Ever wondered why your four-legged friend does that peculiar thing? What if you could unlock the silent signals of your dog and understand their emotions and intentions better? As pet lovers, we all wish we could converse with our dogs. While their language is different, it's just as sophisticated. Our latest episode is a deep dive into the world of canine body language, with a special focus on dogs with behavioral issues such as anxiety, fears, phobias, or aggression. Knowledge of these silent signals can help predict and prevent unwanted behavior, improving your furry friend's quality of life.
We kick off with a discussion on canine stress signals - subtle signs of distress that are often overlooked, yet crucial for understanding your pet's emotional state. Recognizing these signals can help you provide the support they need in uncomfortable situations. We then move on to the fascinating realm of canine calming signals, deciphering behaviors they use to communicate non-threatening intentions and diffuse tension. You'll learn to interpret common signals like yawning, lip licking, sniffing the ground, play bowing, and even rolling onto the back, enabling you to connect with your dogs on a whole new level.
The episode wraps up with an in-depth exploration of tail positions, barking, and other vocalizations, underlining the importance of considering context when interpreting these signals. Remember, just as in human communication, body language in dogs can be ambiguous and multifaceted. So buckle up as we guide you through the complex world of canine body language, helping you build a stronger bond with your canine companion. Understanding and interpreting these signals can make a world of difference in managing and resolving behavioral issues. So, are you ready to become a canine body language expert? Listen in and let's embark on this journey together. Dog Training Today with Will Bangura.
If you need professional help please visit my Dog Behaviorist website.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
One of the most important skills that you can
have if you've got a dog thathas problems with anxiety, fears
, phobias, reactivity oraggression.
The number one skill that youneed when you have dogs with
those issues are understandingall the nuances and the
(00:25):
complexities of canine bodylanguage.
If you are a pet professional,if you're a dog trainer, a
behavior consultant and you takeon cases working with dogs with
anxiety, fears, phobias,aggression, reactivity, you
absolutely have to understandcanine body language.
(00:47):
Don't go anywhere.
We're going to go in depth withcanine body language here on
dog training today.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Raised by wolves with canine DNA and his blood.
Having trained more than 24,000vets helping you and your fur
babies thrive, live in studiowith Will Bangura answering your
pet behavior and trainingquestions.
Ladies and gentlemen, pleasewelcome your host and favorite
pet behavior expert, WillBangura.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Good day pet lovers.
It's Will Bangura.
Thanks for joining me foranother episode of dog training
today.
As I said in the opener, thisepisode is going to be devoted
to understanding canine bodylanguage.
You know, it would be nice ifour furry companions could talk
to us and let us know whatthey're thinking, let us know
(01:54):
what they're feeling, let usknow what they need.
But they don't speak ourlanguage.
But they've got their ownsophisticated language.
It's canine body language andthere are many, many nuances to
canine body language.
It's not as simple as justunderstanding.
(02:14):
Hey, a dog is fearful if theirtail is tucked.
Or a dog is aggressive if it'sshowing its teeth.
Those are very obvious outwarddisplays of canine body language
that we might all understand.
For example, if you've got adog that's trembling with its
tail tucked, we all know thatthat's a scared dog, it's a
(02:36):
fearful dog.
But when we can see the hugedisplays, when we can see the
very, very overt displays ofcanine body language, oftentimes
it's too late.
What do I mean by that?
Well, if you truly have a goodgrasp of canine body language
(02:58):
one of the benefits you're ableto prevent a lot of unwanted
behaviors from happening.
You're able to intervene withyour dog if your dog is fearful
and change that underlyingemotional state of fear.
If you've got a dog that isreactive or aggressive, if you
(03:20):
understand the canine bodylanguage, you're going to know
that your dog is starting to getstressed.
Your dog is getting nervouswell in advance of any of those
big displays.
So one of the great benefits ofunderstanding canine body
language you're able to predictbehavior.
(03:42):
Now think about how importantwould that be if you've got an
aggressive dog, to be able topredict behavior.
Now, I talked to a lot of petparents that have dogs that are
aggressive and they'll tell methat there was no warning when
in fact there were many warningsigns in their canine body
(04:06):
language.
They were communicating hey,this is a problem.
I need distance, I need space,and because nobody understood
the canine body language, thatmessage was not heated and
whether it be a dog, whether itbe a person, they got too close.
And then we've got the bigdisplays, the lunging, the
(04:29):
growling, the snapping, thebiting.
And how heartbreaking is itwhen we've got dogs with fears
and phobias and anxiety watchingthem suffer.
One of the ways that we helpdogs, this population of dogs
again dogs with fears, anxieties, phobias, aggression,
(04:50):
reactivity, dogs with lowconfidence.
Okay, one of the ways that wehelp them is by understanding
the canine body language,because when we're exposing dogs
whether it be to triggers thatcause them to be aggressive or
whether it be triggers thatcause them to have phobias the
(05:16):
way that we address it isthrough counter conditioning and
desensitization.
You could call that exposuretherapy very specific, evidence
based, science based protocolsthat have been around forever,
that are time tested and true,that actually work.
If you want to help a dog thathas aggression, anxiety, fears,
(05:41):
phobias, you have to understandcounter conditioning and
desensitization.
You need to understand how toapply the protocols for counter
conditioning and desensitizationto help your dog get over their
fears, anxiety, phobias,aggression, reactivity.
(06:01):
And in order to be successfulwith exposure therapy, in order
to be successful with behaviormodification to turn that around
in these dogs, in order to besuccessful with counter
conditioning and desensitization, you must have a great
understanding of canine bodylanguage, and canine body
(06:26):
language is like any otherlanguage.
It's something that you have tostudy.
I liken it oftentimes tolearning American sign language,
because when we learn Americansign language, we're looking at
all of the different pictures ofhow we're using our hands, how
(06:48):
we're using our fingers, how arewe signing, and it's a visual
representation, that language,because it's not auditory,
because it's for deaf people, soit's a visual language.
Well, when it comes to caninebody language, that's also a
visual language.
The problem is is that most petparents, most of you, are not
(07:11):
seeing the canine body languagecues and you don't understand
what they mean.
And your dog is trying tocommunicate and it wants you to
help them.
So in today's episode we'regoing to be going through many,
many, many nuances of caninebody language and, like I said,
this is a critical skill,especially if you're a dog
(07:35):
trainer, especially if you're aveterinarian or you work with
dogs in a shelter setting oryou're a groomer or a vet tech
or a behavior consultant or evena behaviorist.
These are critical skills.
So let's start to get into thisnow.
Before we can start talkingabout canine body language cues
(07:59):
and signals.
It's important to understandthat when we're interpreting
canine body language, we need tobe looking for patterns.
We need to assess the dog'sbehavior over time, also assess
that in various situations toidentify consistent patterns or
(08:21):
signals that can help you tobetter understand your dog's
emotions and intentions.
See the canine body languagethat lets us know how your dog
is feeling.
What are those underlyingemotions and where is your dog
going with those emotions interms of behaviorally?
(08:42):
Another thing that you need toconsider when you're studying
canine body language and lookingat your dog, you need to
observe other body language cues.
You need to pay attention toyour dog's entire body,
including their eyes, their ears, their posture, their facial
expressions.
You need to take intoconsideration all of the
(09:06):
language that they're giving youto gain a more comprehensive
understanding of your dog'semotional state.
And again, the canine bodylanguage is going to be critical
for understanding your dog'sunderlying emotional state.
Now, when interpreting caninebody language signals, you also
want to evaluate the environment.
(09:27):
You want to consider externalfactors that might be
influencing your dog's behavior,such as unfamiliar settings,
the presence of other animals orloud noises.
And when we're consideringcanine body language, when we're
trying to interpret that, wealso need to be mindful of very
(09:50):
breed-specific differences.
So, for example, some dogbreeds might display unique body
language signals or havephysical traits that affect
their ability to communicate.
For example, breeds withnaturally curly tails or cropped
ears may display different tailand ear postures than those
(10:12):
with straight tails and naturalears.
Also, you need to really stayin tune with your dog's
individual personality.
