Dogs Body Language
It's important to understand what dogs are saying with their bodies, not only to know your own dog but to better predict what other dogs are doing.
To really read dog body language takes experience. I encourage you to watch your own dog(s) and others. Go to the dog park and watch dogs interacting. Watch different body parts (ears, tails, eyes, lips, hair, overall posture) separately for a while. See if you can predict which body stances lead to which activities or outcomes.
Confidence/Fear
Signs of confidence: erect stance (standing tall), tail up, tail wagging in a slower sweep, ears pricked up or relaxed, direct look; relaxed, smaller pupils.
Signs of fear or concern: lowered stance, tail down or tucked under, tail wagging in a quick, frantic buzz; looking away or turning head away to look so that whites of eyes show ("whale eye"); dilated pupils. Dogs often bark out of fear, in an attempt to keep a distance between themselves and the Big Scary Thing, especially if they are cornered, fenced in, or on a leash.
Dogs that are aroused will often have their hair stand on end, usually the "hackles," the areas over the shoulders and just before the tail. This doesn't necessarily mean aggression, just that they are on high alert. Some dogs get "raised hackles" more easily than others; it's like some people who get red in the face very easily.
Taking Control/Deferring (sometimes called dominance/submission)
When dogs seek to gain control over a resource (including controlling the actions of other dogs), they may use certain body postures: Standing over another dog, standing tall, hooking the dominant dog's chin or paw over another dog's shoulders; staring. These were formerly called signs of "dominance". Some very confident dogs who are used to getting their own way will roll on their backs, exposing their bellies, in an attempt to reassure a more shy dog, or to get that other dog to play. They will be relaxed when they do that, and usually still look the other dog in the eye. Sometimes mounting ("humping") another dog is a way of establishing control, but it is more likely a sign of stress; this often-misunderstood gesture can also be used by a low-confidence dog to try to demonstrate his allegiance with a higher-confidence animal.
Note that dogs who live together might form some sort of dominance/submission relationships in regards to specific areas: who gets access to preferred sleeping spots, who gets access to certain chewies, who gets access to the humans. But dominance is a description of a relationship between two individuals in regards to resources, it is NOT a description of any one individual's personality. Dogs have not been shown to form stable dominance hierarchies the way chickens or chimpanzees do, although relationships between dogs in regards to prized possessions (ie bones) has been demonstrated. Some dogs use the ancestral gestures of dominance to act as a bully; many dogs use these gestures of subordination as appeasement gestures (trying to turn off aggression) when they see humans "attacking" them irrationally (what we sometimes imagine is punishment for behavior we don't care for).
Deferring body postures: lowered head and body; allowing other dogs to stand over them or hook their heads over their shoulders; licking at other dogs' lips and mouth corners; looking away from the other dog; rolling on back and craning head away from other dog, while covering tucking their tail.
Note that among artificial wolfpacks (as opposed to natural family groups), the hierarchies are usually maintained and demonstrated very casually and almost always by more submissive members of the pack. Very high-ranking animals very seldom demonstrate their rank, unless they lack confidence. Most demonstrations and almost all fights that occur over rank are done by the middle-ranking or unconfident members
"Forcing the dog onto its back is the equivalent of an abusive parent beating a child to force it to say, 'I love you.' Although he or she may have forced the words out of the child's mouth, they cannot force the statement to be true.... Forcing a dog into a submissive position is the Doggish equivalent of this scenario. Even worse, this technique may actually anger the dog enough to provoke it to attack. ... Forcing a dog into an alpha roll, or shaking the dog, both constitute physical aggression. Physical aggression is not communication. If there is good communication, then such confrontations need not occur."
Play and Play Invitations
Since dog-dog play is very similar to serious things like fighting, hunting and reproducing, dogs have good ritualistic ways of demonstrating that their intentions are peaceful and fun-loving. Dog play is often initiated by a play invitation like a play bow or pawing the air (especially with puppies), and it seems to say, "None of the biting, stalking, or humping I'm about to do is serious, this is just fun, OK?"
Even when dogs play very roughly, they are usually fairly relaxed; their lips usually cover their teeth (not drawn back in a snarl). Dogs often bark in play; this will usually be higher-pitched than that same dog's fear-bark or warning-bark.
Sometimes dogs will mount each other in play. They are often excited, but not in a sexual way, and it seems to be a way to bond. It is occasionally a show of dominance, but not always. Some dogs appear to mount high-ranking dogs in an attempt to find their place in a group that is much more complicated than a straight-line hierarchy.
