Understanding Your Dog’s Body Language
Have you ever wondered what your dog is saying—or trying to tell you—when you’re walking, playing, or navigating an unfamiliar situation? If so, this blog is for you. Understanding your dog’s body language is a huge part of communication. It can also be difficult to interpret because not every signal means just one thing.
Confusing, right? I’ll break it all down for you. The biggest takeaway when reading your dog’s body language is to pay attention to the environment around them. Dogs can sense and smell things we can’t, which means environmental changes can be a big clue to what your dog is communicating with their body language.
Reading body language is more than assuming a wagging tail means happiness. Did you know a wagging tail doesn’t always mean a happy dog? It’s true. Dogs may wag their tails even when they feel stressed or anxious. Keep reading for more insight into your dog’s communication. I’ll break it down from the head to the tail, covering everything in between. When I was taking classes for my certification, reading a dog’s body language was one of the largest parts of the curriculum.
Face and Head
Yawning: Yawning generally indicates stress or conflict. It can also serve as a self-soothing or appeasement behavior in dogs. For many dogs, yawning can be one of the first signals that shows how they’re feeling. Don’t discount the yawn. Unlike us mere humans, who may yawn out of boredom or tiredness, dogs often yawn to tell us what they’re feeling.
Lip Licking: Lip licks are fast and quick, and they’re often missed unless you’re actively watching your dog. They are a fascinating part of learning how your dog is feeling. A lip lick may be your dog’s tongue quickly touching their lips or even the entire snout. But what is your dog saying when they lick their lips? Look at the environment. A lip lick will almost always indicate one of two things: they are experiencing stress, or they need space. Lip licks are one way dogs tell others they need space and want them to back off. A common problem is that some dogs don’t read other dogs’ body language, and we humans don’t always know how to speak dog. That’s why working with a qualified trainer is incredibly beneficial.
Averting Their Gaze: This can be a confusing signal. Averting their gaze means a dog is actively looking away, with their head and neck turned. Humans tend to interpret this as a dog ignoring them or being uninterested. Did you know that when a dog averts their gaze, they may actually be telling us they’re uncomfortable and need space?
Brows: The ultimate goal is for your dog’s brows to look relaxed. Furrowed brows, similar to the expression we make when we’re confused, can indicate stress or high arousal in dogs. This may happen during play, in response to outside stimuli, or in stressful situations. Furrowed brows are also sometimes seen just before aggressive behavior.
Eyes: The eyes are the window to the soul, right? That can be true for dogs, too. A dog’s eyes can be a great indicator of how they’re feeling, though we often miss the signs. The goal is to see soft eyes and a relaxed brow. Soft, almost squinting eyes can show that a dog is content and relaxed. A hard stare—unblinking, completely fixated, and sometimes described as glossed over—can indicate that the dog is in a negative state of mind. Most importantly, a hard stare is often seen before an aggressive outburst. Dilated pupils, especially when paired with a hard stare, can indicate that cortisol, the stress hormone, is being released. This tells you the dog is in a heightened state, overstimulated, and may be entering fight, flight, or freeze mode. Give them space and get them out of that situation immediately.
Whale Eye: Whale eye is a term used to describe when your dog shows the whites of their eyes while looking at a stimulus. Think of it as side-eye. It’s very distinct, and you’ll know it when you see it. Whale eye can indicate that a dog is feeling anxious about a situation. It is also frequently seen before a bite. This doesn’t mean every dog showing whale eye will bite, but it does mean you should help them get out of that situation.
Slow Blinks: Slow blinks are generally seen as a distance-increasing signal. Your dog may be asking for space or asking the stimulus to back off. Slow blinks can sometimes look like squinting, which is one reason reading your dog’s body language can get confusing. Squinting can also mean they are calm and relaxed. If you see a slow blink, look at the situation. What do you see or hear around you? The environment will help you understand what your dog may be feeling.
Long Blinks: Think of long blinks like trying to stay awake and not fall asleep—that’s the best way to describe them. Generally, long blinks are a self-soothing or self-calming signal.
Direct Eye Contact: Direct eye contact is defined as staring intently at something without looking away. When paired with extremely hard eyes, it almost always indicates stress. The longer the dog stares without looking away, the more cortisol—the stress hormone—is likely being released, and the more heightened their arousal may become. I think this is a big one, especially for our reactive dogs. Redirect them sooner rather than later.
Avoidance: Avoidance is best described as a dog hiding their eyes without actively looking away from a stimulus. For dogs, this can be a calming signal and a way of telling us they are uncomfortable.
Muzzle/Mouth:
We’re all familiar with dogs baring their teeth, which, along with a growl, can indicate aggression or a clear need for space. But did you know dogs can smile? Yes, they sure can. This typically involves a dog pulling their upper lip and jowls up, resulting in a large goofy grin. This is just one example of why reading the environment around you—and the rest of your dog’s body language—is the biggest learning curve when you’re trying to figure out what your dog is really saying.
