Reading Your Dog’s Body Language to Avoid an Aggressive Escalation

When your canine friend behaves aggressively, can be disturbing and upsetting. What do you do when your dog reacts from a place you don’t understand? The dog trainers at Sit Means Sit Dog Training are here to help you and your dog understand and overcome these issues.

Aggression is not a single event; it is a continuum that begins with distress and escalates. Luckily for us, dogs are very expressive creatures. Your dog transmits body-language warnings before it goes on the offensive. Identifying and respecting signs of distress in dogs is something that people don’t often do – they drag dogs into things dogs do not want. If owners paid more attention, a lot of trouble could be averted. Here are some basic signs to watch for.

 

Eyes

Unusually wide = aggression or fear

Small or squinted = pain or stress

Mouth

Open and panting = happy

Closed = submissive

Yawning, licking lips = tense

Front teeth bared only = submissive (this is the “submissive grin”)

Front teeth bared, nose wrinkled, muzzle shoved forward = aggression

Tail

Natural position with gentle wag = happy

Fast, sometimes circular wagging = excited

Curled down between legs, sometimes wagging = submissive or scared

Held high and wagged stiffly = aggression

While most people understand these basic elements of canine body language, especially the more dramatic ones, they often ignore the quieter signals. These little signs are the ones that will empower you to prevent upsetting and potentially dangerous situations with your dog.  Visit our dog training school and see how our professional dog trainers can help you and your canine friend out today!

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