Stress and Calming Signals
Dogs can feel stressed in situations of frustration or fear (including during class or learning a new task). Look for clusters of stress signs: Shaking, whining, "submissive" urination, ears back, pupils dilated; rapid panting with corner of mouth pulled back; tail down; body lowered; sweating through paw pads, scratching at self; sudden interest in sniffing; yawning; blinking eyes; licking of lips or nose, or stretching tongue forward; looking away or turning head away; shaking body. Frustrated dogs often bark (this is especially seen in "fence fighting", when two dogs on opposite sides of a fence bark at each other; another easily-observed example is dogs in a shelter watching other dogs walking by; dogs that must pass each other on-leash often bark in frustration).
Turid Rugaas, a dog behaviorist from Norway, points out that dogs, as pack animals, have highly-developed ways of avoiding and diffusing conflict and aggression. Dogs therefore use "Calming Signals" to reduce stress for themselves and others they interact with (including humans). Calming signals include: Yawning, looking away, lip-licking, moving slowly, circling, sniffing the ground, becoming "distracted", sitting or lying down. Some of them are also the "appeasement display" behaviors that are developed to turn away aggression and threats of aggression - these are often confused with "the guilty look" that dogs may appear to be giving when scolded for doing something. Note that most of these are the opposite language from the directed attention that would be found in an aggressive interaction.
One excellent way to look for stress signs and calming signals is to watch dog training "reality" tv shows, with the sound off. Without the interference of the dramatic music and what the host or narrator is telling you, watch on your own to see signs of avoidance, appeasement, and being "shut down" (too intimidated or afraid to show any reaction, catatonic, unreactive). Remember, not all "stress" is distress; some stresses are merely challenges that might even be enjoyed (think of learning something new or playing a challenging game). But if you see multiple stress signs, or if your dog gets "shut down", then the challenges might be too much and these may be warning signs.
Aggression
Faint warnings - One of the basic combinations of body language signals to look for is this: The dog closing her mouth, turning towards the thing that bothers her, and rounding or widening her eyes from the friendly squint of a relaxed dog, possibly showing some of the whites of the eyes (even very round-eyed dogs like pugs or Chihuahuas will have a detectable difference). Often the dog will look at the hand of the person who she is concerned about, the hand that is touching her or approaching her in the way she doesn’t like. This is like a kid saying “Hey I don’t like that”. It’s not a dire warning sign, but it is a signal that your dog isn’t comfortable with what’s going on, and as a parent you need to take note of that and make sure that the interaction between the dog and child is more closely supervised. If you see this same combination of closing the mouth, round eyes, and turning towards, but the dog is staring at the kids’ eyes (or into yours, if you are the source of discomfort), your dog is raising the warning a notch, saying “Hey knock it off”. These signals are way more subtle than growling or snarling but should be taken seriously – not as danger signs, but as sincere communication about the dog’s comfort level.
Signs of aggression include: Stiff legs and body; growls, lowered head; ears "pinned" back close to the head; eyes narrow (but not squinty) and fixed intently or rounded and with whites showing; lips sometimes drawn back in a snarl; "hackles" (hair along back, especially over the shoulders and rump) up and erect; tail straight out, and intense stares (pupils may be fully dilated or shut!).
How to React
When watching your dog interact with others, the general rule is to let the dogs decide what is and what isn't appropriate. Butt-sniffing, rough playing, barking in each other's ears, mounting, and other actions that dogs do would not be acceptable in human company, but are perfectly normal dog behavior.
BUT, if you see your that your dog's actions are annoying, scaring, or angering another dog, it is your responsibility to do something about it. Often distracting your dog by calling him away or squirting him lightly with water (this acts as a shoulder-tap, not a punishment!) is enough. If your dog is too excited or intense, take him a few feet away from the action for a light-hearted but calming time out. This is NOT punishment, it's a cool-down period.
If you find that your dog is running into a number of "aggressive" dogs who snap at yours, stop to consider your dog's actions. Is your dog "getting in the other's face"? Is he not responding to calming signals or indications that the other dog does not want to interact? Please read Suzanne Clothier's article, "He just wants to say 'Hi'!" for more information.
If you find that your dog is "protecting" you, consider that your dog thinks of you as a valuable resource that he must guard, like a prized bone. Yes, he's possessing you.
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Dogs Body Language
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