Learning to communicate with our dog is essential to achieve a balanced and positive coexistence, as well as to improve the bond with him and understand what he is trying to tell us at all times. On many occasions, a bad communication between the dog and the man can lead us to the appearance of unwanted behaviors, mainly due to a lack of understanding in the communication not verbal, i.e. bodily.
In this article on our site we will help you to understand in a general way what dog language is like and the calming signals that they transmit to us. Read on to learn how to communicate better with your dog and to understand what he is trying to tell you:
Do all dogs know the language and calming signals?
The beginning of learningof dog communication begins from birth and lasts until approximately three months of life. During this period, the dog learns a language that will accompany him throughout his life and starts with his mother and siblings, who teach him and guide him
The most important period for language recognition is puppy socialization, which is between three weeks and three months of age. The prompt separation of the puppy can have serious consequences, such as lack of social behavior patterns However, many more consequences may appear, such as lack of bite inhibition, fear or stress, among many others.
Therefore, not all dogs are capable of interpreting and recognizing the signals that we are going to show below, although these are specific cases in which we observe premature weaning or isolation of the puppy, which is usual in shelter dogs.
How should we communicate with our dog?
Before getting started in the language of dogs and calm signals, it is essential to know how communication between us and the dog should be, take note:
- Always use a high tone and a low volume so that the dog does not mistake your words for a punishment. Also, you should remember that his ears are very sensitive, so they don't need you to raise your pitch to hear you.
- Always try to associate words with specific physical signals, this way your dog will understand you better and it will be easier to communicate with him in noisy environments.
- Use positive reinforcement to communicate with him, various studies show that he understands you much better when you avoid punishment.
- Whenever you communicate with your dog, make sure there is clear eye contact.
- Respect the dog at all times, especially if you notice that he feels uncomfortable or overwhelmed, changes the situation or uses a higher reinforcement to motivate him
- Don't use punishment to communicate with your dog, if he doesn't understand you, move and repeat.
The signals of calm in the dog
1. Yawn
Yawning, as a sign of calm, is often accompanied by other signs, such as backwards ears, head turns or sideways glances. This signal usually indicates discomfort or that they do not understand what we are asking them.
We must not confuse this signal with a yawn when waking up, for example.
two. Slick
Except when they have just had a drink of water, smacking is another of the most common signs of calm. It usually tells us that the dog is "not looking for trouble" and may be accompanied by a lowered head or a head to the side. The dog is asking us for space or a break in training.
3. Lick a person
Generally we associate licking humans with the affection and affection of the dog and, sometimes, it tends to be so, especially if we reinforce this behavior in a positive way. However, an excited lick can indicate that the dog is stressed and tries to relieve the tension that may exist by licking us, something he knows we like.
When he licks us out of nervousness, not out of affection, it is often accompanied by other calming signals such as ears back, head turns, and fidgeting.
4. Head turns
It is likely that when you approach your dog, sometimes to give him a kiss, or try to place something right in front of him, the dog will turn his head. It usually means discomfort and is telling us to respect your personal space. In this case, it may show other signs, such as panting, ears back or licking. You can also use this signal with other dogs to show that is calm and not looking for trouble
5. Nudge
This is a very positive signal and tells us that our dog is looking for our attention or affection. This behavior has its origins in his puppyhood, when the dog seeks his mother's breasts by pushing with his nose.
6. Squinting eyes
This calm signal usually indicates well-being and safety in the dog. His origins are also in his puppy stage, when he was with his mother and felt very comfortable. This is a very good sign.
7. Sniff the ground
If your dog pretends to sniff the ground before going to introduce himself to another dog, you should be very happy, since he This is a calming signal from a polite dog. He is trying to communicate that he is not looking for trouble or invading his personal space
8. Walking in circles
When two dogs walk and then sniff each other in circles, it is usually a very positive sign of calm between them. They greet each other warmly and positively.
9. Stretch
This posture can have different meanings:
- It is common to see a dog in this position when he is asking another dog for a game. In this case, he will act in a cheerful and positive way, making smooth tail movements. In this case it is a friendly dog.
- However, if you observe your dog stretching while using other calming signals, such as licking his lips, wagging his tail energetically and turning his head, we have a dog in front of us politely asking for space, to leave him alone.
10. Stay still
It usually happens when we take our dog to a new pipi-can, where he doesn't know the dogs that are there. He assumes a motionless posture and allows others to sniff him without trouble. It is a calming signal indicating that the newcomer is polite and allows others to get to know him
Remember that when a dog stays completely still because we are yelling at him or punishing him, he is not being submissive, he is making a defenseless posture, since he does not know what to do or where to hide for us to finish the punishment. Don't forget that getting to this point is very negative and that we shouldn't scold our dogs, much less violently or harshly.
eleven. It shakes
This signal tells us that the dog is quite stressed and seeks to release his tension by shaking himself completely. Running away and other signs of calm usually follow.
12. Belly up
In this case the dog lying down is submissive towards the other dog, either out of fear or for other reasons. This is a posture of cordiality, the dog is not looking for trouble.
Remember that when the dog shows its belly to us, it is not a sign of submission, although it is calm. In this case, the dog tries to convey to us that he fully trusts us and that, furthermore, please, let's scratch his belly
13. To pee
Urinating is undoubtedly a marking signal, but they also use it together with other dogs to make themselves known. He wants the other dogs to know his identity and urine so that they can smell him later.
Other Calming Signals
It is important to highlight that there are many signs of calm in the dog that sometimes go completely unnoticed. Here are some more:
- Lift front leg
- Raise rear leg
- Look askance at
- Lie down (along with more calming signals)
- Ears back
- Shrink
- "Smile"
- Look at the ground
- Walk away
- Turn your back
- Look away
- Mouth relaxed
- Mouth slightly open
- Relax tail
- Tail between legs
- Soft tail movements
Fear posture and aggressiveness due to fear
It is very important to know how to identify a fearful behavior in our dog. That will help us interpret his emotions in order to act correctly in all cases. Below we show you two postures that denote fear in the dog:
- In the first figure we can see a dog very afraid. He hides his tail between his legs, smacks his lips, shows his ears back and maintains a hunched posture.
- In the second figure we can see a dog, also fearful, but with a defensive attitude: he shows his teeth, his limbs are rigid and bristly hair. We have to be very careful because a dog with defensive aggressiveness can react disproportionately, causing a lot of damage. That usually happens in situations where the dog feels cornered. He can make alert barks, followed, fast and without pause. He will also growl, gasp, whimper, and cry.
Security posture and offensive aggressiveness
Now we will show the body positions of a dog confident, very different from those mentioned above:
- In the first figure we see a dog confident and stable. His tail is relaxed, his ears are in a normal position, and his body posture does not indicate fear.
- In this second figure we see a dog with offensive aggressiveness Through these warning signs try to move awayto the dog, person or object that is causing the reaction. We can observe the bristly hair, the wrinkled snout, the teeth and the very rigid and stiff extremities. The tail is normally up. He usually makes a short, high-pitched bark, which expresses annoyance at the situation he is experiencing
Stereotypic or compulsive behavior
This is a repetitive movement without an apparent function that the dog performs in response to a specific stimulus, generally to relieve stress. It is ritualized, repetitive and lasts over time. If left untreated, these types of behaviors tend to become chronic and become very difficult to treat. It may be due to an illness, a behavioral problem, or both. Generally we tend to observe dogs compulsively chasing their tails, but there are many other stereotypes in dogs.
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