It is widely known that dogs are very sociable animals and that is that they naturally conceive their life always in the context of a pack, whether it is a pack made up of other dogs or their family human.
Obviously, nature has also endowed them with the necessary language to establish communication that allows them to keep the pack in harmony and this communication is used both with other dogs and with humans, being the main problem that If we do not inform ourselves beforehand, we will not be able to decipher everything that our dog wants to transmit to us.
In order for you to better understand your dog and be able to give it greater well-being in your home, in this AnimalWised article we show you how to identify dog postures and its meaning.
The calming signals
Surely you have heard about the language of dogs and calm signals, although the use of this term can harbor some confusion. While it is true that dogs use these signals to convey calm to their peers, their human family, or even themselves, a calm signal is essentially a response to an external stimulus.
The dog can use them to reduce his excitement, to prevent a threat, to establish friendship… But calm signals can also indicate that a dog is scared, stressed or angry.
Calming signals are a very important part of dogs' body language, however, they are not the only signals out there, since dogs can use other types of signals to transmit excitement, threat or aggressiveness.
Learning to interpret calming signals according to the posture of the dog
There are approximately 30 different calming signals and the meaning of them can vary slightly depending on whether the dog uses them with another dog or with a human, therefore, it is very difficult to address this subject deeply and completely, although if that is your intention we recommend the book "The language of dogs. Calming signals. What to do when my dog…?"by the author Turid Rugaas.
However, here's what your dog means when he uses one of the most common calming signals:
- Blink:When a dog blinks repeatedly it is indicating that he feels forced and uncomfortable in the face of an external stimulus (generally a order) and that aims to calm things down.
- Turn your head to one side: It is a signal widely used by dogs when a human leans excessively over them to convey a message. order. With this signal the dog tells us that he feels uncomfortable, the same thing happens when he looks askance to avoid eye contact
- Turning his back to you: If your dog turns his back to you, it could be for two main reasons: either he is very excited and startled and he needs to lower that energy and the stimuli he is receiving very quickly, or he senses that you are approaching him angry and tries to reassure you.
- Yawning:When a dog yawns he is trying to reassure himself in a situation that he does not perceive to be calm and it may also be that he is trying to reassure the human family of him.
- Smack and lick: This signal of calm can have different meanings. When a dog licks you it can be interpreted as a social interaction and a sign of happiness, on the other hand, when a dog licks his nose it can indicate that he is scared, nervous or uncomfortable.
- Lying on its back: It is one of the signals your dog uses to show enormous confidence towards you, when a dog is placed so he is completely submissive and gives himself totally to you.
One of the most important benefits of knowing these calming signals is that you can also use them with your dog to that he easily understands the meaning of what you want to convey to him.
Body postures that precede a bite
If we talk about the body language of dogs, one of the most valuable knowledge is knowing how to identify when a dog poses a threat and prepare for a bite, in this case the signs are usually the following:
- Shows discomfort by looking away, turning away yawning and moving slowly.
- He scratches and sniffs the ground.
- Shows signs of stress: hair on his back stands on end, panting, pupils dilated and eyes wide open, he may also tremble and shake. These signals indicate that the dog is preparing to run away or to attack.
- The dog stops showing signs, remains motionless and focuses on his threat if he has not succeeded in neutralizing it
- The dog growls and shows its teeth.
- Finally lunges and marks or bites in self-defense or in defense of something or someone he thinks belongs to him
Obviously, if we know the body language of dogs, this process does not have to take place completely, since we can act in accordance with what our dog is expressing so that he can calm down.