Remember, every dog is anindividual and each dog has its
unique personality andcommunication style.
So it's essential to consideryour dog's individual
(10:35):
characteristics wheninterpreting their body language
and you need to take everythinginto context.
And in some cases, when we'retalking about canine body
language, there are a few grayareas.
It's not 100% black and white.
(10:56):
There are some areas that canbe a little obscure.
There are canine body languagecues and signals that can fall
into more than one category.
They can fall into multiplecategories.
So we need to take the wholedog in consideration, all of
their body language, and we alsoneed to take into consideration
(11:18):
the environment, okay, andpossible breed-specific
differences.
All right, let's get startedinto the meat and potatoes of
the canine body language.
Now.
One of the most importantthings that you can understand
are canine body language stresssignals.
So here I'm going to be talkingabout various different stress
(11:41):
signals that, for the most part,are going to indicate that your
dog is experiencing stress.
That's their underlyingemotional state.
Okay, yawning is one of thosestress signals.
Dogs yawn when they're stressedor they're uncomfortable.
The yawn might be a prolongedyawn.
(12:03):
It might be more exaggeratedthan a typical yawn, but that's
a stress signal.
Now, again, take intoconsideration the context.
If you don't see any otherstress signals, you're only
seeing a yawn and you're seeingother communication from your
dog that it's happy and it'sokay.
Maybe a yawn is just a yawn.
(12:26):
Okay, they yawn like we do.
It might not be a stress signal, but, again, if you're in a
stressful situation for your dogand you notice yawning, that's
a signal that your dog is givingout, that it's stressed, and
when it's stressed, it wantsspace from whatever that trigger
is, whatever the stressor is.
(12:47):
Another stress signal and thisone's a little more obvious, is
panting.
Now, dogs pant a lot,especially in warm weather.
Okay, but dogs will pant.
Many of them will pant whenthey're stressed out, even if
it's not hot, even if theyhaven't been exercising.
So if it's not hot, theyhaven't been exercising and your
(13:10):
dog is panting, it might be astress signal.
They might be stressed outabout some trigger, some
stimulus in the environment.
Another stress signal that dogsgive out are lip licking.
Dogs may repeatedly lick theirlips when they feel anxious or
(13:30):
when they feel nervous.
Okay, do me a favor.
I know all of you think thatyour dog loves to have.
You kiss your dog and grab itshead.
Now if you have an aggressivedog and you know that's gonna
make your dog aggressive, pleasedon't do that.
But if you've got a dog thathas never shown aggression, do
(13:53):
me a favor and approach your dogand get your face very close to
your dog's face, start kissingtheir head, grab their head with
your hands and note are theydoing lip licking?
Sometimes they're called tongueflicks, but that's a stress
signal.
Now, a lot of dogs are verytolerant of us pet parents
(14:14):
kissing them, holding theirheads, but in general, for the
most part and I said tolerantbecause dogs don't like that For
the most part it stresses themout.
So check it out, see if youstart getting canine body
language stress signals whenyou're doing that.
Another signal, another stresssignal is pinned back ears.
(14:35):
A dog's ears may be pinned backagainst their head when they're
stressed.
Now, remember I talked abouttaking everything into
consideration the environment,the rest of the dogs, canine
body language.
I've personally had dogs thatwhen we were playing and when
they were extremely happy, theyhad their ears pinned back.
(14:57):
But if I got that same dog inanother situation where it had a
fear of dogs and it was tooclose, the ears would be pinned
back again.
However, in the context wherethe trigger, where the strange
dogs were, I'm also seeing othercanine body language, stress
(15:18):
signals in the dog, not just theone that we're talking about
here the ears being pinned back,but I might see panting, I
might see the hackles up, Imight see the tail start to tuck
.
So again, looking at everythingin context, okay, all right.
Another, and this is one that alot of people don't know about
(15:41):
sweaty paws.
Did you know that dogs cansweat through their paws?
Yeah, they can sweat throughtheir paws, their pads, and when
they're stressed and anxious.
We're really going to see that.
If I've got a dog that's reallystressed out and anxious and
I'm walking them on the sidewalk, I might actually see paw
prints because of the sweatypaws.
(16:04):
That's a stress signal.
All right, we talked abouttails being tucked, all right,
often between the legs, and thatcan definitely indicate stress,
fear, submission.
Okay, are you familiar with aterm called whale eye in canine
body language?
Well, whale eye is somethingthat occurs when the dog turns
(16:25):
its head away but keeps its eyeson the source of stress,
showing the whites of their eyes.
Yeah, so it could be asituation where your dog's
uncomfortable with a person, ormaybe another dog.
They're getting too close.
(16:46):
Your dog turns its head awayfrom the stressor.
However, because of anxiety,it's keeping its eyes on the
stressor.
So, yeah, the head is turnedaway but the eyes are not, and
when that happens, you're goingto see the whites of the eyes.
And when you see whale eyethat's the term we give to
seeing the whites of the eyeslike that, that could mean that
(17:08):
the dog is getting ready to bite.
That is something you reallywant to pay attention to, all
right.
Another stress signal is thefurrowed brow.
A dog may furrow its brow whenfeeling stressed, creating
wrinkles on their forehead.
If you see that, that foreheadwrinkles, if they're furrowing
(17:30):
their brow, that's a goodindication that they're
uncomfortable, that they'restressed.
Again.
Take all of this in context.
Make sure you're checking outother body language and the
environment Pacing, beingrestless and pacing Pacing is
another stress signal.
Stress dogs may pace, theymight circle.
(17:51):
They've got difficulty settlingdown.
That's a stress signal.
Here's another one that a lotof people don't look for.
They don't know about Dilatedpupils.
Yep, when a dog is stressed out, even a person when they're
stressed out or anxious, theirpupils may dilate, making their
eyes appear larger and darker.
(18:14):
Another stress signal refusal offood or treats.
When a dog is really stressedout or anxious, when they're
afraid, they may refuse food.
They may refuse treats, even ifthey would typically accept
them eagerly.
That's a sign that your dog isexperiencing stress and anxiety.
All right, here's someadditional stress signals
(18:37):
Cowaring Well, that's a littlemore.
That's not so much nuance,that's a little more overt.
A lot of what I'm going to betalking about are these little
tiny, covert canine bodylanguage signals.
But cowaring A dog may crouchdown low to the ground or
attempt to make themselvesappear smaller when they feel
(18:58):
stressed or frightened.
Another stress signal avoidanceStress dogs.
They may attempt to avoid thesource of their stress by
turning away or hiding or movingto a different location.
You need to be aware of that.
Another stress signal aflattened body.
(19:20):
A dog may press their bodyclose to the ground as a sign of
stress or fear or submission.
Another canine body languagestress signal is stiffening or
freezing.
A stress dog might suddenlybecome very still or rigid, as
(19:40):
if they're freezing in place.
Another stress signal that youneed to learn about is excessive
shedding.
Yes, there are dogs that mightshed excessively, but when
they're extremely stressed andanxious, dogs can shed more than
usual.
And let's say, you're doing areally good job of brushing your
(20:02):
dog and your dog doesn't shedmuch in most contexts and all of
a sudden you are in anenvironment and your dog is just
shedding like crazy.
Well, that could be a stresssignal.
You want to look for that.
Another stress signal would behypervigilance.
A stress dog might becomehyperalert, scanning the
environment for potentialthreats and reacting to even the
(20:25):
smallest stimuli.
Another stress signal to lookfor this is one that's more
overt than covert excessivedrooling.
Some dogs may drool excessivelywhen they're stressed, even if
they're not anticipating food,remember I talked about when
you're looking at the caninebody language cues, you need to
(20:48):
take everything into context.
So if I've got a dog and I'vegot food out and that dog is
drooling, most likely thedrooling is because of the food.
But, like I'm saying here, ifthere's no food involved and
your dog is drooling, that maybe a canine body language stress
(21:10):
signal that your dog is reallyhaving a hard time.
Other stress signalsvocalizations.
Sometimes they may producestress related vocalizations
such as whining or whimpering,or perhaps they do a low growl.
(21:30):
Another stress signal is suddenscratching or grooming.
