I hope to give you some tips on how to read your dog’s body language when you read this. I have had dogs for most of my life and I also work for FedEx. I probably see more dogs than most people do each day. Early in my FedEx days I talked to some dog breeders and trainers about what to look for in dog behavior. I then wrote about spotting aggressive dogs and preventing getting bitten, which you can read here.
The dog’s tail is the key to much of his body language. We all know that a wagging tail is a sign that he or she is happy. In my experience the faster the wag, the happier the dog is. One dog on my FedEx route wags his in a circle and it looks like a really fast clock, which I find hysterical.
If the dog wags his tail slowly then he is pretty cool but could get nervous or mad easily. A tail straight up in the air and not moving means he may well attack. Tail hanging between the legs means he is cowed or scared and showing submission.
Reading the head in a dog’s body language
If the ears are straight up he is on alert to something and may show aggressive behavior. Ears flat to the side of the head, they ARE showing aggression. If the dog is holding his head up high he is probably feeling in a good friendly mood. A lowered head often is a sign of impending aggression, IF the dog is running or growling. I notice Boxers often lower their head when showing aggression. However if the dog is standing still and lowers his head, he is showing submission. If this is accompanied with a whine, he is showing as much nonaggression as he can.
Remember dogs are just domesticated wolves that have been bred into whatever they are now. They will show characteristics of a wolf pack such as showing submission to what they think is the Alpha Male, or pack leader.
My Husky is closer to the wolf than most dog breeds and he shows lots of that in his behavior. As a matter of fact the dog is outside howling right now at 7:00 in the morning. I was just messing with him one day and growled at him. He went to his belly and showed submission to me.
Most dogs that show their teeth are being aggressive or at least saying “Leave me alone” if this is accompanied with a growl from deep in the chest, back slowly away. However I have encountered a couple of dogs that are just sort of smiling when they show their teeth.
If the dog won’t look at you, he is scared or nervous and you should leave him alone for a few minutes or try to calm him. Diamondsintheruff.com has an excellent page with photos of dog body language which I recommend.
I hope these tips for reading your dog’s body language were found to be helpful. Please feel free to leave a comment below.
