Dog Body Language 101: Understanding How Dogs Communicate and How it Can Help Them Succeed Socially
Reading a dog’s body language is a critical skill for anyone who has a relationship with a dog. As pet professionals, Rai and I use our understanding of dog body language on a daily basis. From providing a pet with a massage to soothe anxiety to introducing a new pup into our pack of off leash players, knowing how to read any dog's body language is a crucial skill for our success! Learning to read dog body language will help you and your dog succeed in any situation and increase the bond you have with each other. This blog post will introduce the basics and help you understand what your dog is communicating to you and anyone else in their environment.
The Comfy Critter Off Leash Pack posing together for a group picture (and a treat!)
How dogs use body language to communicate
As humans, we primarily use verbal communication, but take a moment to think of all the ways we communicate nonverbally with our surroundings. What message does a person send out when they are slouched over with their arms crossed in front of them and avoiding eye contact? What about a person riding on public transit with their legs spread wide and taking up as much space as possible? Or how about a young child skipping down the sidewalk with their arms swinging freely? Even if these people aren’t saying anything verbally, we can still understand the energy they are conveying with their body language.
Dogs communicate with us and with each other in much the same way. Learning the nuance of what different canine body signals mean can help us understand how a dog may be feeling or what their intentions are, thus we can adjust our approach to an appropriate response or redirect them if needed. Paying attention to a dog’s eyes, ears, mouth, tail, and the movement of their body, and learning what these signals mean can give us important insight into their intentions and help us understand the messages they are conveying.
What are Birdie (front) and Hope (back) communicating to the photographer with their differing body languages? Read on to find out!
Signs of a calm and relaxed dog
Alice the pug showing every sign of relaxation during her calming massage session.
While I am practicing pet massage and introducing new dogs to each other, relaxed body language is the most important thing I am looking for. Watching for relaxed posture in a dog can provide us with information about what they like and enjoy. Waiting for a dog to relax before bringing them into a new situation will also help to prevent them from becoming overstimulated and decrease the amount of stress in their life.
Eyes
Look for “soft eyes” in a relaxed dog. A calm and restful dog will have a gentle focus and may be blinking slowly or half closing their eyes. If they become even more relaxed the eyes may close all together.
Ears
A relaxed dog will have neutral ears. Whether they have pointy or floppy ears, they will not be perked forward or pinned back.
Mouth
A calm dog will also have a relaxed and neutral mouth. If their mouth is closed, look at the corners of the mouth and see that they are also in a relaxed and neutral position. If a dog is warm and relaxed, they may also have an open mouth panting gently with their tongue hanging out. You will likely hear a calm, happy dog smacking their lips contentedly.
Tail
Pay attention to the tail and the movements it is making. A calm dog will often have a neutral or low hanging tail. Any movements are soft, slow, gentle, and fluid.
Body Movement
Like the tail, a relaxed dog will be soft and fluid when moving around. Look for a gentle curve of their body or path of movement. A calm dog will take moments to put his head down and sniff to take in information about the environment around him. If he is very comfortable, he may stretch his limbs out, lay down, or roll on his back.
Soft, almost closed eyes, neutral ears and mouth, and a gently curved back can be identified in Ezra’s body language after his massage session.
Signs of a happy and playful dog
Reg the Frenchie is the epitome of joy as he takes a post-walk roll on the warm concrete!
When dogs are playing together or with their humans, it is important to pay attention to their body language to make sure they are having fun and not getting overwhelmed. During our off leash play groups, we always make sure to watch for happy and playful body language during any interactions they are having with each other. If you know the signs of playful body language, it is easy to tell your dog is having a good time.
Eyes
A playful dog will have bright eyes which will be looking from place to place.
Ears
The ears of a playful dog should be relaxed, neutral and bouncy.
Mouth
A playful dog will also have a wide, relaxed mouth which may be open and look like they are smiling. They might also bark or vocalize in a playful way.
Tail
A playful dog’s tail should be up either parallel to the spine or higher. The more aroused and excited they are, the higher the tail will go. Happy dogs may be wagging their tail, however it is important to pay attention to the manner of wagging- a playful tail should be loose and wiggly and not too stiff or hesitant.
