Body language plays an essential role in the relationship between humans and dogs. Because a dog neither understands the content of the words said, nor can he talk to his human with words. how do I teach my dog to draft? it therefore makes sense to deal with the expressive behavior of our dog. You can thus understand him better in many situations. On the other hand, you have to know that our dogs are masters of human observation and can often “read” us very accurately. Our four-legged friends therefore deserve that we also become “dog interpreters”!
Impressing behavior or fear: body language shows it
A dog standing on a meadow with a stiffly pressed back and limbs, with a raised rod and with forward-facing ears, makes himself big and shows impressive behavior. Another, on the other hand, whose appearance is characterized by a round back and pinched rod, seems anxious. Precisely because dogs cannot articulate themselves verbally, it is extremely important to pay attention to their body language and to recognize even small things.
In dog schools, dog owners often introduce the description of incidents, especially if they are your dog’s aggressive behavior, with “out of the blue” or “all of a sudden.”
Pay attention to the small but fine signs
Subjectively, it is also perceived by them. But if you take a closer look, the first signs can already be seen before the aggressive action, which indicate an imminent attack: The gaze becomes more rigid and fixed, the Lefze is minimally pulled upwards.
But not only when it comes to aggression, the body language of the dog plays a major role, but it affects the entire everyday life of humans and dogs. A classic example of misunderstandings, for example, is this: A dog wagging the rod is not automatically friendly. First and foremost, he is in an excited emotional state, which can be quite friendly, but also aggressive or insecure. It depends not only on where and how the rod wags, but also on what signals the rest of the body sends. A dog whose rod oscillates back and forth in extension of the backbone, so that the entire buttocks wobbles with, comes rather in friendly intention. A tense dog, whose rod beats back and forth in a fast rhythm like in front of a mouse hole when waiting to catch the mouse, is not friendly.
“Look into my face”
The facial expressions of a dog can express a lot: If the pupils are tightly contracted, the dog is concentrated and on alert for an upcoming fight or the hunt for prey. Wide pupils, on the other hand, mean balance and relaxation. However, they can also be a sign of fear. In order to determine how the dog is doing, all signals from the body should always be taken into account, such as the posture of the ears or tail.
“Pay attention to my ears”
Loosely laid out ears indicate a friendly mood with a relaxed posture. However, firmly pressed ears and a tense neck are a sign of subservience. If the ears are high, the four-legged friend observes. If he also clenches his teeth, he is aggressive. Backward-facing ears and a slightly open mouth to “show teeth” reveal that he is anxious.
“Look at my attitude”
Does the dog move loosely and relaxed or does it suddenly tense? Does he anxiously pull in his head and tail? Does he duck to a submission gesture to a larger dog? Does he happily throw himself on his back to romp around? Does he happily stretch all fours to the sky? Or does he sit expectantly on his buttocks, his front legs stretched out?
Communication via the nose
Even if body language, i.e. visual communication, makes up a large part of the forms of communication, the dog also has other senses through which communication takes place. An enormous amount of information is absorbed via the nose. Who has been on this site before me? Is the next door hot? This olfactory communication also includes leaving messages, such as urine and feces, or the scent that flows from the precaudal glands above the root of the tail and is distributed by fronding.
Interpreting spoken language correctly
Auditory communication, i.e. barking, whining, or whining, is familiar to most people. It works like this: The person sits on the couch and reads.potty train a rat terrier the dog first patiently sits down in front of him and stares: he wants to be petted. If the human being does not react, the whining or whining sets in. However, the use of the voice can also support territorial behavior – such as barking for defense – or provide information about sensitivities, such as malaise, pain, or fear. Tactile communication – the conveyance of information via touch, cuddling, bumping, laying on the head, or mutual grooming – is also part of the dog’s communication repertoire.
It is important that you always pay attention to the overall picture. So: Not only look at the rod, but also head posture and facial expression. And don’t just go into spoken language, but have the big picture in mind. Make the effort – because only an understood dog is a happy dog!