A dog baring their teeth aggressively will usually have a tight mouth, nearly clenched jaws, an upper lip pulled all the way up, and jowls pulled down into a tight “C” shape. This will almost always be paired with a hard, direct stare, raised hackles, and a very stiff body. Dogs showing a relaxed body, loose tail, and wide mouth—usually in the shape of a “V” with the tongue hanging loosely—are often showing signs of a happy, relaxed dog.
Panting: Panting can indicate stress when heat or exercise is not a factor.
Chattering Teeth: Just as it sounds—similar to what we do when we’re cold—chattering teeth can indicate stress in a dog.
Chuffing: Chuffing occurs when a dog expels a soft bit of air through clenched teeth and firm lips. It can be another indicator of stress. This sound is often very soft and can be easy to miss. Sometimes it sounds a little like an exasperated human sigh.
Lastly, let’s talk about sighing. Dogs can sigh for a wide variety of reasons. Usually, it is a calming signal or a way to calm themselves down. Dogs may also sigh when they’re tired or when they feel unsure or conflicted about something. This is another great example of why reading the environment is so important when trying to correctly evaluate your dog’s state of mind.
Ears:
Ears are a treasure trove of valuable information when reading your dog. The best way to evaluate your dog’s ears is to look at the base of the ear, not the tip. It’s also important to consider the breed of dog you’re working with. Dogs with loose, floppy ears tend to be slightly easier to read, while dogs with cropped or naturally upright ears—such as Dobermans or Boston Terriers—can be a little trickier. Let’s break it down.
First, look at your dog in a relaxed state. How are their ears positioned? That’s your baseline. For example, my dog has loose, slightly floppy ears. When she is relaxed, her ears hang down, stay very loose, and tuck close to her head. Note your dog’s baseline—a photo can be helpful here—then move on to reading what their ears are telling you.
If the ears are slightly forward, your dog may be becoming more aware of or stimulated by something. This is usually seen during play or excitement.
Ears that are up, stiff, and facing forward—not just slightly forward, as discussed above—can indicate alertness. This is commonly seen with a stiff body, tense muscles, and a high tail held immediately over the back.
You may see a slight movement of the tail here, but it’s not an excited wag. As the dog assesses the situation, you may see their ears move from forward to back and then forward again. That tells you they are figuring things out and aren’t quite sure how to feel about something.
Ears that are tightly pinned or dropped back against the head can indicate nerves and stress. The tighter the ears, the more the dog may be feeling. The farther back the ears are pinned, the more stress they may be experiencing. This is the perfect time to look at the environment and assess what’s happening. Also look at their eyes, muzzle, and tail. All of these signals together paint a picture of how your dog is feeling.
As I mentioned earlier, make note of your dog’s ears when they are relaxed and happy. Use that as your baseline when training.
Tail: Oh, the wagging tail. This is one of the most misinterpreted signs. Dogs may wag their tails for a variety of reasons, and each wag can have a different meaning. When we’re looking at a tail wag, we also need to assess where the tail is in relation to the dog’s back and how quickly it is moving. I know—it’s a lot. Think about how your dog greets you when you come home. What is their tail like? How quickly does it wag? Where is your dog’s tail while it’s wagging? Let’s break it down even further:
A happy wag—think of your dog being thrilled to see you—usually starts with the base of the tail even with the back. The tail wag should be fast, loose, and fluid, and the movement should get the entire hind end moving from side to side. Hence the nickname “wiggle butt.”
A wag that signifies arousal or alertness will usually be slower and stiffer, with the tail held up over the back. This can happen during a good scratch, or it can happen in response to outside stimuli. For example, when my dog’s favorite person comes home, her tail wags so fast and loose that sometimes I think she’ll wag it right off her body. Alternatively, when she’s enjoying neck rubs, her tail goes over her back and the wag becomes shorter and slightly stiff. That’s what I mean when I say arousal, and it’s why looking at the environment and what’s happening around your dog helps paint the picture of how they’re feeling. When my dog’s tail is stiffly wagging while she’s getting neck rubs, she’s blissed out. She loves neck rubs.
As with the ears above, it’s very important to note the breed of dog when reading a tail wag. For example, dogs with docked tails can be harder to read, so you’ll need to look at the little bit of tail they do have. What is it doing?
Posture:
As with the tail, there’s a lot to unpack when looking at posture. But when you read posture alongside the other cues from your dog’s body, you’ll be well on your way to understanding what your dog is telling you. Let’s get into it.
If a dog is actively turning away from something—or turning into a trusted person—with their head facing back and their body leaning away, it can indicate that they feel scared or cornered and are ultimately trying to leave the situation. You may even see a dog exposing their belly here. No, they’re not necessarily asking for belly rubs. In dog speak, that can be a way of telling the other involved party, dog or human, that they’re feeling conflict, stress, or fear.
You may also see a dog standing or leaning forward, with their weight distributed more heavily over their front paws. This may be their way of saying they’re interested in a situation. Typically, you’ll see this posture with offensive movement, such as walking toward something. However, if you see a dog walking toward another dog with all their weight on the front of their body, a stiff tail over their back, and ears pinned back, you have a highly aroused dog. This could be a precursor to aggression. Get both dogs out of that interaction as soon as possible.
