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it was the owner’s dog that instigated the aggression. It may seem that nothing has provoked the behavior, but in that split second, those two dogs have been signaling to each other and have sized each other up. We humans are often very unobservant. Dogs, on the other hand, don’t miss a trick. Even a small lift of the eyebrow speaks volumes.
Humans rely heavily on verbal communication. But we send out many physical signals of our own. In drama workshops, students are often asked to stand in front of another person in the group and try to communicate with them using only facial expressions. A great actor can show you what he or she is feeling without uttering a word. You can try it yourself at home with a friend.
What follows is a description of what your dog is saying with his body language. Each part of the body acts in conjunction with other parts, so you can’t simply read the signs in isolation. Reading the body signals as a whole will tell you what your dog is feeling.
In the dog, facial expressions in particular can be very subtle, which is why we humans often miss and misread them. It does not help matters that breeding for appearance has greatly affected the ability of dogs to communicate effectively with each other and with us. Flattened noses, overly wrinkled skin, and docked tails are just some of the ways in which our strange notions of canine “beauty” have compromised the dog’s means of expressing himself.
Ears
Let’s start at the top. It’s easiest to distinguish ear signals on dogs with pointed ears. Dogs with drooping ears, such as Beagles and Spaniels, use their ears to signal in the same way, but the signs are slightly harder to see.
Ears that stick straight up represent alertness, confidence, and awareness. If the ears are drawn back on the head, your dog is showing friendliness, that is provided vigorous tail-wagging, a wriggling body, and a calm, relaxed facial expression accompany it.
However, the ears can also be drawn back when the dog is nervous. In this case, the gesture is designed to be pacifying. It says: “I’m nervous, so please back off!” If so, there will be a number of other nervous signals. The tail may be between the legs, the body may be crouching, the front paw may be lifted, the eyes could be slightly closed with dilated pupils, or the mouth may be slightly open while the lips are licked.
Forehead
A wrinkled forehead suggests aggression. A smooth forehead, on the other hand, if it is accompanied by other relaxed body signals, indicates that the dog is relaxed. Or it may be a sign of submission if you notice other signals that indicate insecurity, such as a tail that is lowered or tucked between the dog’s legs, a crouching stance, or a curved back.
Eyebrows
Roger Moore, the actor, makes wonderful use of the eyebrow lift. So does my husband. Just a slight lift of the eyebrow communicates that he’s unhappy with something that I’ve said or done. It gets me every time. When a dog is trying to dominate a situation or assert control, the eyebrows seem almost to jump out at you as they are pushed forward, and the dog will stare at you in a challenging way. When a dog is calm, his eyebrows will not be pronounced.
Eyes
Stand in front of a friend or family member and ask that person to stare at you. Does it make you feel a little uncomfortable? At the very least, it will make you laugh. When a stranger stares at you, however, it’s usually very disconcerting. Do you stare back, or do you break the stare and look away? If both of you keep staring at each other, the chances are that some sort of challenge is going on.
The stare means the same in dog talk. Staring at another dog or human is a sign of dominance, or may indicate an aggressive challenge. The eyes are wide and unflinching. If the stare is accompanied by other aggressive signs such as raised hackles, leaning forward, and stillness of the body, then you would do well to pay attention and stay away! However, a dog that is staring at you is not necessarily exhibiting aggression. It could just be that he is confident and attentive.
When a dog is insecure, he narrows his eyes and looks away from you to show that he poses no threat. Blinking is another important eye signal. Dogs often blink to show you they are friendly. Sometimes, however, they blink when they are frightened.
Mouth
The lips are often used to demonstrate aggression. One such signal, a slight lifting of the lips on one side, is incredibly subtle and may be hard to spot. When the lips are completely drawn forward, this indicates a more assertive form of aggression. When the lips are drawn back, this often signals an aggressive response that is the result of fear. Either way the teeth are exposed. A friend of mine owned a dog that would draw back her lips and expose her teeth when greeting you affectionately. Perhaps the dog simply didn’t know what she was feeling, but I always swore she was smiling.
Lip smacking or licking with the tongue are signs of lack of confidence, stress, or fear, but are also used as pacifying gestures. Both wrinkle the muzzle, which is otherwise smooth when the dog is relaxed.
Neck
A confident dog will hold his neck straight and upright. A dog with less confidence will hold his neck lower. He may expose his throat to a dog that is more dominant. Exposing the throat says: “Hey, I’m no threat. I’m trusting you with a very delicate part of my body. And I’m turning my teeth away from you.” If this submissive gesture is successful, then the more dominant dog will expose his throat, too, in order to show that he is accepting the submission and poses no threat, either.
Back
My grandmother stood with a straight back until the day she died. She had good posture, but she was a proud, confident woman and carried herself that way. The same goes for dogs: A straight back means confidence. A back that is curled means that the dog is insecure and submissive.
Hackles
When a dog is nervous or scared, this triggers a chain reaction of physiological responses that raises the hairs on the back of the neck and down the spine. The effect is to make the dog look bigger and fiercer. He’s saying, “Don’t mess with me. I’m bigger and stronger than you!”
Tail
The tail is important for both balance and signaling, which is why it is a huge shame that the practice of tail docking still continues. How would you feel if an important part of your body that you relied upon for expressing yourself were cut off? Without its tail, a dog is unable to communicate properly, which means that other dogs may miss vital signals.
The tail is a prime indicator of a dog’s mood. A confident dog will hold his tail high in the air. It is possible that this allows scent from the anal glands to circulate more freely in the air and advertise his presence. A tail that is held low between the legs means that the dog is fearful and submissive.
Vigorous wagging usually means excitement, friendliness, and happiness. A tail that is held high but wagged more slowly means a cautious confidence. A tail that is held still and straight indicates a problem of some sort. One that is still, extended, and slightly curved says: “Get lost because I mean business!”
Paws
When my cat is feeling particularly affectionate, she will jump up and start kneading my leg with her paws. This is enjoyable for her because it’s what she used to do to her mother in order to stimulate the teats into producing milk. Puppies do a similar thing, while adult dogs will paw at a person or another dog for attention and as a pacifying gesture. One of the reasons why it’s usually easy to teach a dog to give his paw is that the gesture is already part of their vocabulary.
A paw placed over the neck of another dog, however, signals a challenge. Placing two paws around the neck tends to be a prelude either to a fight or to mating. Both genders, even when neutered, may mount other dogs, pieces of furniture, or, even more embarrassingly, your leg. Mounting