Many times, we wish our dog could talk to better understand what he wants to tell us. But animals have their own language and use a rich system of body communication that allows them to socialize with their peers and interact with the environment around them.
Our dog's body transmits a lot of information about his mood, his he alth and how he interprets the world. Surely, you already know that his tail and his ears acquire a different position according to the emotions he experiences and the stimuli he perceives. To find out why your dog lowers its ears when you pet it,we invite you to continue reading this new article on our site.
Why do dogs put their ears back when we pet them?
Dogs move their ears back in the middle of a petting session as a calming signal indicating well-being, complacency or pleasure They can also do it to ask for pampering or food, and even when we are angry with them after some misdeed. It's their way of saying "please stop".
It may happen that our dog is especially scary, in this case, if we also observe that he licks his lips, shrinks his body or that hides its tail back, means that the caresses are too rough. In this case he acquires a position of fear to ask us to be careful, that he is scared.
But in any case, if our dog moves his ears back when he is calm, he is asking for your attention to receive the caresses he wants. And what are you waiting for to give him all your affection?
What do the different positions of canine ears convey?
Below we show you the meaning of the position of a dog's ears so that, in general, you learn to better interpret his body language:
- Erect ears slightly tilted forward: indicate that the dog is paying attention to some stimulus and trying to interpret its meaning. If the stimulus gets too much of its attention, the animal may move its head to either side.
- Ears erect and tilted far forward: The dog is very alert. He may also show an offensive attitude towards some stimulus or another animal. If in addition, the animal stares, wrinkles its snout and shows its teeth, it is preparing to attack.
- Ears erect, tail up, body leaning forward: This offensive position usually indicates that the dog is highly alert and ready to attack. attack. It can happen when one dog is dominant to another. We could also observe the bristly hair, the rigid extremities and the very dilated pupils.
- Ears back: A dog tends to pick up his ears when he feels fear or insecurity. If the animal also lowers its head, puts its tail between its legs, and has half-open eyes, it means that it is quite scared.
- Ears backwards and body crouched: If we observe the dog with its ears backwards, its body bent, its fur standing on end and its mouth wide open, the dog is displaying an aggressive defensive posture.
As we have explained, each dog has unique ears with special characteristics. We must be able to differentiate a "relaxed" position that the animal acquires when it is calm from those that reveal some kind of communication. This can be difficult to interpret in some races.
If you notice that your dog is constantly alert or scared, you should review the 5 freedoms of animal welfare to try to find out if he suffers from some kind of stress or he alth problem. Likewise, go to the veterinarian, an ethologist or canine educator to evaluate the possible appearance of behavior problems.
However, backwards ears are not always a bad sign. In fact, the mood considered ideal for a dog is characterized by a friendly posture, in which his mouth and eyes are wide open, his tail is upright and moving happily, and her ears are relaxed back
Getting to know our dog's ears better
Some breeds are world famous for their very long floppy ears, like the basset hound, while others are loved for their small, erect ears, like the chihuahua. The fact is that each dog owns unique ears in their shape, coat, size and color.
Next, we invite you to learn more about the ears and hearing of our best friends through 6 very interesting curiosities:
- Dogs have more than 18 muscles in their ears: the developed musculature of their ears allows dogs to develop an enormous range of movements and positions that demonstrate their state of encouragement in the face of different stimuli offered by their environment.
- A dog's ears are associated with the balance of his body: as with humans, dog ears are also they perform a fundamental function for the balance of your bodyTherefore, many infections that affect the inner ear often lead to problems with balance and your locomotion
- Dogs can hear up to 4 times better than humans: our furry friends have very privileged hearing and hear higher frequencies than us, but not as high as those that felines can detect. This explains why many whistles that are imperceptible to us can arouse the attention of our pets.
- Dogs tilt their heads to widen their hearing range: It may seem like they're doing this to look totally irresistible, but tilting their heads, dogs can better distinguish sounds from a distance.
- Puppies are born deaf: At birth, puppies still have a plugged ear canal and only begin to hear after the first few weeks of life.
- Dogs use their ears to express and communicate: our best friends did not develop the ability to speak, but they are able to communicate perfectly with people, with other animals and with the environment in which it is found. His ears, his tail, his facial expressions, his posture are instruments of socialization, learning and communication.
All this makes us reaffirm the importance of condemning and combating practices of aesthetic mutilation that, for many years, predominated in the register of purity of certain races. By cutting a dog's tail and ears, we deprive them of two fundamental tools for the development of their physical, emotional and social skills.