The next posture—and the one I find most fascinating—is when the weight is distributed back while the body leans forward. You may see the hind legs almost straight back, or hyperextended, while the dog stands with more weight on their front paws. This posture is almost always seen in fearful dogs. It indicates that they are not fully committed to approaching something and are ready to retreat if needed. I find this posture especially revealing in the fear-reactive dogs I work with: mildly curious, but not ready to commit.
We’re all familiar with the play bow, or puppy push-up, when the dog bows by planting their chest on the floor and keeping their hind end in the air. We usually see this as a sign of play. However, it can also appear when there is some conflict, with the dog using the play bow as a sign of appeasement. Little-known fact: not all dogs read body language correctly. Weird, right?
Let’s dive into one of the most misinterpreted postures: mounting or humping. The most common misconception about this behavior is that it’s sexually driven. In fact, it usually isn’t. It is most often an indicator of a dog who is overexcited or conflicted, and it is often seen during times of stress. Mounting can also be attention-seeking behavior, which can quickly become learned behavior if left unchecked. So how do you correctly interpret whether mounting is attention-seeking or a sign that the dog is overexcited? Look at the environment. Is the dog surrounded by new people? Is the dog constantly asking for attention? In one dog I worked with recently, his mounting behavior turned out to be both overexcitement and attention-seeking, depending on the scenario. The best way to curb this behavior is to stop it before it becomes a pattern. A strong “leave it,” followed by a high-value treat, can be beneficial. If the mounting is the result of overexcitement, I suggest temporarily removing the dog from that environment and reinforcing calm behavior.
Movement: I know, it’s a lot to take in. Thank you for sticking with me so far. I thought about breaking this into two different blogs but ultimately decided that one would be easier if anyone needed to come back and reference it. Because this blog—and all my blogs—are about you. What would make your life easier as you work with your dog, reactive or otherwise? This segment may be harder to break down but thank goodness for pictures. Those will help, too.
Muscle tension in dogs can be a great indicator of how they’re feeling, though it can also be hard to interpret. The ultimate goal for all dogs is loose, calm, and happy. In a loose, calm dog, the muscles—along with all the other signals—should be relaxed and moving fluidly, almost Gumby-like. Now for the wrench: if a dog is moving loosely but curving their body, with their feet planted almost away from the situation while their head and tail curve toward the other party, that can indicate a dog who is unsure or apprehensive. Look at the rest of the dog’s body language.
Stretching is another commonly misunderstood movement in dogs. As humans, we stretch when we first wake up or to move our muscles after being sedentary for a while. Dogs also stretch when they first wake up. They may also stretch—with their front paws stretched out in front of them, rear end up, and back hunched—as a calming signal when they feel stressed about a situation. So, if you see your dog stretching outside of a normal context, such as just waking up, look at the environment around you and the rest of your dog’s body language to assess how they may be feeling.
Coat: This one isn’t as hard to break down, so I’ll keep it brief. A dog’s coat, when the dog is feeling happy and relaxed, should be smooth and lie relatively flat against the body. When you see the fur raised around the neck and in front of the tail, it can indicate that your dog is upset, scared, or overly aroused. This is most commonly known as a dog’s hackles being up. The scientific term is “piloerection.” I prefer “hackles up,” since that’s the term most people know.
Okay pals, the last thing I want to talk about is consent signals. These are very important to note as you learn more about your dog and learn to advocate for them. Consent signals are specific signals or cues that encourage interaction. They are commonly directed toward humans, but they can also be directed toward a certain stimulus that the dog is giving consent to approach or engage with. As you learn about your dog, you’ll also learn other ways they may consent. For example, as part of her reactivity training, my dog learned “go say hi,” which consists of her touching her snout to a hand if she wants to. If she sits down in front of that person, she is consenting to be briefly pet. The most common consent signals are:
Dog-initiated contact, such as coming toward you
Loose face and body movements
Flopping down in front of you or leaning into you. Think of the infamous Rottie Lean.
fully relaxed, leaning all weight on the person. This is the Rottie lean Play bow/read more above
Actively soliciting more attention if engagement stops, such as nudging your hand with their snout right after receiving attention
Another happy or playful signal I want to mention is pawing. This could look like raising a paw to you or tapping a paw on you. Note that this behavior is different from repetitive pawing at legs or objects, which is almost always attention-seeking behavior. The pawing I’m referring to here is a brief raise or touch of the paw. Think of the infamous “Pyr Paw” from our Pyrenees friends.
Okay pals! We did it. That’s the end of this blog dedicated to reading and learning your dog’s body language. I know it was a lot to take in—thank you for sticking with me! Please message me if I can help interpret some body language for you. Pictures or videos help me decipher dog body language because, as we’ve learned, each behavior can mean different things. Stay tuned for my next two blogs: Rainy Day Games, and Tips for a Successful Vet Visit.
Comments