Recognizing your dog's body language

Dogs use their bodies from head to tail to communicate with people and other animals. This way, they can show whether they are, for example, happy or scared. Because humans naturally communicate very differently from animals, a dog's body language can sometimes be unclear. It is therefore important to be able to read a dog well based on the signals it gives. In this blog, you will discover what your dog is actually telling you when you carefully observe its body language.

The posture of a dog

The posture of a dog is extremely important and constantly changes. The posture depends on the situation the dog is in, how it feels, how you as the owner feel, and the environmental factors. When we look at a dog's body language, we pay attention to its posture, the position of the ears, the direction of the hair, and the position of the tail. Additionally, we also observe the mouth, eyes, and pupils.

What can you see from a dog's body?

Body posture
When a dog assumes a high body posture, it feels confident and bold. It holds its head up, stands as straight as possible on its legs, and the ears and tail are raised. When a dog assumes a high body posture but keeps its tail low, the dog is not as bold as it wants to appear. It can also happen that the hairs on your four-legged friend’s neck and back stand up, which is often a sign of fear or anger.

The position of the ears
A dog's ears are in a ‘normal position’ when they are relaxed. They should not be directed backward. A relaxed ear position can be recognized by an ear flap that is slightly turned to the side. When a dog is alert, it will hold its ears forward. If a dog carries its ears backward, this can have different reasons. It may be scared, want to flee, or want to greet you friendly. Therefore, it is important not to focus only on the ears but to pay attention to the dog's entire body posture.

The hair
You can also notice different signals from the coat. The hairs on the back lie flat against the skin when the dog is relaxed. In a fearful or aggressive posture, the hairs stand upright on the neck and back of the dog. This is an important warning signal.

The tail
Your four-legged friend has three tail positions: neutral, high, and low. When a dog is not communicating, it holds its tail in a neutral position. If a dog holds its tail straight up, it feels confident or excited. A dog with a low tail position often does not feel very confident. Wagging is usually a good sign. If the dog moves its tail in a slower, wider arc, your dog is probably feeling content.

The mouth
In a relaxed dog, the mouth often hangs slightly open.

The eyes and pupils
In relaxed dogs, the eyes and pupils are not wide open, and the whites of the eyes are not visible. They have a normal shape and size.

Warning signals
Dogs can show various warning signals. It is important that you recognize these immediately to prevent a situation from getting out of hand. Many people think a dog only shows aggressive behavior when it is confident. This is not the case. Most dogs that bite do so as a result of fear aggression. When a dog feels threatened and becomes fearful, it will bite to defend itself. It is good to know that dogs rarely do this without giving prior signals. Therefore, pay close attention if a dog shows one or more of the following signals:

• Growling or growl-barking
• Snapping
• Freezing in the body and/or staring at you
• Baring teeth

Different emotions of dogs at a glance

A relaxed body posture
Clear signals can be seen in a relaxed body posture:

• The ears are relaxed and hanging.
• The eyes and pupils have a normal shape and size. The eyes are not wide open, and the whites of the eyes are not visible.
• When the tail is held straight up, a dog feels confident and excited. If your dog moves its tail in a slow, wider arc, your dog is probably feeling content.
• The hairs on the dog's back are smooth and lie flat against the skin.
  
  

A fearful body posture
Clear signals are also visible in a fearful or nervous body posture:

• A dog will most likely freeze when assessing the situation and deciding whether to flee or fight.
• The dog curls up or makes itself small.
• A dog's eyes appear larger than normal when it feels threatened. Dogs that feel uncomfortable may appear to look cross-eyed.
• If a dog is scared or nervous, it will slightly pull its ears back. If it is very scared, the ears will lie completely flat.
• Yawning is a stress signal in dogs. Besides yawning, licking the mouth, moving the tongue back and forth, drooling, trembling, panting, and high-pitched barking are also stress signals.
  
  

An irritated or aggressive body posture
Be careful if your dog or another dog shows signs of fear or aggression. In such cases, try to remove the dog from the situation as quickly as possible. Various signals are visible in this body posture as well:

• Dogs with an aggressive posture have upright or pointed ears.
• Dogs stand upright and make themselves appear larger when aggressive.
• The dog will look you straight in the eye and position its body slightly forward. It often also plants its legs firmly.
• The dog's tail stands stiffly upright and makes short, tapping movements or it may tremble intensely.
• Exposed teeth often accompany an aggressive posture. The dog may also growl or growl-bark.
• Besides the warning signals dogs show during aggression, dogs can also actually snap or bite. When dogs bite, there is also a chance they will hold on and not let go easily.
  
  

An alert body posture
As soon as a dog is alert, it has an attentive gaze focused on whatever has caught its attention. The ears are forward, and its body is somewhat tense. It is ready to react.