Dog Talking

From the moment we bring a puppy or adult dog into our home they are communicating with us. Even though we may not know what they are saying they are observing our every move. They learn through body language, facial expressions and tone of voice.

By learning their language, we can obtain our training goals much quicker and easier. An ideal way to achieve this is to observe dog to dog interaction.

Meeting and Greeting

When dogs meet, you may witness the dominant dog state his or her place in the pecking order by raising their hackles up, ears tense and raised, the head may rise up and the tail will be stiff. The submissive dog will probably back off by crouching and avoiding direct eye contact which means "I'm not a threat".

When the threat is no longer there, they will begin to sniff each other's rear end. The scent from this area tells them who the dominant dog is as well as other necessary information.

At this point, they will either walk away from each other or begin to play. To begin play they will get into a bow position with their front paws facing each other and the rear end up in the air with their tail wagging high and fast.

If one dog does not care to play, he or she will turn away or ignore the advances of the dog that is encouraging play. If the playful dog persists, the uninterested dog may snarl and growl as a warning. This is usually enough for the playful pup to stop.

For a variety of reasons, there may be instances where the dogs are not compatible. This may result in a fight, but usually one dog will end up most dominant and hopefully the fight will end quickly without harm.

Don't confuse this with play fighting which entails scrapping, growling and snarling. During play fighting the body is not as stiff and the sounds are not as threatening. One dog may even grab and hold the bottom lip of the other dog, simply to say "Stop, I've had enough."

A Wagging Tail

So many breeds, so many tails and they are all telling a tale.

All dogs communicate with their bodies and their tail is a huge part of communication, but if the dog has a short stubby tail it is much more difficult to read. In this case you need to learn to rely on ear set, head set, body stance, facial expression and eye contact.

If a dog is saying "I am happy to see you and want to play", the tail will wag fast and high and his facial expression is usually inviting and calm.

When a dog is carrying his or her tail between its legs, they are most likely unsure or afraid of the situation they are in.

If a dog is showing aggressive tendencies, he or she will hold their tail stiff and high and may slightly wag it. The body language will also be stiff and they will probably make direct eye contact.

By reading tail wags, you will learn how and when to approach a dog. To learn more about doggy tails and other dog to dog interaction, please click Services for contact and pricing information.