Top Tips for Understanding Dog Body Language and Communication

Observe body language

You can watch your own dog in the home, when out on walks and during play sessions. See how they interact with you and the world around them. Observe well socialised dogs interacting together and look at the way they communicate too. Video recordings are useful to pick up on subtle body-language and things that you might have missed.

Watch how dogs use their senses

The dogs’ sense of smell is 10,000 times better than ours. See how they take in information using it. Encourage them to use it with scent games and give them time to have a good sniff when out on walks.

Apply up-to-date methods of communication

It is now well known that trying to act like an alpha dog is an outdated method of training. Alpha rolls and muzzle grabbing only makes your dog think you are unpredictable and someone to fear. This can lead to self-defence aggression. Instead use positive reinforcement alongside quiet, non-threatening body language.

Reacting to an aggressive dog charge: Tips to stay safe

Remain still
Remain silent
Avoid direct eye contact
Present a side-on, closed stance, using your peripheral vision to assess the situation
Keep your hands and arms close to your body
Quietly and very slowly move away backwards but DO NOT run

Knowing when to step in when dogs are playing

Watching dogs’ play is great fun but sometimes things go a bit too far. Knowing when to step in and call a halt to the session is important. Look out for:

One dog controlling the play session
One dog doing all the chasing with the other trying to escape, crouching or cowering
A dog displaying a high body stance – tail held high and ears erect
Stiffness in the body and locked eye contact

If you observe any of these signals immediately distract the dogs by calling them away. Reward the recall and put them both under control.

Summary

So understanding canine body language is like learning a whole new language. Invest time and practice in getting it right and you will reap the benefits by having a more harmonious relationship!

If you are looking for a book these are my recommendations:

On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals

Amazon Kindle Edition
Rugaas, Turid (Author)
English (Publication Language)
78 Pages – 01/01/2006 (Publication Date) – Dogwise Publishing (Publisher)

Fear and Anxiety in Dogs: Understanding, prevention and treatment

Amazon Kindle Edition
Clark, Caroline (Author)
English (Publication Language)
160 Pages – 10/24/2022 (Publication Date) – The Crowood Press (Publisher)

I may receive commission when you click Amazon links on this page and make a purchase. However, this does not impact my recommendations, reviews or comparisons.

And for teaching children all about canine communication, here’s a great site produced by The Blue Dog.