A dog might suddenly start toscratch or groom themselves when
they're stressed, even if theydo not have an itch or need
grooming, why one of myminiature schnauzers, when it
starts to get a little anxiousor nervous, will start grooming
(21:54):
itself.
Another stress signal that dogscan display is air snapping.
Again, this is more of an overtone.
This one's not as covert, but astress dog may snap at the air
without making contact withanyone or anything, as a warning
and also to relieve stress.
(22:14):
Another stress signal that youmight encounter are chattering
teeth.
Some dogs they may chattertheir teeth when they're
stressed and that can be a signof anxiety or fear.
However, again, remember I saidthere are some gray areas.
I've had dogs that wereincredibly toy crazy.
(22:34):
I had a Belgian Malinois andwhen the dog got aroused, when
the dog wanted to play, therewas so much arousal that the dog
chattered its teeth.
Now that was stress, but thatwas more of a good kind of
stress instead of stress thatleads to problematic behaviors.
(22:59):
The next one kind of goes withthe scratching and the grooming.
Another stress signal isexcessive self-licking, and
that's what my dog really doeswhen we're talking about the
stress signal.
When it comes to suddengrooming, it's the excessive
self-licking, and other dogs aswell as my dog might lick
(23:20):
themselves excessively whenthey're stressed and in some
cases dogs do it so much becausethey've got so much anxiety
that it potentially leads toskin irritation or hotspots.
All right, keeping with thestress signals.
The next one I want to talkabout is jumpiness, or a startle
(23:44):
response.
Stress dogs might become moresensitive to sudden noises or
movements, reacting with aheightened startle response.
Another stress signal bowel orbladder accidents.
A stress dog may have accidentsindoors, even if they're house
(24:05):
trained, but due to theemotional pressures that they're
experiencing, they might haveaccidents.
Okay.
And of course, we know also adog that is absolutely scared
out of their mind.
They could lose the function oftheir bladder and their bowel
Okay.
(24:26):
Another stress signal behaviorwould be dogs displaying
displacement behaviors.
So stress dogs might engage inbehaviors that seem out of
context or unrelated to thesituation, like sniffing the
ground or pawing at objects orfocusing on a toy, when they're
(24:51):
usually indifferent, all right.
So let me give you an example.
I had to do a bite assessmentcase with a dog that bit
somebody and I did a setup whereI actually had a mannequin to
simulate a stranger and we hadthe dog come out of the house
(25:11):
and the dog ended up in thegarage.
The garage door was open, thenthere's the driveway that goes
to the sidewalk.
On the sidewalk I had themannequin.
Well, the dog saw the mannequinand the dog started sniffing
all over in the garage.
Now that behavior in my mindokay was a situation where it
(25:37):
was a displacement behavior.
That dog was anxious about themannequin.
That dog if that mannequin, ifit was a real person made the
wrong move the dog might goafter and bite.
The dog was stressed when itsaw the mannequin.
Yet it started sniffing andnormally it would not be
sniffing all over the place inthe garage.
(25:57):
It's been in that garage manytimes.
So that was a displacementbehavior, a stress signal.
Another stress signal is theinability to focus.
Stress can make it verydifficult for a dog to pay
attention, to follow commands orcues, even if they're well
trained.
Klinginess another stresssignal.
(26:18):
Stress dogs might becomeexcessively clingy or needy,
seeking reassurance and comfortFrom you, the pet parent or
other family members.
Another stress signal isexcessive barking.
Some dogs may bark excessivelywhen they're stressed or anxious
, as a way to express theiremotional state or seek
(26:40):
attention.
Another stress signal escapeattempts.
A stress dog might try toescape a situation that they
find overwhelming or frightening, such as digging under a fence
or attempting to break free froma leash.
Now, these are just some of themany stress signals that dogs
(27:04):
can display that arecommunication to you.
And again, like I said, whenyou are very familiar, when you
become fluent in canine bodylanguage, you can understand
what your dog's underlyingemotional state is, what their
intentions are going to be.
You can predict behavior.
It allows you to be able to getin there and make sure nothing
(27:28):
bad happens.
It's also critical when you'reexposing your dog to triggers,
if you're trying to get themused to things that they're
afraid of, that they're anxiousor that they're aggressive
towards.
If they're being exposed tothose things and they're
displaying stress signals, youhave them too close, too soon.
(27:51):
If it's a sound issue thatthey're stressed out about, the
sound is too loud too soon.
The exposure needs to be less.
Now.
This podcast is not aboutcounter conditioning and
desensitization.
This podcast is not aboutexposure therapy.
(28:14):
It's about the canine bodylanguage that gives us cues and
signals to know, hey, if I'mgetting stress signals and I'm
trying to expose my dog and getmy dog more comfortable and
relaxed around strange dogs andmy dog is displaying stress
signals, that's feedback, that'slanguage to me.
I need to create more distancebetween my dog and the strange
(28:39):
dog, because exposing my dog toanother dog and it having stress
signals is the opposite of whatI want.
I want to expose my dog to thethings it's afraid of or
aggressive towards, at adistance where my dog is
comfortable.
When they see those triggers, Ican pair that with something
(29:00):
very positive, like high valuefood, rewards or the dog's
favorite toy, or a lot of love,praise, affection and play.
Eventually, as I'm pairingpositive associations with the
things that my dog doesn't like,but again at a safe distance
where my dog doesn't care, whereI'm not seeing the stress
(29:20):
signals when I'm doing it.
That way I'm going to havesuccess.
But if I'm trying to do thesame thing and my dog has stress
signals, I'm either not goingto have success, or I'm going to
have minimal success, or I'mgoing to start hitting roadblock
after roadblock after roadblock.
I'm only going to get so far.
(29:40):
Now, like I said, thisparticular podcast is not about
exposure therapy.
It's not about counterconditioning and desensitization
, which you need a greatunderstanding of canine body
language to be effective withthat.
But if you don't know a lotabout counter conditioning and
desensitization, make sure thatyou check out my podcast that is
(30:03):
very specific on counterconditioning and desensitization
.
If you go to I believe it'sepisode 81, episode 81 on the
dog training today audio podcast.
Wherever you get your podcast,whether it's Apple podcast,
spotify, wherever you listenlook for episode 81 and that is
(30:27):
an hour long episode on counterconditioning and desensitization
.
Also, you can go to my websiteat dogbehavioristcom.
Again, that's dogbehavioristcom.
Go to the menu and look forarticles.
Click on articles.
There's about 80 articles.
(30:48):
One of those articles isspecifically titled counter
conditioning and desensitization.
So the canine body language is askill that allows you to be
successful with counterconditioning and desensitization
, aka exposure therapy, to helpchange the dog's underlying
(31:10):
emotional state, how it feelsabout the trigger, through
behavior modification.
You've got to understand thecanine body language.
All right, let's go into.
Let's go into some calmingsignals.
So what are some things?
(31:30):
What are some canine bodylanguage displays that dogs can
give us that are calming signalsto let us know they're getting
more relaxed.
They are relaxed, okay.
Well, one of them is softeningeyes.
A dog might make their eyesappear softer and less intense
(31:52):
to show that they're notthreatening, okay.
Another calming signal slowblinking.
Dogs may slowly blink to signalthat they're not a threat and
they're trying to calm thesituation.
Its communication.
Another calming signal isturning the head away.
(32:15):
A dog might turn their headaway to avoid direct eye contact
, trying to signal that hey, I'mnot a threat.
Another calming signal could besitting or lying down.
Dogs may sit or lie down toshow that they're not a threat
and, again, that they're tryingto calm the situation.
(32:37):
But you've got to take thesethings into context, right?
Dogs sit and lay down all daylong.
Is there a stressor when theydo it?
Well, maybe, if there's astressor or a trigger when
they're doing it, it's a calmingsignal they're trying to calm
the situation.
Another calming signal sniffingthe ground.
Dogs may suddenly sniff theground to signal that they're
(33:00):
not interested in confrontation.
Remember I talked about thatbite case and that dog that I
was evaluating.
We had the mannequin set up.
The dog came out the garage andI talked about the dog was
displaying displacementbehaviors.
