Clear communication is key for any relationship to be successful. To take our own relationships for example, be they familial, platonic, romantic, or business, clear communication is a necessary condition for any of them to thrive. And so, to deal with all the other issues you may encounter with your dogs you will need to know how to best “speak” and “listen” to them. This last part is a vital component of clear communication – it must be bidirectional; you need the ability to clearly convey your intent as well as the ability to read your dog’s.
To pick up on your dog’s intent, you must be observant and attentive. You want to not only observe their behaviors but also objectively decipher the emotion behind them and what environmental stimuli might be creating your dog’s current mindset so that you can respond correctly (if respond at all). Regarding observing behaviors, it is crucial to always look at the whole picture. Do not fixate on one behavior but always zoom out and see it in its full context. For example, dogs growl in a variety of situations – during a game of tug, while playing with another dog, while protecting a resource, and while getting groomed – just to name a few. So, if you just focus in on the growl and assume that growl equals bad, you may very well misread your dog’s message. You need to take a step back and look how the growl fits into the whole picture; what is the environment that the dog is in, is the dog’s body stiff or relaxed, is the tail still or wagging, if it’s wagging is it tense or loose, is the growl a high or low pitch, etc. When you can see all these behaviors in concert, you will be better informed to understand your dog’s true messages.
For the very reason that we are more concerned with the forest than the trees, instead of going over individual behaviors, I think it best to discuss this from the perspective of understanding different common emotional/psychological states and the combination of behaviors that manifest because of each condition. In much the same way that we are always sending out messages, both voluntary and involuntary, about our current state of being, dogs are sending messages as well that we can pick up on. Dogs “speak” for a variety of reasons, all of which I cannot possibly cover. However, some common states include being content, being excited/playful, alerting the pack, being anxious/fearful, and guarding/displaying aggression. Let’s go through this list and see how dogs express each of these emotional communications.
Let’s begin with the state of just being content. Not necessarily excited, but truly enjoying the present moment in a serene state. A content dog, for starters, will either be laying down or lounging – it’s that sit position but where one foot is tucked under the other and they’re sitting on the side of their rump. Their ears will be in a relaxed, neutral position – whatever that may be for your dog. Their eyes will be soft, perhaps even a touch dazed, with their mouth slightly open and the tip of their tongue hanging out for some cool, refreshing air. Overall, they will look very hippy-esque. Regarding vocalizations, during a good stretch or belly rub you may hear some grateful grunts and groans. Overall, you will see a satisfied, calm, and pleasant companion.
While we weren’t necessarily talking about excited dogs above, we are now! Happy and excited dogs! We have all had the pleasure of seeing a dog who simply cannot contain their emotion. Their body is all over the place but loose, with no sign of tension. Their tail is wagging wildly, but still has fluidity to it, no stiffness. If your dog has a docked or short tail, then their rear ends might wiggle to the point where they cannot walk straight. This may be accompanied by repetitive, high-pitched barks trying to engage others into play. Additionally, dogs may take the classic play-bow position, with their head, front legs, and chest on or near the floor, while they stand on their rear legs, butt high in the air, their mouth open, perhaps with a slight pant and their eyes will be wide but soft. When you see a combination of the above behaviors, you are most likely looking at a happy and excited dog.
I purposely used both the adjectives happy and excited to describe the dog above because, as we will see here, you can have a dog who is excited but not necessarily happy. I’m referring to a dog who has sensed a threat, real or not, and is trying to alert the pack to said threat. If you live in an apartment, this is what happens when your dog hears noises in your hallway. If you live in a house, this is what happens when the delivery truck pulls up. If the perceived threat is distant, your dog’s head will perk up with their intense eyes and open ears pointed at whatever they just sensed. You might even hear a forceful, nasal exhale like a bull or a light “woof.” If the threat is closer or approaching, your dog will stand up, as will the hackles on their back and their tail, which may wag in stiff short movements. They will run to or even lunge at the direction of the threat, all while barking incessantly on the medium to high pitch range of the spectrum. Side note – when I talk about higher or lower pitches, this not absolute, it is relative to your dog’s natural voice. A higher pitch bark from a German Shepherd will still be lower than the lowest pitch bark a yorkie can make. While we want to be thankful to our dogs for alerting us to danger, we also want to make sure this doesn’t turn into an unhealthy obsession. Hence, we don’t want to get mad at them, but we do need to step in and help them settle down from alert mode. So, you want to watch out for this type of excited, but not happy, state.
While some dogs go into alert mode when they perceive a threat, other dogs will freeze up and go into a state of anxiety and/or fearfulness. This usually occurs when dogs find themselves in an unfamiliar or uncomfortable situation. The image that comes to mind is one of a dog with its head cowering, sad puppy eyes, and ears pinned back against their head. Typically, their tail will be in the signature tucked position, completely hidden between their legs. However, in some cases of insecure anxiety, as opposed to fear, you may see a tail that is rigidly wagging in a low position. The body will be tense, sometimes to the point of trembling. Occasionally, this will be in conjunction with either heavy panting, lip-licking, drooling or a high-pitched whining. If an anxious dog is approached, they may even give a growl or a quick snap, or they may urinate, to express their level of discomfort with the current circumstances. If you see your dog in such a state, try to figure out what is causing it and go slow with them, but stay composed to help them get through it. You want to be careful not to validate their fears/anxiety by coddling them or becoming anxious as well.
Whether fearful or alert, if a dog feels it has no other choice, say a threat is getting into or near a dog’s personal bubble, especially if there is a valuable resource around (e.g. bed, toy, bone), then you will see a very different state; guarding and/or aggression. In this situation, the dog will go entirely stiff from head to tail, maybe stretching its neck up and out over the resource it’s guarding. The hackles will also raise up and the dog will give a stare of death either with direct, hard eye contact or that side-eye look. Additionally, you may hear a low but audible grumble in conjunction with some snarling. If the threat continues to approach that grumble will quickly turn into deep, guttural barks alongside snapping with teeth fully exposed, sometimes even foaming at the mouth. All these behaviors serve the purpose of letting the threat know that a bite is coming next and, hopefully, preventing a full-on fight. If your dog ever gets into this state, try to remove them or the source of aggression from the situation, and get professional help.
While the emotional/psychological states described here are some of the more common ones, they are certainly not the only ones. However, I think it’s a good foundation of behaviors to start looking out for. Moreover, it helps you to keep in mind to always look at the whole picture. A wagging tail doesn’t always mean happy, and a growl doesn’t always mean angry. Take a step back, try to remove your own emotions from the diagnosis, and simply observe your dog to understand what state they are in. Building this ability to read your dog’s emotions and messages will be fundamental in developing trusting and respectful relationships. Just as fundamental, you will also need to hone your message-sending skills, and that is what I will discuss in the next article.