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Understanding a dog's body language is essential for building a strong and trustworthy relationship with your furry friend.
Learn to decode your dog's body language with key signs like tail wagging, ear position, and facial expressions to better understand their emotions.
Key Takeaways
- Understanding subtle body language cues helps owners respond appropriately to their dog's emotional state.
- Not all common behaviors like tail wagging or yawning mean what humans typically assume.
- Recognizing signs of fear, stress, or aggression is crucial for safe and responsible dog parenting.
- Affectionate gestures such as pawing or licking strengthen the human-dog bond.
- Behavioral signs can also indicate health issues, prompting timely veterinary attention.
Summary
- Dogs communicate their emotions through body language, which owners must learn to interpret for a strong bond.
- Tail wagging indicates emotional arousal but not always happiness; position and speed matter.
- A tucked tail signals fear or discomfort, while a raised paw often shows uncertainty.
- Dogs use eye contact, squinting, and head tilting to express feelings and focus on sounds.
- Licking and pawing are affectionate behaviors, while avoiding eye contact signals fear or submission.
- Ear positions reveal alertness, friendliness, or fear depending on their orientation.
- Playbow is a clear invitation to play, while trembling usually indicates fear or coldness.
- Exposing the belly can mean trust or submissiveness, sometimes accompanied by appeasement behaviors.
- Dogs use behaviors like sniffing the ground or scratching to ease tension in stressful situations.
- Signs like whale eyes, hard stares, and yawning can indicate stress, anxiety, or aggression.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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The great thing about dogs is that they will not fake their emotions and they will try to tell you how they are feeling.
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It's important that as a dog owner, you learn their communication clues and watch out for any signals to determine your dog's emotional state and overall comfort.
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In this video, you'll learn how to interpret canine body language to help you better understand your four-legged friend and to make you a great doggy advocate and responsible dog parent.
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Wagging tail.
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A dog's tail probably confuses us humans the most, as we seem to be born believing that a dog with a wagging tail is a happy dog.
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However, this is not always the case.
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All a wagging tail means is that a dog is emotionally aroused.
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It could be excitement, but it could be frustration or negative feelings.
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To interpret the dog's emotions and intentions, look at the speed and the position of the tail relative to the ground.
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Excited dogs hold their tails higher than a neutral position and wag them quickly from side to side.
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They often wiggle their hips at the same time.
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An uncertain or nervous dog will also wag their tail, but their tail will be slightly lower than a neutral position.
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And wagged slower and more steadily.
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Always look at the looseness or tightness of the dog's whole body to determine if your dog's tail wagging is out of happiness or nervousness.
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A tucked tail.
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A tail tucked between the legs is an unmistakable sign that the dog is scared.
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Afraid, in pain, or feels uncomfortable.
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Dogs often tuck their tail between their legs when they are really afraid of something or someone.
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On the other hand, if your pet tucks their tail quite often and there are no obvious reasons for concern, you should take them to a vet.
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Putting a paw on you.
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If your dog puts their paw on you, it is their way of saying, I love you.
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We pet our pups to show our love and affection, by putting their paw on you whilst you are stroking them, they are further extending contact and reciprocating affection.
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Avoiding eye contact.
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Dogs who are fearful or afraid will often look away, as though they are avoiding something.
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You often see this if you scold your dog, or when your dog encounters a dominant or aggressive dog.
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Your dog will turn his head away, avoid looking at you or whatever is upsetting them.
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Squinting their eyes.
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Dogs squint their eyes to indicate peaceful intentions.
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If your dog squints their eyes when they look at you, they are expressing their love and desire for your attention.
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Dogs squinted eyes also indicate that they are not at all interested in rough play or even a hint of aggression.
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On the other hand, if your dog squints a lot, their eyes might be in pain.
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In this case, it's best to take them to a vet.
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Tilting their head.
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For many dogs, head tilting helps them hear better.
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Rotating their ears or their entire head can help triangulate the location of the sound so they can hear it more clearly.
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Sometimes, dogs tilt their heads to help tip their ears in the direction of your voice, which allows them to focus more clearly on what you've said.
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Licking you.
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Dogs lick you for lots of reasons.
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They may want to show you affection and love.
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They may even want to groom you to show that they care about your well-being.
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Or, they may simply enjoy the taste of your skin, as you may have the residue of some yummy treat on your skin.
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Ears forward.
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If the ears are standing straight up, or in the case of dogs with floppy ears, inclined forward.
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The dog is paying close attention to something or someone.
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The dog is curious and alert and is reacting to something new in their environment.
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Ears flattened against the head.
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Slightly pulled back ears signal that the dog is feeling friendly.
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You often see this when you are stroking your dog.
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But ears laid tightly back against the head may indicate fearfulness.
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This is often how dogs react to unfamiliar situations or people who they are afraid of.
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It has been suggested that this posture protects their ears from injury, as it helps them keep their ears out of the way of any teeth in the vicinity.
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Since some dogs have long floppy ears, look at the base of the ear to really understand what your dog is trying to communicate.
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Relaxed ears.
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When your dog is relaxed, their ears will sit in a neutral position.
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Neutral position means that the ears are not pricked forward, drooping down, or pasted to their head.
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Whatever the dog's breed, they are just sitting easy.
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A raised paw.
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A raised paw is when a dog lifts one paw slightly off the ground.