Body Movement
A playful dog will have loose and bouncy body language overall. They will likely jump around in a frolicking and jovial manner. The well known “play bow” occurs when they dip the front of their body towards the ground and butt in the air– this is usually an invitation to another animal or a human to join in and play!
Healthy play between two dogs involves loose movements and a nice back and forth. They should take turns between being chased and being the chaser. Their pattern of movement should be loose and round, running in wide curves and circles.
Watch out for pushy players or unbalanced play where one dog is constantly jumping on the other or a dog is charging directly towards another dog, which can lead to fear and frustration. Individual dogs will have preferences and tolerances for different playing styles and it is important to keep an eye on their body language while they are playing to make sure everyone is having fun. If energy is ramping up during playtime, be sure to enforce short breaks with separation before one or both dogs become overwhelmed.
In both of these happy players, you can see bright eyes, relaxed ears, “smiling” mouth, and curved body movement.
Signs of a focused dog
Ezra is very focused on getting a treat as he poses for a photo after his massage!
As dog owners, it is important to recognize focus in a dog and be able to direct it to an appropriate target, such as their handler or given task. A dog who is overly focused on inappropriate targets such as squirrels or the dog across the street can quickly become a problem.
Eyes
In a focused dog, the eyes will be locked on whoever or whatever the dog wants to engage with. This could be their favorite person, another dog, a treat in your hand, or their beloved squeaky ball.
Ears
The ears of a focused dog will be erect or pointed forward towards the object of their interest.
Mouth
The focused dog’s mouth will likely be small and still if they are staying calm, or they might bark sharply if they are more excited.
Tail
A focused dog’s tail will stiffen and may freeze or wag quickly depending on what they are focused on. Watch for a rigid tail or quick jerky movements.
Body Movement
As with the tail, the dog’s body may become stiff and the movements will be quickened. The energy of the body will tend to move directly towards the dog’s target of interest.
Yumi is also focused on getting her treat. Here you can see her direct stare and forward energy of the body.
Signs of a nervous dog
Annie Oakley looks a little bit nervous during one of her first Comfy Critter walks, getting to know some new people. It’s our job to make sure she feels more comfortable as she gets to know us!
It is very important to pay attention to these first signs of nervousness in our dogs, find out what is causing them, and help the dog to avoid whatever is making them nervous to make them feel safe. If we disregard these signs, the dog will feel he is forced to ramp up his response because we haven't listened to him. Ignoring these signs may harm the bond with your dog or cause him to escalate his communication into unwanted behavior.
Eyes
A nervous dog will look away from whatever is making it nervous, squint, or even close their eyes. You may notice a dog darting their eyes away if they are uncomfortable with being petted or if someone enters too close into their personal space.
Ears
Nervous dogs may point their ears backwards. It may be more subtle at first and become more exaggerated the more nervous they are.
Mouth
A nervous dog will tend to lick their lips or yawn. This is a calming signal meant to show other dogs or people that they are not a threat.
Tail
The tail of a nervous dog will lower and drop closer to the ground. They may sweep the tail back and forth in appeasement to a dog or human who is making them nervous.
Body Movement
The energy of the body will tend to move away from whatever is making them nervous. Depending on how nervous they are, this can scale from turning the head in the opposite direction to fully running away. In response to another dog or person making them nervous, some dogs may also roll onto their back and show their belly in appeasement. Some nervous dogs may also raise the hair along their spine called their “hackles”
Suero and Cybil are showing a few signs of nervousness during one of their first walks with Comfy Critter while their pet parent was traveling. They both have their ears pointed back indicating some discomfort. Cybil (right) is also turning her head away and looking out of the corner of her eye. The wide, panting mouths also indicate some signs of stress as described in the next section.
Compare the body language in this photo of the same dogs a few days later when they were more comfortable with their dog walker and routine. Notice the more relaxed “smiles”, forward ears, and bright eyes looking directly at the handler. In this photo they both appear focused and a little bit playful.
Signs of a stressed or fearful dog
This puppy is clearly afraid! This is an example of a human ignoring a dogs signals and reaching over to pick up the dog even though it is trying to communicate it’s discomfort, which will lead to distrust. If this puppy needed to be picked up, a better approach would have been to get down to the dog’s level and scoop them up from underneath. (photo credit - Alin Luna - Pexels.com)
Just like with the signs of nervousness, it is of utmost importance to pay attention when our dogs exhibit signs of fear and do what we can to help them feel safe and secure. If we are not paying attention to these clear signs of stress or fear, it will have a directly negative impact on the bond of trust that we share with our dogs. If these signs are ignored and pushed past, the dog may feel he has no choice but to move onto more aggressive measures to protect himself.