It was sniffing.
Those behaviors were out ofcontext for the situation At
(33:20):
hand.
There was a, for all intentspurposes, a stranger that
normally it would go after, butthe dog had some training after
the attack, all right.
So not only was that dogsniffing a displacement behavior
, but it was also a calmingsignal.
Yes, when the dog suddenlystarted sniffing the ground,
(33:43):
it's signaling that they're notinterested in confrontation.
Now, wouldn't that be importantto know as a pet parent?
Absolutely All right.
Another calming signal a lot ofus know this playbough.
Do you know what a playbough is?
That involves a dog loweringtheir front end while keeping
(34:03):
their rear end raised, signalingthat they want to engage in
friendly play.
A lot of us know that.
Here's another great calmingsignal a shake off.
Now you know when you batheyour dog and they shake all the
water off, all right, a dogmight perform a full body shake,
similar to when they're wet,but they're not wet and they do
(34:27):
that shake off as a way to Arelease tension and, b to signal
their intent to calm thesituation.
They might be in a stressfulsituation with another dog and
you might see stress signals andthen you might see the dog get
(34:47):
more relaxed, start showingcalming signals.
There can be a shift when we'redoing counter conditioning and
desensitization, when we'redoing exposure therapy to these
dogs that have anxiety, fears,phobias, aggression and
reactivity.
One of the critical things thatwe're looking for, besides the
(35:10):
stress signals, are calmingsignals.
I want to reward, I want toreinforce every single calming
signal that I encounter.
So every time I see a dog,every time I'm working with a
dog that has anxiety, fears,phobias, stress, reactivity,
aggression, whenever I see acalming signal, I'm going to
(35:34):
reward that, I'm going to markor I'm going to click my clicker
and reward that.
Now, in my program of trainingwe use a marker training system.
A clicker is just one kind ofmarker.
That marker training system,using a clicker or another kind
of marker in training, iscritical in order to have
(35:55):
fantastic timing, and timing isso important when we're training
our dogs.
You literally have about onesecond to reward your dog, to
connect that reward to yourdog's behavior in its own mind,
cognitively, for it to connectthe dots, you'd have to get the
food in your dog's mouth withina second.
(36:17):
Well, sometimes you can't dothat.
Well, a marker system is asystem of communication that
lets the dog know hey, you'regetting a food reward.
Now, if you don't know aboutmarker training, if you're not
using markers, if you don't knowabout clicker training, if
you're not using a clicker intraining, you need to again go
(36:37):
to the dog training today audiopodcast and I want you to look
for episode 80.
Episode 80 is an entire hour onusing markers and training, on
marker training, on clickertraining.
Also, you can again go to mywebsite, dogbehavioristcom again
(36:58):
dogbehavioristcom.
Go to the menu, click onarticles and then you can find
the article as you scrollthrough.
I've got an entire article oncounter conditioning and
desensitization and you knowwhat I've done for you.
I've actually taken the audiopodcast.
I've embedded that at thebottom of that article, so you
(37:22):
can get both by going to mywebsite.
Okay, all right, let's talkabout some additional calming
signals.
One of them is lifting a paw.
A dog might lift one paw offthe ground to indicate that they
are not a threat, and they dothat sometimes to diffuse some
(37:47):
tension.
Okay, another calming signalcurving the body.
A dog might approach anotherdog or a person in a curved,
non-linear path to show thatthey're friendly and not
threatening.
Okay, now here's where thingsget a little crazy.
(38:10):
Normal calming signals, right,yawning Remember we talked about
yawning as a stress signal.
Well, a dog may yawn in a tensesituation, yeah, to display
non-aggression and an attempt tocalm the environment.
So yawning can be both a stresssignal and a calming signal.
(38:35):
It can have two things.
It can indicate they'restressed, they've got an
underlying emotional state ofanxiety or fear, yet they're
trying to diffuse the situationand communicate hey, I'm not a
threat.
Yawning, all right.
Another calming signal liplicking.
(38:56):
And we talked about lip lickingas a stress signal.
This is another one that canfall into multiple categories.
Dogs might lick their lips inthe presence of other dogs or
humans to signal that they'renot a threat and that they're
trying to de-escalate thesituation.
(39:16):
But lip licking can be a stresssignal.
And then it flips intocommunication of hey, I'm not a
threat.
But they do that when they'restressed and it helps them calm
down.
Also, and they're trying tocalm down a possible
(39:37):
tension-related event Okay.
Another calming signal waggingthe tail, however, however
specific tail wagging waggingthe tail in a low wide arc.
A dog that wags its tail in alow wide arc is often displaying
(40:01):
friendly intentions and tryingto calm the situation.
Okay.
Another calming signal isoffering the side or the back.
A dog might present its side orback to another dog or a person
to show that they're not athreat and that they're trying
to calm the situation.
Okay, here's another calmingsignal that oftentimes is
(40:24):
misinterpreted rolling onto theback.
A dog rolling onto its back canbe a calming signal, exposing
their vulnerable belly to showsubmission and non-threatening
intentions.
In many cases you'remisinterpreting that and you
think your dog wants a belly rub, but you may have a dog that
(40:48):
doesn't have a lot of confidence.
All right, if you've got a dogthat doesn't have a lot of
confidence and your dog rolls onits back, your dog might not be
asking for a belly rub.
Your dog might be exposingtheir belly to show submission
and that they're trying tocommunicate.
(41:08):
They're not a threat, all right.
Another calming signal blinkingor looking away.
A dog might blink or look awayfrom the source of their tension
to avoid direct eye contact andalso to signal that, hey, I'm
not a threat.
Another calming signal sighingA dog might emit a deep, relaxed
(41:32):
sigh to signal that there it is, and this can have a calming
effect on other dogs andsometimes on people that are
nearby.
All right, another calmingsignal stretching A dog might
stretch their body or their legsin a relaxed manner to show
(41:52):
that they're comfortable, alsoshowing that they're not a
threat, and this helps to calmthe situation.
Another calming signal takingtreats gently.
A dog may take treats gentlyfrom a person's hand to
demonstrate they're not a threat.
Another calming signal slow,deliberate movements.
(42:16):
Have you seen that you knowwhere a dog might move slowly
and deliberately, avoidingsudden or quick movements?
Yeah, that's to signal that,hey, I'm not a threat.
They're attempting to keep thesituation calm, all right.
(42:36):
Another calming signal gentlenuzzling or sniffing.
A dog may gently nuzzle orsniff another dog or a person
and that's to demonstratefriendly intentions and help
calm the situation.
Okay, another calming signal tolook for are relaxed ears.
(42:58):
A dog with relaxed, neutralears is signaling that they're
comfortable, they're not athreat, and that can have a
calming effect on others.
Another calming signal is agentle tail wagging.
A dog wagging their tail slowlyand gently can signal that
(43:22):
they're non-threatening, thatthey're friendly, that that
particular wag is helping tocalm the situation.
Another calming signal arelaxed mouth.
A dog with a relaxed, slightlyopen mouth is signaling that
(43:43):
they're comfortable, thatthey're not a threat, and that
helps to contribute to a calmeratmosphere and to help calm the
dog and perhaps strange dogs orpeople that are around that dog.
All right, so we have gonethrough stress signals, we have
(44:06):
gone through different calmingsignals and in part two, because
this is going to be amulti-part series, in part two
of canine body language, we'regoing to be talking about
distance increasing signals.
What kind of canine bodylanguage do dogs give off to
communicate to other dogs or toother people?
(44:28):
Hey, I need space, I needdistance, I need you to increase
your distance between me.
And in addition to that, we'regoing to talk about appeasement
signals.
How do dogs show appeasementsignals?
And then there's also distancedecreasing signals.
(44:51):
When a dog wants you to getcloser to them and when they're
trying to indicate, hey, I'mfriendly, come on over, they
will display distance decreasingsignals.
Okay.
And then we're going to talkabout what are some different
play signals.
We're going to be talking abouttail position, because that can
(45:12):
be very confusing, along withtail wagging.
Everybody thinks, hey, if thedog's tail is wagging, it's
happy and friendly.
Well, that's not necessarilythe case.
