he can't jump up on the couch.

I on the other hand, was sitting next to her working on my laptop. I found a couple of interesting blogs that I wanted to share.

Calming Signals Community - a blog by Turid Rugaas, the woman who did the initial research on calming signals

Paw Persuasion - a dog training blog that sometimes features information on dog body language

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Scared Dog Bites Governor of Indiana

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 04:38:00 +0000

The Indianapolis Star reported today that the governor of Indiana, Mitch Daniels, was bit by a dog earlier in the week, when "the governor unintentionally startled the animal with his Harley Davidson motorcycle." From the rest of the article, it sounds like the governor and even animal control did not think the dog was to blame. It makes me wonder whether the incident could have been avoided had the governor been better at reading and speaking dog body language!

Full Article Here

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Great Nose Lick Video

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 05:43:00 +0000

I found a fabulous video on YouTube showing a dog doing a nose lick. It's a short video and the nose lick is right at the end, so don't miss it!

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Welcome and What to Expect

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 03:59:00 +0000

Welcome to Understanding Dog Body Language for a Well Behaved Dog! People regularly ask me how I get my dog Pico to be so well-behaved, part of the the answer is we spend a lot of time training, but the secret is, I watch her body language, and even talk back to her using canine body language. As this site grows, we'll have images of dog body language, hints on using body language in dog training, what to do about a dog that pulls when on leash, and ways to address dog stress behavior like pacing.

We'll be launching over the next 10 days, so keep checking back!