Dog Body Language - Making Sense Of Your Pets Signals | Dogs

By AdrianFletcher
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A dog communicates with you by barking or through body language. Unlike humans, and like other animals, dogs communicate more via body language than barking. By understand common dog body language you will understand you pet better and have a closer relationship with him.

The meaning of your pet's body language will become clear once you have lived with him for a few years, until then however here are a few pointers about dog body language.

If a dog has it's rear end in the air and it appears to be prancing or bouncing on it's front legs this generally means it is happy or feeling playful. It will wag it's tail vigorously and the mouth will be open in a dog type smile. You will notice this if you are playing fetch with it. Your pet will drop the ball and then prance around waiting for you to throw it away.

Dogs will also show submission to you as a superior in their pack or to other dogs that they feel are superior. The most obvious sign of this is when they roll over revealing their belly. Other forms of submission are a lowering of the head, ears and eyes as they walk towards you. The tail may wag gently in lowered position between the legs.

The dog language of a dog in a relaxed mood is as you would expect. The dog's weight will be even distributed and it will stand up straight. The tail may wag in a lazy way half way up. The head will be up, with the eyes focused on something that is of interest.

A dog that is alerted to something will have a similar look, however the hair around the tail may rise and he will lean forward with his weight on the front feet. His eyes and ears will be directed in the area where the dog senses the alert is coming from.

Aggressive body language is again similar to excited or alert behavior. The dog will be leaning forward. However the general demeanor is different. The hackles may raise. This is the fur on the shoulder blades just below the neck. It is very noticeable when this happens. The eyes will be staring intently at the object of potential aggression. The muzzle will change. The top lips will rise to reveal the teeth and the dog may begin to snarl.

Once you have seen these signals once or twice in your pet, you will understand what they mean. You will be able to modify your behavior or even the dogs if you feel that it is not appropriate. It can also help you understand what kind of behavior training your dog needs based on it's body language to you.

About the Author

Get a more in depth review of dog body language and details of a popular in home dog training course at doghealthncare.com.

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