There are many different waysthat dogs wag their tail and it
means different things.
Also, barking signals there aredifferent kinds of barking.
There are different kinds ofvocalization where the dog is
(45:36):
communicating differentintentions to us.
Do you know all the differentsignals that dogs can send, with
different barking and differentvocalization?
Okay, that can be absolutelycritical.
And then I'm going to talk alittle bit more about some of
(45:58):
the conflicting canine bodylanguage signals, the ones that
can fall into multiplecategories, the ones that you
really have to take everythinginto context as far as what's
happening in the environment andthe rest of the dog's body
language.
All right, well, that's partone of canine body language.
(46:21):
Make sure that you check backfor part two.
Watch your dogs Check out andsee if you find these things in
their body language.
I'm out of here.
One of the most important skills that you can
have if you've got a dog thathas problems with anxiety, fears
, phobias, reactivity oraggression.
The number one skill that youneed when you have dogs with
those issues are understandingall the nuances and the
(00:25):
complexities of canine bodylanguage.
If you are a pet professional,if you're a dog trainer, a
behavior consultant and you takeon cases working with dogs with
anxiety, fears, phobias,aggression, reactivity, you
absolutely have to understandcanine body language.
(00:47):
Don't go anywhere.
We're going to go in depth withcanine body language here on
dog training today.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Raised by wolves with canine DNA and his blood.
Having trained more than 24,000vets helping you and your fur
babies thrive, live in studiowith Will Bangura answering your
pet behavior and trainingquestions.
Ladies and gentlemen, pleasewelcome your host and favorite
pet behavior expert, WillBangura.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Good day pet lovers.
It's Will Bangura.
Thanks for joining me foranother episode of dog training
today.
As I said in the opener, thisepisode is going to be devoted
to understanding canine bodylanguage.
You know, it would be nice ifour furry companions could talk
to us and let us know whatthey're thinking, let us know
(01:54):
what they're feeling, let usknow what they need.
But they don't speak ourlanguage.
But they've got their ownsophisticated language.
It's canine body language andthere are many, many nuances to
canine body language.
It's not as simple as justunderstanding.
(02:14):
Hey, a dog is fearful if theirtail is tucked.
Or a dog is aggressive if it'sshowing its teeth.
Those are very obvious outwarddisplays of canine body language
that we might all understand.
For example, if you've got adog that's trembling with its
tail tucked, we all know thatthat's a scared dog, it's a
(02:36):
fearful dog.
But when we can see the hugedisplays, when we can see the
very, very overt displays ofcanine body language, oftentimes
it's too late.
What do I mean by that?
Well, if you truly have a goodgrasp of canine body language
(02:58):
one of the benefits you're ableto prevent a lot of unwanted
behaviors from happening.
You're able to intervene withyour dog if your dog is fearful
and change that underlyingemotional state of fear.
If you've got a dog that isreactive or aggressive, if you
(03:20):
understand the canine bodylanguage, you're going to know
that your dog is starting to getstressed.
Your dog is getting nervouswell in advance of any of those
big displays.
So one of the great benefits ofunderstanding canine body
language you're able to predictbehavior.
(03:42):
Now think about how importantwould that be if you've got an
aggressive dog, to be able topredict behavior.
Now, I talked to a lot of petparents that have dogs that are
aggressive and they'll tell methat there was no warning when
in fact there were many warningsigns in their canine body
(04:06):
language.
They were communicating hey,this is a problem.
I need distance, I need space,and because nobody understood
the canine body language, thatmessage was not heated and
whether it be a dog, whether itbe a person, they got too close.
And then we've got the bigdisplays, the lunging, the
(04:29):
growling, the snapping, thebiting.
And how heartbreaking is itwhen we've got dogs with fears
and phobias and anxiety watchingthem suffer.
One of the ways that we helpdogs, this population of dogs
again dogs with fears, anxieties, phobias, aggression,
(04:50):
reactivity, dogs with lowconfidence.
Okay, one of the ways that wehelp them is by understanding
the canine body language,because when we're exposing dogs
whether it be to triggers thatcause them to be aggressive or
whether it be triggers thatcause them to have phobias the
(05:16):
way that we address it isthrough counter conditioning and
desensitization.
You could call that exposuretherapy very specific, evidence
based, science based protocolsthat have been around forever,
that are time tested and true,that actually work.
If you want to help a dog thathas aggression, anxiety, fears,
(05:41):
phobias, you have to understandcounter conditioning and
desensitization.
You need to understand how toapply the protocols for counter
conditioning and desensitizationto help your dog get over their
fears, anxiety, phobias,aggression, reactivity.
(06:01):
And in order to be successfulwith exposure therapy, in order
to be successful with behaviormodification to turn that around
in these dogs, in order to besuccessful with counter
conditioning and desensitization, you must have a great
understanding of canine bodylanguage, and canine body
(06:26):
language is like any otherlanguage.
It's something that you have tostudy.
I liken it oftentimes tolearning American sign language,
because when we learn Americansign language, we're looking at
all of the different pictures ofhow we're using our hands, how
(06:48):
we're using our fingers, how arewe signing, and it's a visual
representation, that language,because it's not auditory,
because it's for deaf people, soit's a visual language.
Well, when it comes to caninebody language, that's also a
visual language.
The problem is is that most petparents, most of you, are not
(07:11):
seeing the canine body languagecues and you don't understand
what they mean.
And your dog is trying tocommunicate and it wants you to
help them.
So in today's episode we'regoing to be going through many,
many, many nuances of caninebody language and, like I said,
this is a critical skill,especially if you're a dog
(07:35):
trainer, especially if you're aveterinarian or you work with
dogs in a shelter setting oryou're a groomer or a vet tech
or a behavior consultant or evena behaviorist.
These are critical skills.
So let's start to get into thisnow.
Before we can start talkingabout canine body language cues
(07:59):
and signals.
It's important to understandthat when we're interpreting
canine body language, we need tobe looking for patterns.
We need to assess the dog'sbehavior over time, also assess
that in various situations toidentify consistent patterns or
(08:21):
signals that can help you tobetter understand your dog's
emotions and intentions.
See the canine body languagethat lets us know how your dog
is feeling.
What are those underlyingemotions and where is your dog
going with those emotions interms of behaviorally?
(08:42):
Another thing that you need toconsider when you're studying
canine body language and lookingat your dog, you need to
observe other body language cues.
You need to pay attention toyour dog's entire body,
including their eyes, their ears, their posture, their facial
expressions.
You need to take intoconsideration all of the
(09:06):
language that they're giving youto gain a more comprehensive
understanding of your dog'semotional state.
And again, the canine bodylanguage is going to be critical
for understanding your dog'sunderlying emotional state.
Now, when interpreting caninebody language signals, you also
want to evaluate the environment.
(09:27):
You want to consider externalfactors that might be
influencing your dog's behavior,such as unfamiliar settings,
the presence of other animals orloud noises.
And when we're consideringcanine body language, when we're
trying to interpret that, wealso need to be mindful of very
(09:50):
breed-specific differences.
So, for example, some dogbreeds might display unique body
language signals or havephysical traits that affect
their ability to communicate.
For example, breeds withnaturally curly tails or cropped
ears may display different tailand ear postures than those
(10:12):
with straight tails and naturalears.
Also, you need to really stayin tune with your dog's
individual personality.
Remember, every dog is anindividual and each dog has its
unique personality andcommunication style.
So it's essential to consideryour dog's individual
(10:35):
characteristics wheninterpreting their body language
and you need to take everythinginto context.
And in some cases, when we'retalking about canine body
language, there are a few grayareas.
It's not 100% black and white.
(10:56):
There are some areas that canbe a little obscure.
There are canine body languagecues and signals that can fall
into more than one category.
They can fall into multiplecategories.
So we need to take the wholedog in consideration, all of
their body language, and we alsoneed to take into consideration
(11:18):
the environment, okay, andpossible breed-specific
differences.
All right, let's get startedinto the meat and potatoes of
the canine body language.
Now.
One of the most importantthings that you can understand
are canine body language stresssignals.
So here I'm going to be talkingabout various different stress
(11:41):
signals that, for the most part,are going to indicate that your
dog is experiencing stress.
That's their underlyingemotional state.
Okay, yawning is one of thosestress signals.
Dogs yawn when they're stressedor they're uncomfortable.
The yawn might be a prolongedyawn.
(12:03):
It might be more exaggeratedthan a typical yawn, but that's
a stress signal.
Now, again, take intoconsideration the context.
If you don't see any otherstress signals, you're only
seeing a yawn and you're seeingother communication from your
dog that it's happy and it'sokay.
Maybe a yawn is just a yawn.
(12:26):
Okay, they yawn like we do.
It might not be a stress signal, but, again, if you're in a
stressful situation for your dogand you notice yawning, that's
a signal that your dog is givingout, that it's stressed, and
when it's stressed, it wantsspace from whatever that trigger
is, whatever the stressor is.
(12:47):
Another stress signal and thisone's a little more obvious, is
panting.
Now, dogs pant a lot,especially in warm weather.
Okay, but dogs will pant.
Many of them will pant whenthey're stressed out, even if
it's not hot, even if theyhaven't been exercising.
So if it's not hot, theyhaven't been exercising and your
(13:10):
dog is panting, it might be astress signal.
They might be stressed outabout some trigger, some
stimulus in the environment.
Another stress signal that dogsgive out are lip licking.
Dogs may repeatedly lick theirlips when they feel anxious or
(13:30):
when they feel nervous.
Okay, do me a favor.
I know all of you think thatyour dog loves to have.
You kiss your dog and grab itshead.
Now if you have an aggressivedog and you know that's gonna
make your dog aggressive, pleasedon't do that.
But if you've got a dog thathas never shown aggression, do
(13:53):
me a favor and approach your dogand get your face very close to
your dog's face, start kissingtheir head, grab their head with
your hands and note are theydoing lip licking?
Sometimes they're called tongueflicks, but that's a stress
signal.
Now, a lot of dogs are verytolerant of us pet parents
(14:14):
kissing them, holding theirheads, but in general, for the
most part and I said tolerantbecause dogs don't like that For
the most part it stresses themout.
So check it out, see if youstart getting canine body
language stress signals whenyou're doing that.
Another signal, another stresssignal is pinned back ears.
(14:35):
A dog's ears may be pinned backagainst their head when they're
stressed.
Now, remember I talked abouttaking everything into
consideration the environment,the rest of the dogs, canine
body language.
I've personally had dogs thatwhen we were playing and when
they were extremely happy, theyhad their ears pinned back.
(14:57):
But if I got that same dog inanother situation where it had a
fear of dogs and it was tooclose, the ears would be pinned
back again.
However, in the context wherethe trigger, where the strange
dogs were, I'm also seeing othercanine body language, stress
(15:18):
signals in the dog, not just theone that we're talking about
here the ears being pinned back,but I might see panting, I
might see the hackles up, Imight see the tail start to tuck
.
So again, looking at everythingin context, okay, all right.
Another, and this is one that alot of people don't know about
(15:41):
sweaty paws.
Did you know that dogs cansweat through their paws?
Yeah, they can sweat throughtheir paws, their pads, and when
they're stressed and anxious.
We're really going to see that.
If I've got a dog that's reallystressed out and anxious and
I'm walking them on the sidewalk, I might actually see paw
prints because of the sweatypaws.
(16:04):
That's a stress signal.
All right, we talked abouttails being tucked, all right,
often between the legs, and thatcan definitely indicate stress,
fear, submission.
Okay, are you familiar with aterm called whale eye in canine
body language?
Well, whale eye is somethingthat occurs when the dog turns
(16:25):
its head away but keeps its eyeson the source of stress,
showing the whites of their eyes.
Yeah, so it could be asituation where your dog's
uncomfortable with a person, ormaybe another dog.
They're getting too close.
(16:46):
Your dog turns its head awayfrom the stressor.
However, because of anxiety,it's keeping its eyes on the
stressor.
So, yeah, the head is turnedaway but the eyes are not, and
when that happens, you're goingto see the whites of the eyes.
And when you see whale eyethat's the term we give to
seeing the whites of the eyeslike that, that could mean that
(17:08):
the dog is getting ready to bite.
That is something you reallywant to pay attention to, all
right.
Another stress signal is thefurrowed brow.
A dog may furrow its brow whenfeeling stressed, creating
wrinkles on their forehead.
If you see that, that foreheadwrinkles, if they're furrowing
(17:30):
their brow, that's a goodindication that they're
uncomfortable, that they'restressed.
Again.
Take all of this in context.
Make sure you're checking outother body language and the
environment Pacing, beingrestless and pacing Pacing is
another stress signal.
Stress dogs may pace, theymight circle.
(17:51):
They've got difficulty settlingdown.
That's a stress signal.
Here's another one that a lotof people don't look for.
They don't know about Dilatedpupils.
Yep, when a dog is stressed out, even a person when they're
stressed out or anxious, theirpupils may dilate, making their
eyes appear larger and darker.
(18:14):
Another stress signal refusal offood or treats.
When a dog is really stressedout or anxious, when they're
afraid, they may refuse food.
They may refuse treats, even ifthey would typically accept
them eagerly.
That's a sign that your dog isexperiencing stress and anxiety.
All right, here's someadditional stress signals
(18:37):
Cowaring Well, that's a littlemore.
That's not so much nuance,that's a little more overt.
A lot of what I'm going to betalking about are these little
tiny, covert canine bodylanguage signals.
But cowaring A dog may crouchdown low to the ground or
attempt to make themselvesappear smaller when they feel
(18:58):
stressed or frightened.
Another stress signal avoidanceStress dogs.
They may attempt to avoid thesource of their stress by
turning away or hiding or movingto a different location.
You need to be aware of that.
Another stress signal aflattened body.
(19:20):
A dog may press their bodyclose to the ground as a sign of
stress or fear or submission.
Another canine body languagestress signal is stiffening or
freezing.
A stress dog might suddenlybecome very still or rigid, as
(19:40):
if they're freezing in place.
Another stress signal that youneed to learn about is excessive
shedding.
Yes, there are dogs that mightshed excessively, but when
they're extremely stressed andanxious, dogs can shed more than
usual.
And let's say, you're doing areally good job of brushing your
(20:02):
dog and your dog doesn't shedmuch in most contexts and all of
a sudden you are in anenvironment and your dog is just
shedding like crazy.
Well, that could be a stresssignal.
You want to look for that.
Another stress signal would behypervigilance.
A stress dog might becomehyperalert, scanning the
environment for potentialthreats and reacting to even the
(20:25):
smallest stimuli.
Another stress signal to lookfor this is one that's more
overt than covert excessivedrooling.
Some dogs may drool excessivelywhen they're stressed, even if
they're not anticipating food,remember I talked about when
you're looking at the caninebody language cues, you need to
(20:48):
take everything into context.
So if I've got a dog and I'vegot food out and that dog is
drooling, most likely thedrooling is because of the food.
But, like I'm saying here, ifthere's no food involved and
your dog is drooling, that maybe a canine body language stress
(21:10):
signal that your dog is reallyhaving a hard time.
Other stress signalsvocalizations.
Sometimes they may producestress related vocalizations
such as whining or whimpering,or perhaps they do a low growl.
(21:30):
Another stress signal is suddenscratching or grooming.
A dog might suddenly start toscratch or groom themselves when
they're stressed, even if theydo not have an itch or need
grooming, why one of myminiature schnauzers, when it
starts to get a little anxiousor nervous, will start grooming
(21:54):
itself.
Another stress signal that dogscan display is air snapping.
Again, this is more of an overtone.
This one's not as covert, but astress dog may snap at the air
without making contact withanyone or anything, as a warning
and also to relieve stress.
(22:14):
Another stress signal that youmight encounter are chattering
teeth.
Some dogs they may chattertheir teeth when they're
stressed and that can be a signof anxiety or fear.
However, again, remember I saidthere are some gray areas.
I've had dogs that wereincredibly toy crazy.
(22:34):
I had a Belgian Malinois andwhen the dog got aroused, when
the dog wanted to play, therewas so much arousal that the dog
chattered its teeth.
