Read Body Language of your Dog

Reading Body Language of dogs means to understand what your dog is saying. Dogs generally communicate with their noises and body language. Dog’s body language allows them to communicate their emotional state and their intentions to others around them. Although dogs do use sounds and signals, they send much of the information through their body language, specifically their facial expressions and body postures. Dogs use facial expressions, ear set, tail carriage and overall demeanor to signal their intentions and feelings to others. Breaking their body language down into components is helpful at first for building your observation and interpretation skills.

The Dominant Dog

The dominant dog stands upright, a line of hair on spine stands erect, tail up and gently wagging. This is a primitive device to make the dog look lager and more fierce, and it is caused by the upsurge of adrenaline triggers the fight and flight syndrome. When approached by other dogs, the dominant animal curls its lips, makes a snarling roar, neck is extended, and paw may be put on the approaching dog.

The Submissive Dog

The submissive dog approaches the other from side, never head on. The head is held low, body crouching, rear end high. The underdog licks head and lips of pack leader.

Canine Body Language Chart

Following are some common behaviors and what they look like. Since this is a generalized chart, all the dogs may not display all of these traits. But one can use this information to get an idea of what feelings they are showing. As the relationship with a dog grows stronger, it will become easier to know what they are trying to say.

	DOMINANT Ears - Up straight or forward Eyes - Wide open, staring, direct contact. Mouth/teeth - Mouth closed or slightly open. Body - Very tall posture. May drape head over another dog's shoulders. Hackles may be up. Tail - Stiffened and fluffed. Up or straight out from body. Vocalization - Low, assertive growl or grunt.
	ALERT Ears - Perked-up. Turning to catch sounds. Eyes - Open normally or wide. Mouth/teeth - Mouth closed or slightly open with teeth covered. Body - Normal. Possible standing on tiptoe. Slightly dominant position. Tail - Up. Possibly wagging. Vocalization - None. Low whine or alarm bark.
	AGGRESSIVE Ears - Back, close to head Eyes - Narrow or staring challengingly. Mouth/teeth - Lips open, drawn back to expose teeth bared in a snarl. Possible jaw snapping. Body - Tense. Upright. Hackles on neck up. Completely dominant position. Tail Straight out from body. Fluffed up. Vocalization - Snarl. Growl. Loud bark.
	FEARFUL Ears - Laid back flat and low on head. Eyes - Narrowed, averted. Possibly rolled back in head, whites showing, dilated pupils. Mouth/teeth - Lips drawn back to expose teeth. Body - Tense. Crouched low in submissive position. Shivering, trembling. Frozen in one place. Possible secretion from anal scent glands. Tail - Down between legs.
	PLAYFUL or HAPPY Ears - Perked up and forward or relaxed. Eyes - Wide open. Mouth/teeth - Relaxed and slightly open, teeth covered. Excited panting. Body - Relaxed, or front end lowered, rear end up in the air, wiggling in a play-bow. Excited bouncing or jumping up and down. Circling around and forward as an invitation to play. Tail - Wagging vigorously. Vocalization - Excited barking. Soft play-growling.
	SUBMISSIVE Ears - Down, flattened against head. Eyes - Narrowed to slits or wide open, whites showing. Mouth/teeth - Lips pulled away back from teeth in a "grin". Nuzzling or licking other animal or person on face. Body - Lowered to ground, front paw raised. Lying on back, belly up. Possible urine leaking/dribbling. Possible emptying of anal scent glands. Tail - Down, between legs. Vocalization - None or low, worried whining. Possible yelping/ whimpering in fear.
	RELAXED or FRIENDLY Ears - Perked up. Eyes - Wide open. Alert look. Mouth/teeth - Relaxed, possibly slightly open, "smiling" mouth. Body - Normal. Still or possible wiggling of whole rear end. Tail - Up or out from body. Wagging. Vocalization - Whimpering, yapping, or short, high bark.
	GUARDING Ears - Perked up. Forward. Eyes - Wide open, alert. Mouth/teeth - Mouth slightly open, teeth bared. Snapping or gnashing of teeth. Body - Tense. Rigid. Hackles up. Standing very tall in an aggressive or dominant stance. Tail - Rigid. Held straight out from body. Sometimes fluffed. Vocalization - Loud, alert bark. Growl. Snarl.