Eyes
Watch for the “whale eye”, This is when we see the white part of their eye when they look off to the side. A fearful dog may show a whale eye and also turn his entire head away from whatever is making him fearful.
This dog shows a clear depiction of the whale eye and is feeling uncomfortable. (photo credit- Michele Tresemer - Unsplash.com)
Ears
A fearful or stressed dog may flatten his ears back close to his head. If the dog has floppy ears, it may be harder to detect, but they will also aim the ears to the back of the head.
Mouth
A dog that is highly stressed may pant with a wide mouth. Watch for excessive drooling or frothing at the mouth. A very fearful dog may also curl their lips and wrinkle their nose to reveal their teeth. Many dogs also bark loudly as a fear response.
Tail
A fearful dog’s tail will tuck between their legs or up underneath its body. Dogs with nub tails will have a similar downward movement that can be detected with a close eye or they may lower their entire rump towards the ground.
Body Movement
Dogs that have gone past nervousness and into fear will often keep their body low to the ground. They may put themselves into a corner or under a table or bench to feel more secure. Some other signs of fear in dogs include trembling, urinating, or freezing in place.
Hope is showing some signs of fear in this photo from her early days in a new foster home. Note the whale eye and the way she has placed herself low to the ground in a corner behind a desk chair. However, looking at her forward pointing ears and relaxed mouth, she is also showing some signs of interest and curiosity.
Serious warning signs with potential for aggression
From the posture of the pressed back ears, you can tell this dog is displaying fear-based aggression. (photo credit - Phan Cuong - Pexels.com)
When a dog shows these signs, it is a serious warning that the dog is becoming ready to defend himself in a more aggressive way. Usually at this point, the dog has tried communicating in other ways previously mentioned and has been ignored. Dogs exhibiting aggressive body language must be treated with extreme caution. These dogs are at risk of escalating to biting, which is a danger both to you for injury and infection, and the dog who may be required to be put down depending on the severity of the situation.
Eyes
In an aggressive dog, the eyes will become hard and focused, staring directly at you or the potential threat.
Ears
Like the previously mentioned focused dog, the ears of an aggressive dog will be pointed forward at the target.
Mouth
The opening of the mouth will be small. They may also show their teeth, growl, bark, or snap at the air. Be mindful that these air snaps are a serious warning and can escalate into making skin contact if they are ignored.
Tail
Watch for a stiff tail. It will likely be held high above the spine and may be frozen in place or wagging quickly back and forth.
Body Movement
An aggressive dog will likely freeze and hold its position or may lunge forward into its target’s personal space. Watch for stiff body language, raised hackles, and straight forward movement.
Common types of aggression in dogs include resource guarding, leash reactivity, and extreme fear of dogs or humans due to trauma.
These two dogs are both showing signs of aggression and it would be risky to allow them to continue to play together if they do not deescalate. Notice they both are displaying their teeth, pointing ears forward towards each other, and directing a hard stare with eye contact. The dog on the left appears to be lunging forward into the other dogs space. The dog on the right is holding a forward posture and the tail is high and rigid. If you look closely, the dog on the right also appears to have a bite wound on his left cheek. While I do not know these dogs, this photo appears to be a case of playtime that has escalated into overwhelm for both dogs. (photo credit - Yuriy Vertikov - Unsplash.com)
In conclusion
As dog owners, we are our dogs' best resource for safety and as their guardians it is up to us to advocate for them when they are feeling nervous. Understanding dog body language is a highly valuable tool for anyone who encounters dogs in their everyday life.
Putting all of these pieces together you can get a good idea of what a dog’s intentions are and what energy they are communicating. In doing so, we can help them have the best possible outcome during any situation, whether that means encouraging relaxation or removing them from a stressful environment that they are not well equipped to handle. Feel free to reach out if you have a question about something your dog does and what it means!
Now that you have the basics down, let’s revisit this picture of Birdie and Hope! Can you tell which dog is more nervous and which is more relaxed?