Now that was stress, but thatwas more of a good kind of
stress instead of stress thatleads to problematic behaviors.
(22:59):
The next one kind of goes withthe scratching and the grooming.
Another stress signal isexcessive self-licking, and
that's what my dog really doeswhen we're talking about the
stress signal.
When it comes to suddengrooming, it's the excessive
self-licking, and other dogs aswell as my dog might lick
(23:20):
themselves excessively whenthey're stressed and in some
cases dogs do it so much becausethey've got so much anxiety
that it potentially leads toskin irritation or hotspots.
All right, keeping with thestress signals.
The next one I want to talkabout is jumpiness, or a startle
(23:44):
response.
Stress dogs might become moresensitive to sudden noises or
movements, reacting with aheightened startle response.
Another stress signal bowel orbladder accidents.
A stress dog may have accidentsindoors, even if they're house
(24:05):
trained, but due to theemotional pressures that they're
experiencing, they might haveaccidents.
Okay.
And of course, we know also adog that is absolutely scared
out of their mind.
They could lose the function oftheir bladder and their bowel
Okay.
(24:26):
Another stress signal behaviorwould be dogs displaying
displacement behaviors.
So stress dogs might engage inbehaviors that seem out of
context or unrelated to thesituation, like sniffing the
ground or pawing at objects orfocusing on a toy, when they're
(24:51):
usually indifferent, all right.
So let me give you an example.
I had to do a bite assessmentcase with a dog that bit
somebody and I did a setup whereI actually had a mannequin to
simulate a stranger and we hadthe dog come out of the house
(25:11):
and the dog ended up in thegarage.
The garage door was open, thenthere's the driveway that goes
to the sidewalk.
On the sidewalk I had themannequin.
Well, the dog saw the mannequinand the dog started sniffing
all over in the garage.
Now that behavior in my mindokay was a situation where it
(25:37):
was a displacement behavior.
That dog was anxious about themannequin.
That dog if that mannequin, ifit was a real person made the
wrong move the dog might goafter and bite.
The dog was stressed when itsaw the mannequin.
Yet it started sniffing andnormally it would not be
sniffing all over the place inthe garage.
(25:57):
It's been in that garage manytimes.
So that was a displacementbehavior, a stress signal.
Another stress signal is theinability to focus.
Stress can make it verydifficult for a dog to pay
attention, to follow commands orcues, even if they're well
trained.
Klinginess another stresssignal.
(26:18):
Stress dogs might becomeexcessively clingy or needy,
seeking reassurance and comfortFrom you, the pet parent or
other family members.
Another stress signal isexcessive barking.
Some dogs may bark excessivelywhen they're stressed or anxious
, as a way to express theiremotional state or seek
(26:40):
attention.
Another stress signal escapeattempts.
A stress dog might try toescape a situation that they
find overwhelming or frightening, such as digging under a fence
or attempting to break free froma leash.
Now, these are just some of themany stress signals that dogs
(27:04):
can display that arecommunication to you.
And again, like I said, whenyou are very familiar, when you
become fluent in canine bodylanguage, you can understand
what your dog's underlyingemotional state is, what their
intentions are going to be.
You can predict behavior.
It allows you to be able to getin there and make sure nothing
(27:28):
bad happens.
It's also critical when you'reexposing your dog to triggers,
if you're trying to get themused to things that they're
afraid of, that they're anxiousor that they're aggressive
towards.
If they're being exposed tothose things and they're
displaying stress signals, youhave them too close, too soon.
(27:51):
If it's a sound issue thatthey're stressed out about, the
sound is too loud too soon.
The exposure needs to be less.
Now.
This podcast is not aboutcounter conditioning and
desensitization.
This podcast is not aboutexposure therapy.
(28:14):
It's about the canine bodylanguage that gives us cues and
signals to know, hey, if I'mgetting stress signals and I'm
trying to expose my dog and getmy dog more comfortable and
relaxed around strange dogs andmy dog is displaying stress
signals, that's feedback, that'slanguage to me.
I need to create more distancebetween my dog and the strange
(28:39):
dog, because exposing my dog toanother dog and it having stress
signals is the opposite of whatI want.
I want to expose my dog to thethings it's afraid of or
aggressive towards, at adistance where my dog is
comfortable.
When they see those triggers, Ican pair that with something
(29:00):
very positive, like high valuefood, rewards or the dog's
favorite toy, or a lot of love,praise, affection and play.
Eventually, as I'm pairingpositive associations with the
things that my dog doesn't like,but again at a safe distance
where my dog doesn't care, whereI'm not seeing the stress
(29:20):
signals when I'm doing it.
That way I'm going to havesuccess.
But if I'm trying to do thesame thing and my dog has stress
signals, I'm either not goingto have success, or I'm going to
have minimal success, or I'mgoing to start hitting roadblock
after roadblock after roadblock.
I'm only going to get so far.
(29:40):
Now, like I said, thisparticular podcast is not about
exposure therapy.
It's not about counterconditioning and desensitization
, which you need a greatunderstanding of canine body
language to be effective withthat.
But if you don't know a lotabout counter conditioning and
desensitization, make sure thatyou check out my podcast that is
(30:03):
very specific on counterconditioning and desensitization
.
If you go to I believe it'sepisode 81, episode 81 on the
dog training today audio podcast.
Wherever you get your podcast,whether it's Apple podcast,
spotify, wherever you listenlook for episode 81 and that is
(30:27):
an hour long episode on counterconditioning and desensitization
.
Also, you can go to my websiteat dogbehavioristcom.
Again, that's dogbehavioristcom.
Go to the menu and look forarticles.
Click on articles.
There's about 80 articles.
(30:48):
One of those articles isspecifically titled counter
conditioning and desensitization.
So the canine body language is askill that allows you to be
successful with counterconditioning and desensitization
, aka exposure therapy, to helpchange the dog's underlying
(31:10):
emotional state, how it feelsabout the trigger, through
behavior modification.
You've got to understand thecanine body language.
All right, let's go into.
Let's go into some calmingsignals.
So what are some things?
(31:30):
What are some canine bodylanguage displays that dogs can
give us that are calming signalsto let us know they're getting
more relaxed.
They are relaxed, okay.
Well, one of them is softeningeyes.
A dog might make their eyesappear softer and less intense
(31:52):
to show that they're notthreatening, okay.
Another calming signal slowblinking.
Dogs may slowly blink to signalthat they're not a threat and
they're trying to calm thesituation.
Its communication.
Another calming signal isturning the head away.
(32:15):
A dog might turn their headaway to avoid direct eye contact
, trying to signal that hey, I'mnot a threat.
Another calming signal could besitting or lying down.
Dogs may sit or lie down toshow that they're not a threat
and, again, that they're tryingto calm the situation.
(32:37):
But you've got to take thesethings into context, right?
Dogs sit and lay down all daylong.
Is there a stressor when theydo it?
Well, maybe, if there's astressor or a trigger when
they're doing it, it's a calmingsignal they're trying to calm
the situation.
Another calming signal sniffingthe ground.
Dogs may suddenly sniff theground to signal that they're
(33:00):
not interested in confrontation.
Remember I talked about thatbite case and that dog that I
was evaluating.
We had the mannequin set up.
The dog came out the garage andI talked about the dog was
displaying displacementbehaviors.
It was sniffing.
Those behaviors were out ofcontext for the situation At
(33:20):
hand.
There was a, for all intentspurposes, a stranger that
normally it would go after, butthe dog had some training after
the attack, all right.
So not only was that dogsniffing a displacement behavior
, but it was also a calmingsignal.
Yes, when the dog suddenlystarted sniffing the ground,
(33:43):
it's signaling that they're notinterested in confrontation.
Now, wouldn't that be importantto know as a pet parent?
Absolutely All right.
Another calming signal a lot ofus know this playbough.
Do you know what a playbough is?
That involves a dog loweringtheir front end while keeping
(34:03):
their rear end raised, signalingthat they want to engage in
friendly play.
A lot of us know that.
Here's another great calmingsignal a shake off.
