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Dog Body Language - Making Sense Of Your Pets Signals

A dog communicates with you by barking or through body language. Unlike humans, and like other animals, dogs communicate more via body language than barking. By understand common dog body language you will understand you pet better and have a closer relationship with him.

Once you have lived with your pet for a while his idiosyncrasies will be obvious but until them here are a few common signals in the meantime.

If a dog has it's rear end in the air and it appears to be prancing or bouncing on it's front legs this generally means it is happy or feeling playful. It will wag it's tail vigorously and the mouth will be open in a dog type smile. You will notice this if you are playing fetch with it. Your pet will drop the ball and then prance around waiting for you to throw it away.

A dogs body language will also reveal submission to you or other animals. Since you are the pack leader or a higher status in the pack according to your dog you should see signs of this on some occasions. Typically, submission involves rolling onto their back to expose the belly to you or the superior dog. If you are reprimanding a dog, it will walk to you with the head, eyes and ears lowered. The tail may wag but it will be in a 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.

A dog that is alerted to something will have a similar look, however the hair around the tail may rise and he will lean forward with his weight on the front feet. His eyes and ears will be directed in the area where the dog senses the alert is coming from.

Body language that indicates aggression is similar to an alerted behavior however there is one important distinction. The hackles are generally raised. the hackles are the fur between the should blades at the join between the torso and the neck. this will really be obvious as the hair stands erect. The eyes will stare intently at the subject of potential aggression to the extent that the whites around the cornea will be visible. the eyes will look wild or straining because of this.

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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