Know Your Dog's Body Language

So, I was walking Dempsey to work on Friday morning & this guy (who I've seen before) is walking towards me with a BIG red staff. Lovely looking dog, but that's besides the point. Anyway, as usual, the dog sees Dempsey & goes all stiff-legged, hackles raised, tail curled almost over his back & eye-balling straight at Dempsey & straining on the lead to get to him.

So, Dempsey (who WILL NOT allow any dog to eye-ball him, let alone go stiff-legged etc) snarls at him & this guy looks shocked & says "You wanna be careful with that dog - letting him have a go at another dog what's done nothing first!"

Huh? I said something along the lines of "Didn't you see what your dog was doing?" and "Maybe you should read up on doggy body language".

But the I thought, maybe he didn't know what all that body language meant? Maybe he thought that a dog's only being agressive if it growls?

Well Caryll that might be the case....
I had no idea about that ( still dont really) until my 7 year old genious
we call him the Proffessor.. ( sorry my spelling is the pits)
came out with a "dog language book) on a wolf pack he borrow from the library.. ( i must be up for mother of the year again as I didnt know he went to the bloody library!)
anyway.... i had a look and have been reading a little more on the subject.. so i would have been the person on the street who thought dogs had to snarl before they were cranky

That's what I mean. This guy's dog was being ultra aggressive, and yet he didn't even know! What would happen if the dog took a dislike to a human, for example, and the guy didn't spot it?

Some tell-tail (deliberate mis-spelling lol!) signs of negative body language:

Hackles raised
Stiff legged walk
Tail raised stiffly, sometimes even curved over the back
Staring straight into the eyes of another dog/human

Caryll wrote:That's what I mean. This guy's dog was being ultra aggressive, and yet he didn't even know! What would happen if the dog took a dislike to a human, for example, and the guy didn't spot it?

Some tell-tail (deliberate mis-spelling lol!) signs of negative body language:

Hackles raised
Stiff legged walk
Tail raised stiffly, sometimes even curved over the back
Staring straight into the eyes of another dog/human

Heres hoping I dont ever meet that on the streets...

also the ears pining back as there switching on which is memphises tell tall .
and if i tell him to switch off his ears go back up and he halfs in size and starts walking properly again.
i find it amazing how much they can blow there chest up to look bigger lol

Yes, they seem to have loose skin till they're riled, and then fill it all out!

I always thought even growling means nthing mroe than aggression but it doesn't its just communication.

Another great post!

MissRogue wrote:I always thought even growling means nthing mroe than aggression but it doesn't its just communication.

You're right, MissRogue, a lot of the time growling is aggression, but aggression for a reason! If a dog growls, your first thought should always be "why?" Admittedly, you'll have to sometimes think pretty fast, but still...............

bigwazza wrote:
i find it amazing how much they can blow there chest up to look bigger lol

Sounds like a chav!


Back to the Original post, I've thankfully never come across this type of behaviour, but I know from having dogs when I was younger, and being around friends dog, knowing your dogs body language is very very important!
And I've noticed with Molly, she does go stiff legged at first, then a simple almost 'chuffing' sound comes out, which is usually the first sign from her any way, that she's in a bad mood.

Bandit used to be like that when I walked him at night. First I'd feel a 'grumble' through the lead, then a soft chuffing growl, then a snarl & then the full throated staffy snappy-snarl!

This website is simular to one of the assignments i had to do in college, it got me a distintion
http://www.dogskool.com/canine-body-language-chart.html