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It often indicates that the dog is uncertain about a situation, or perhaps feels a bit insecure.
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Playbow.
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An easy to read aspect of dog body language is the playbow.
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This is when dogs place their chest on the ground with their butt in the air.
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This playful gesture is a clear sign that your dog is happy and is trying to initiate play with you or another animal.
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Trembling.
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Trembling or shivering in response to another person or dog means your dog is scared.
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If it's freezing cold outside, bring them indoors to help them stay warm.
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Smaller dogs, such as Chihuahuas, may be more prone to shivering than larger breeds due to their lack of body fat and thinner fur.
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Constant shivering, on the other hand, could be a sign your dog is in pain or suffering from an illness.
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Exposing belly.
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More often than not, belly exposing behavior in canines indicates trust and acceptance.
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When your dog shows you their belly, it's a sign that they feel safe around you and they are not worried that you'll sink your jaws into their stomach.
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But belly exposing behavior can also mean something altogether different.
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A dog may use this submissive display as a way to avoid confrontation.
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In the wild, our canine's wolf ancestors would adopt this submissive posture to diffuse social tension by showing that they're not a threat.
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Your dog may be anxious and is offering peace and a request to go easy on them.
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You often see this appeasing behavior in puppies.
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At times, the dog may even dribble or squirt small amounts of urine to communicate a submissive status to a person or animal.
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Easing tension.
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A dog who is in the middle of a challenging or unfamiliar situation may suddenly turn away and start sniffing the ground to politely avoid interaction and calm themselves down.
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This is a dog's way to ease tension, as canines often tend to disengage than opt for destructive behavior.
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Dogs who are feeling uncertain or anxious about a situation may also randomly begin scratching or licking themselves.
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Hunching over.
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A hunched over posture in dogs indicates they are fearful and feeling particularly vulnerable.
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By hunching over, dogs try to make themselves small, almost wishing to become invisible.
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Dogs also hunch over when they are abused, attacked, or scolded.
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Whale eyes.
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When a dog shows the whites of its eyes, it is known as whale eye.
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It's a signal they are feeling anxious or stressed in a situation.
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You might see this when a dog is afraid someone will steal his bone or toy.
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When a dog is feeling tense or stressed, his eyes may appear rounder than normal.
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Hard eyes.
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A hard stare where the dog looks intently at something without blinking, especially for a long time, is usually a signal of a threat.
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It indicates a negative state of mind, and you'll know it when you see it.
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Their body is stiff and their mouth is tight.
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The dog might be guarding a bone or feeling aggressive.
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The dog is mustering all of its focus for the upcoming fight.
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Smiling.
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A dog's mouth mimics the emotions human mouth show.
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A happy dog will have a soft, relaxed mouth, which may look like a grin.
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If a dog has tensed up lips or a tight mouth, that shows tension.
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Yawning.
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Most people tend to think that a dog who yawns is tired.
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But that's not always the case.
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In dogs, yawning is also a sign of stress and indicates your dog is feeling nervous.
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Puppies do this quite often when they are in a new environment or are surrounded by large dominant canines.
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If your pooch yawns after you, it means they are very attached to you.
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Recent studies have shown that dogs yawn contagiously, and dogs that are bonded with their owners are more likely to yawn when their special humans do.
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Turning their back to you.
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When your canine turns their back to you, they are showing you that they are friendly and trust you.
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In the animal world, turning their back to someone puts the animal in a vulnerable position.
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Your dog is trusting that you won't attack them from behind.
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When their back is to you, their teeth are farthest from you, which makes it hard for them to protect themselves.
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Shaking off.
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When dogs shake off after a bath, the reason is clear.
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It's your dog's personal drying system.
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If your dog shakes without some kind of irritant such as water, it's a way of relieving tension.
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Probably your dog was stressed or met an unpleasant person or animal.
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You often see this type of shaking when your pup hops off the vet's examination table.
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Zoomies.
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Some dogs get very hyperactive when they have been in stressful situations.
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They might start running erratically, also known as getting the zoomies, as a way of blowing off that stored up stress.
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These dogs may look like they are having a great time, but they are often overwhelmed and trying to diffuse or avoid the situation that is making them feel uncomfortable.
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You often see your dog getting the zoomies when they've been confined in a crate for some time, or after a bath.
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Nose and lip licking.
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Most people tend to think that dogs lick their face to mop up food leftovers.
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But that's not always the case.
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Licking lips or nose is also a sign of stress in dogs.
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Your dog is showing you that they are stressed or feeling nervous.
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Raised hackles.
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A dog's hackles are the hairs along their backbone.
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When a dog's hackles are raised, it is a clear sign that the dog is aroused.
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But not necessarily in a negative way.
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The dog might be stressed or upset, but may also be excited or intensely interested in something.
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Baring teeth.
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If a dog shows their teeth, but doesn't bark or snarl, it is often a sign of territory protection.
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You will often see this if you try to take food away from a dog who is eating.
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Never come close to an unfamiliar dog, or actually any animal while they are eating, because they might think you are going to steal their food.
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Whining.
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More often than not, dogs whine when they need or want something from you, like some food, or going out for a walk.
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Dogs also whine when they need attention, or when they are stressed or scared.
Topics:dog body languagecanine communicationdog emotionstail wagging meaningdog ear signalsdog behavior signsdog stress signalsdog affection cuesdog fear signsreading dogs
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