Understanding dog body language is essential for communication with your furry friend. This knowledge is also important to ensure successful dog training.

If you’re unaware of their cues, the misunderstandings can lead to unwanted stress, sickness, feelings of being unwanted, and even aggression and attacks.  

So, one of the major steps of being a responsible canine owner is knowing how to read dog body language. If you’re uncertain where to start, here are all the basics you must know!

1. Tail Motions

On your journey of how to read dog body language, pay special attention to their tail. Most people assume that tail wags only convey positive emotions. However, that’s far from reality. You need to consider tail positioning, wag speed, and direction like these:

• Slow, deliberate wags when the tail is held high: It implies your canine companion is confident if there’s some activity. If they’re in front of a new person, they’re alert, asserting the situation, and deciding their reaction.
• Vigorous tail wag, positioned mid-level: Your dog is thrilled to see you or wants to play with you.
• Tail tucked between legs: Your pet feels threatened, afraid, anxious, and overwhelmed.
• Tail is stiff and held high, sometimes slightly wag: They’re alert, ready to show dominance, and respond to threats.
• Slow tail wags at low level: This puppy body language indicates your dog feels cautious, uncertain, or insecure about their surroundings or a situation.

2. Ear Positions

For the next important part of how to read dog body language, you must focus on their ears. This says a lot about their emotional state, like the following:

• Forward erect ears: This shows their attention, interest, or alertness. Most probably, your pet is focused on a sound or object.
• Pulled back ears: It signifies fear, anxiety, and submission. Your furry companion might be scared of the environment or a person.
• Relaxed ears: This puppy body language depicts that your dog is calm, at ease, and relaxed.

3. Eye Stares

Another way of understanding dog body language is to notice how their eyes move or stare. Some tips on how to read dog body language through their eyes are:

• Relaxed, soft gaze: This implies your dog is happy, comfortable, and trusts you. They often wag their tail and sit in a relaxed posture to show they are content.
• Squinting or excessive blinking: It shows that your don wants to avoid confrontation, tries to show themselves as non-threatening, or acts submissive. In certain cases, it might indicate some discomfort. If this happens with their lack of appetite, offer them water with goat milk powder. This helps in digestion, ensures hydration, and offers essential vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids even without solids.
• Hard, intense stare: Your mutt wants to show dominance or threaten them. It’s a warning if their body is also stiff.
• Showing whites of eyes: It happens when your furry baby turns its head but looks at you. This shows fear, anxiety, stress, discomfort, or feeling threatened. They want some space.

4. Mouth Expressions

Understanding dog body language also includes focusing on your dog’s mouth and expressions. Here’s how to read dog body language through the mouth.

• Relaxed, slightly open mouth, relaxed tongue: Your dog is relaxed, satisfied, and lazy.
• Panting: This is a normal post-exercise reaction when feeling hot and exhausted. If there’s panting without exercise, your dog is stressed or feels heated.
• Yawning lip licking: These indicate different things, such as hunger, drowsiness, or self-soothing when they feel stressed and anxious.
• Snarling, baring teeth: This clearly indicates your pup’s fear or aggression. It’s best to back off and allow them some space, or they might attack.

5. Posture

Your dog’s overall body posture is another answer to your question on how to read dog body language. They tell whether they feel confident or submissive, like the following.

• Relaxed posture: This body posture includes a relaxed and loose body throughout. Sometimes, this includes lying down on their back or sides or exposing their stomach to a scratch. It implies they are comfortable and content.
• Stiff, tense posture: This body posture is often combined with forward-facing ears and a raised tail. It shows that your mutt is alert as they feel threatened. They are deciding whether to react aggressively or act in defense.
• Lowering body while shaking or cowering: Your dog is afraid and acts submissive to you, a situation, or another being. Sometimes, dogs also tuck their tails, flatten their ears, and avoid eye contact to show their submission.  
• Play bow (lowering front body while the rear is raised): This is a clear sign your dog wants to play, get pets, and feel loved and wanted.

6. Vocal Sounds

Besides knowing how to read dog body language, dogs also communicate with their vocals. So, connect these with other body languages to understand their message better.

• Barks: Dogs may bark because they’re excited or alert or as a warning. If you’ve just returned home after a long day at work, it’s excitement. If there’s strange activity, it’s alertness. If a stranger is approaching, it’s a warning. You must also pay attention to the tone and frequency to understand the true meaning.
• Whines or whimpers: Whining and whimpering are straightforward signs of anxiety or needing attention. Besides whining, if your dog also doesn’t pass bowels for a while (constipation) or has diarrhea, offer them organic pumpkin powder with meals or water. It’ll help with such digestive issues.
• Growls: Growling is also relevant to the circumstances. If they growl during a game, that’s just them trying their best. In uncertain situations or new surroundings, it’s fear or aggression. Sometimes, it’s also a sign of discomfort.  
• Howls: Sometimes, dogs howl as a response to other sounds. They also do it for attention or to show anxiety when you leave home for long hours.

Conclusion

By interpreting your dog’s fur baby’s body language, you can build a strong bond of communication and trust. It’s the secret to your dog’s happiness.

So, thoroughly go through the listed behavior until it’s ingrained in your brain. Keep an eye out for these signs to satisfy their emotional needs, make them feel safe, and prevent behavioral issues.

Similarly, don’t forget to offer lots of nutrition for their overall well-being! At Pure Paws, we have nutritious, single-ingredient powdered foods sourced with great care. These support your fur baby’s immunity and digestion, ensuring a better mood all day long. So, try Pure Paws products today and cuddle up with your happy dog!