How to Read Your Dogs Body Language

Understanding how your dog feels in specific environments is essential to building a healthy and trusting relationship with your pup. Fortunately, dogs tend to show exactly how they are feeling emotionally and physiologically through subtle cues in their body language. Learning to recognize when your dog is either relaxed or tense can help you prevent behavioral issues and put them in an environment where they are comfortable and safe.  At a Peaceful Pack in Tulsa, our programs begin with observing your dog's body language to understand its behavior before we start training on any commands. Today, we'll be giving you our expert tips on things you can look out for in your dog's body language. 

Understanding the Basics: Tension Vs. Relaxation

Before examining any specific body language sign, it is essential to understand the two major states your dog is generally in. Just like humans, dogs have a complex nervous system that can shape their behaviors more than you might think:

• Tense | SNS (Sympathetic Nervous System): This is the fight or flight mode, increasing your dog's adrenaline, heart rate, and blood pressure to prepare it to "respond" to a threat. 

• Relaxed | PNS (Parasympathetic Nervous System): The 'rest and digest' mode. Contrary to the SNS system, this mode promotes rest, relaxation, and decreased heart rate for your pup. 

The truth is, whether it's from learned behavior or previous trauma, a lot of dogs are constantly functioning with the SNS system activated, putting them in a constant state of anxiety or aggression. One of our main goals at A Peaceful Pack is to teach your dog how to properly engage its parasympathetic nervous system to remain calm in any environment. 

Signs To Look for in the Tail

Your dog's tail position and movement can provide a lot of insight into their emotional state, but there are many nuances to it. For instance, a wagging tail may not always indicate that a dog is "happy"; it just means that it is emotionally aroused. A loose, mid-height wag will often signal a relaxed and content pup, while a stiff and twitch-like wag may indicate heightened stress or even aggravation. On the other side of things, if a dog tucks its tail in between its legs, that is a sign of fear or submission. Some studies even suggest dogs might wag their tail more to the right when experiencing positive emotions and wag to the left when facing something negative. We can tie these signs back to a dog's PNS & SNS systems. If the tail is in a more neutral position, you can tell the dog is in a relaxed state, while if it's held high or tucked between its legs, it is in a tense state. 

Understanding The Eyes & Facial Expression

Like humans, dogs can display a lot about how they are currently feeling by their eyes and facial expressions. Starting with the eyes: soft eyes with a relaxed, gentle squint are a good sign, showing that your dog feels safe and content. The opposite, or hard, wide-open eyes, can signal distress and aggression. Holding a long, hard stare, especially when guarding something, can be taken as possessiveness or a warning of aggression. On the flip side, averted eye contact may indicate that your dog is feeling discomfort and trying to defuse tension. 

Other subtle expressions, such as yawning and lip-licking, can sometimes be mistaken for your dog being relaxed and content. However, unlike humans, yawning is a form of self-soothing for dogs, and lip-licking is another sign that they are feeling uneasy. Looking at the mouth, an obvious sign of aggression is if a dog is baring its teeth with a curled snarl. A slight grin with a friendly demeanor shows your dog is relaxed and trusting. Lastly, the ears can suggest calmness, while if the ears are pinned back or forward, that might mean that your dog is on high alert. 

How A Peaceful Pack Can Help You Learn Your Dog’s Body Language

At A Peaceful Pack, we’ve helped countless dog owners understand when they’re dog is feeling distressed and what to do to help. Our state-of-the-art dog boarding and training directly trains your dog’s nervous system to help get them into a place of relaxation. Whether you have a new puppy that you want to build a strong foundation with or are looking to address aggressive behaviour, our expert team is here to help. Click Here to schedule a free consultation today.