Now you know when you batheyour dog and they shake all the
water off, all right, a dogmight perform a full body shake,
similar to when they're wet,but they're not wet and they do
(34:27):
that shake off as a way to Arelease tension and, b to signal
their intent to calm thesituation.
They might be in a stressfulsituation with another dog and
you might see stress signals andthen you might see the dog get
(34:47):
more relaxed, start showingcalming signals.
There can be a shift when we'redoing counter conditioning and
desensitization, when we'redoing exposure therapy to these
dogs that have anxiety, fears,phobias, aggression and
reactivity.
One of the critical things thatwe're looking for, besides the
(35:10):
stress signals, are calmingsignals.
I want to reward, I want toreinforce every single calming
signal that I encounter.
So every time I see a dog,every time I'm working with a
dog that has anxiety, fears,phobias, stress, reactivity,
aggression, whenever I see acalming signal, I'm going to
(35:34):
reward that, I'm going to markor I'm going to click my clicker
and reward that.
Now, in my program of trainingwe use a marker training system.
A clicker is just one kind ofmarker.
That marker training system,using a clicker or another kind
of marker in training, iscritical in order to have
(35:55):
fantastic timing, and timing isso important when we're training
our dogs.
You literally have about onesecond to reward your dog, to
connect that reward to yourdog's behavior in its own mind,
cognitively, for it to connectthe dots, you'd have to get the
food in your dog's mouth withina second.
(36:17):
Well, sometimes you can't dothat.
Well, a marker system is asystem of communication that
lets the dog know hey, you'regetting a food reward.
Now, if you don't know aboutmarker training, if you're not
using markers, if you don't knowabout clicker training, if
you're not using a clicker intraining, you need to again go
(36:37):
to the dog training today audiopodcast and I want you to look
for episode 80.
Episode 80 is an entire hour onusing markers and training, on
marker training, on clickertraining.
Also, you can again go to mywebsite, dogbehavioristcom again
(36:58):
dogbehavioristcom.
Go to the menu, click onarticles and then you can find
the article as you scrollthrough.
I've got an entire article oncounter conditioning and
desensitization and you knowwhat I've done for you.
I've actually taken the audiopodcast.
I've embedded that at thebottom of that article, so you
(37:22):
can get both by going to mywebsite.
Okay, all right, let's talkabout some additional calming
signals.
One of them is lifting a paw.
A dog might lift one paw offthe ground to indicate that they
are not a threat, and they dothat sometimes to diffuse some
(37:47):
tension.
Okay, another calming signalcurving the body.
A dog might approach anotherdog or a person in a curved,
non-linear path to show thatthey're friendly and not
threatening.
Okay, now here's where thingsget a little crazy.
(38:10):
Normal calming signals, right,yawning Remember we talked about
yawning as a stress signal.
Well, a dog may yawn in a tensesituation, yeah, to display
non-aggression and an attempt tocalm the environment.
So yawning can be both a stresssignal and a calming signal.
(38:35):
It can have two things.
It can indicate they'restressed, they've got an
underlying emotional state ofanxiety or fear, yet they're
trying to diffuse the situationand communicate hey, I'm not a
threat.
Yawning, all right.
Another calming signal liplicking.
(38:56):
And we talked about lip lickingas a stress signal.
This is another one that canfall into multiple categories.
Dogs might lick their lips inthe presence of other dogs or
humans to signal that they'renot a threat and that they're
trying to de-escalate thesituation.
(39:16):
But lip licking can be a stresssignal.
And then it flips intocommunication of hey, I'm not a
threat.
But they do that when they'restressed and it helps them calm
down.
Also, and they're trying tocalm down a possible
(39:37):
tension-related event Okay.
Another calming signal waggingthe tail, however, however
specific tail wagging waggingthe tail in a low wide arc.
A dog that wags its tail in alow wide arc is often displaying
(40:01):
friendly intentions and tryingto calm the situation.
Okay.
Another calming signal isoffering the side or the back.
A dog might present its side orback to another dog or a person
to show that they're not athreat and that they're trying
to calm the situation.
Okay, here's another calmingsignal that oftentimes is
(40:24):
misinterpreted rolling onto theback.
A dog rolling onto its back canbe a calming signal, exposing
their vulnerable belly to showsubmission and non-threatening
intentions.
In many cases you'remisinterpreting that and you
think your dog wants a belly rub, but you may have a dog that
(40:48):
doesn't have a lot of confidence.
All right, if you've got a dogthat doesn't have a lot of
confidence and your dog rolls onits back, your dog might not be
asking for a belly rub.
Your dog might be exposingtheir belly to show submission
and that they're trying tocommunicate.
(41:08):
They're not a threat, all right.
Another calming signal blinkingor looking away.
A dog might blink or look awayfrom the source of their tension
to avoid direct eye contact andalso to signal that, hey, I'm
not a threat.
Another calming signal sighingA dog might emit a deep, relaxed
(41:32):
sigh to signal that there it is, and this can have a calming
effect on other dogs andsometimes on people that are
nearby.
All right, another calmingsignal stretching A dog might
stretch their body or their legsin a relaxed manner to show
(41:52):
that they're comfortable, alsoshowing that they're not a
threat, and this helps to calmthe situation.
Another calming signal takingtreats gently.
A dog may take treats gentlyfrom a person's hand to
demonstrate they're not a threat.
Another calming signal slow,deliberate movements.
(42:16):
Have you seen that you knowwhere a dog might move slowly
and deliberately, avoidingsudden or quick movements?
Yeah, that's to signal that,hey, I'm not a threat.
They're attempting to keep thesituation calm, all right.
(42:36):
Another calming signal gentlenuzzling or sniffing.
A dog may gently nuzzle orsniff another dog or a person
and that's to demonstratefriendly intentions and help
calm the situation.
Okay, another calming signal tolook for are relaxed ears.
(42:58):
A dog with relaxed, neutralears is signaling that they're
comfortable, they're not athreat, and that can have a
calming effect on others.
Another calming signal is agentle tail wagging.
A dog wagging their tail slowlyand gently can signal that
(43:22):
they're non-threatening, thatthey're friendly, that that
particular wag is helping tocalm the situation.
Another calming signal arelaxed mouth.
A dog with a relaxed, slightlyopen mouth is signaling that
(43:43):
they're comfortable, thatthey're not a threat, and that
helps to contribute to a calmeratmosphere and to help calm the
dog and perhaps strange dogs orpeople that are around that dog.
All right, so we have gonethrough stress signals, we have
(44:06):
gone through different calmingsignals and in part two, because
this is going to be amulti-part series, in part two
of canine body language, we'regoing to be talking about
distance increasing signals.
What kind of canine bodylanguage do dogs give off to
communicate to other dogs or toother people?
(44:28):
Hey, I need space, I needdistance, I need you to increase
your distance between me.
And in addition to that, we'regoing to talk about appeasement
signals.
How do dogs show appeasementsignals?
And then there's also distancedecreasing signals.
(44:51):
When a dog wants you to getcloser to them and when they're
trying to indicate, hey, I'mfriendly, come on over, they
will display distance decreasingsignals.
Okay.
And then we're going to talkabout what are some different
play signals.
We're going to be talking abouttail position, because that can
(45:12):
be very confusing, along withtail wagging.
Everybody thinks, hey, if thedog's tail is wagging, it's
happy and friendly.
Well, that's not necessarilythe case.
There are many different waysthat dogs wag their tail and it
means different things.
Also, barking signals there aredifferent kinds of barking.
There are different kinds ofvocalization where the dog is
(45:36):
communicating differentintentions to us.
Do you know all the differentsignals that dogs can send, with
different barking and differentvocalization?
Okay, that can be absolutelycritical.
And then I'm going to talk alittle bit more about some of
(45:58):
the conflicting canine bodylanguage signals, the ones that
can fall into multiplecategories, the ones that you
really have to take everythinginto context as far as what's
happening in the environment andthe rest of the dog's body
language.
All right, well, that's partone of canine body language.
(46:21):
Make sure that you check backfor part two.
Watch your dogs Check out andsee if you find these things in
their body language.
I'm out of here.
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