How to speak DOG
Dogs are not verbal creatures by nature. The barking is something we taught them. They learned to bark to get our attention or to scare away something.
They communicate the most with their body language. These signals are very subtle but if you can read them, you will save your dog a lot of anxiety. Not responding to these signals causes issues like growling and biting; these dogs were pushed to their edge because no one advocated for them or stood up for them. I see this the most with small dogs. Being so small gives people the impression that they are just wishing someone would come and invade their space and pick them up. This is not the case for many small dogs; they would prefer that people respect their personal space and leave them be. A dog’s personal space bubble spans 7 to 9 feet, unlike our human personal space bubble that is only at 2 to 3 feet. Also, they don’t enjoy hugs and are just tolerating you (sorry, not sorry).
Ways your dog is communicating with you:
Lip Licking - they are slightly stressed and looking for some help
Yawning - they feel uncomfortable and may need a break
Whale Eyes (when you can see the whites of their eyes) - something is invading their space and they don’t like it
Shaking their whole body - trying to release stress and reset
Stretching their front legs long - they are greeting someone they love or showing another dog they are friendly
Play Bow - a friendly invitation to play
Licking a lot - this is also known as ‘Appeasement’ licking and may be confused with a dog enjoying someone close to them when actually they are trying to ask that person not to hurt them. You see this a lot with young children being too close to the dog
Turning their back towards you - they have had enough and need a break
These are the first forms of communication from your dog to describe how they are feeling. Once you see these, you can act appropriately and advocate for your dog on whatever they may need from you.
Appeasement licking the mobile baby? Remove baby.
Yawning as a new person pets them? Ask the person to move away please
Lip licking during a doggy playdate? They need a break from the other dog
If we can step in during these signals, then your dog will not feel the need to escalate to alternate behaviors such as growling, snapping and biting.
They are also taking cues from you and your body language. The way you stand or ask them to do something may confuse them and cause frustration. Many dogs learn a visual cue for a command before the verbal one.
For instance: you taught your dog to SIT using both your word and your hand moving up. You repeated the word over and over again hoping your dog will respond. It wasn’t until you got frustrated and used your hand motion too to REALLY get your point across. Miraculously, your dog sits. Why? It’s because your hand motion overshadowed your verbal cue. You also probably abused the verbal cue by saying it over and over again without letting your dog respond.
Next time you’re training with your dog, take notice of your body and how much you learn over your dog or use a hand signal with your verbal ones. I bet it will surprise you how much movement you’re making which can be confusing for the dog. Stand up tall, say your command once and allow your dog to respond.
If you would like to read more about dog body language and calming signals, check out these books:
