Watching the way dog's behave around one another has always interested me. When dogs meet for the first time, when they meet up again, if they have a disagreement, if they are scared, stressed or anxious, suspicious, on high alert or if they are happy and content. I have witnessed all of these scenarios and since working through my dog behaviour diploma I can now identify how each dog is feeling in many situations.
I love to see a relaxed happy dog and our gorgeous boy Jack the Golden Retriever (pictured) is one of the happiest dogs I know. Signs of a happy, content and relaxed dog are mouth slightly open with a relaxed tongue, a relaxed facial expression and squinting eyes. Happy dogs 'play bow' like Bo is doing in the picture signalling she is in a playful mood. Some dogs roll over, wag their tails fast or in a circular motion and some dogs wiggle their bottom when happy (Freddie and Gadget the Shitzus pictured both do this).
Not all wagging tails mean a happy dog of course. If a dog is holding his tail high and wagging it slowly it is likely he is assessing the situation, this often happens on first sighting of another dog. If his tail is extended the dog is about to take action and we should look for other body language signs before assessing what might happen. If a dog is holding his tail between his legs this indicates he is nervous or frightened of the situation. When a dog wags his tail more to the right it indicates he likes the other dog or person approaching but when the tail is wagging more to the left he is a little unsure of the situation.
Dog's ears come in all different shapes and sizes.Some dogs have pricked up ears like Loki the German Shepherd. Some are semi pricked up like Tara or our very own Sooty and Sweep. Labrador Retrievers have drop ears giving them a puppy type look and the folded ears belong to a Basset hound called Ruby who regularly trips over hers.
Whatever shape our dog's ears are we can assess how he is feeling by keeping a close eye on them. When a dog is calm and relaxed he will hold his ears in a neutral position, when he is alert he will raise them as high as he can, he will raise them and move them forward if he is going to be aggressive. A submissive, frightened dog will hold his ears back.
Does your dog tilt his head when you are saying something to him? Many dogs do. Our own dog Sweep is the biggest head tilter. I believe dogs do this when they are unsure what you have said the first time and they are listening again for your cue. I also believe some dogs do this because it gets a great positive reaction from the owner so they continue to do it for attention. Our gorgeous Florrie pictured below is displaying a very cute head tilt.
Do not panic if your dog or another dog raises his hackles. When a dog's hair raises between the shoulder blades and sometimes down the spine this is called 'piloerection'. Sometimes this can signal the dog is angry but the dog could also be afraid, nervous or very excited about something. I see these raised hackles in two chocolate Labradors I know. One of them is Lottie who is quite an anxious girl, I suspect she raises hers when other dogs approach because she is a little nervous. The other chocolate Labrador Poppy has hers up almost all the time we are on the beach, she is having fun with friends so I suspect hers are raised due to excitement.
A submissive dog will lower his body and cower and very often roll onto his back to show he means no harm. Lola and Bramble are both submissive in nature. An assertive dominant dog will make himself look large, tense his body raising his head above his shoulders.
If a dog is about to become aggressive he will show all the signs of an assertive dog but will also have all his weight over the front of the body and he will stare at you or another dog. If we can identify this language we then have the power to intervene either by taking away our own glance or redirecting the other dog to something else so there is no threat.
Next time you are out with your dog, take note of his body language and see if you can assess how they are feeling about the situation. You may be surprised at what you learn from this.