Canine Language the Key Parts of Dog Communication
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Canine Language The key parts of dog communication. Think of it as their dictionary of words. We are going to look at the main areas of the canine body that they use to communicate and how each can be interpreted. Ears, Eyes, Face/Head, Mouth, Tail, Body Position and Vocalization Ears: Ear position often reflects the motivation of the dog. They can give very significant signals about the dogs intentions but should be paired with the whole activity of the dog to get a more clear picture of it’s intentions. Dogs with pricked ears are often seen as more expressionate because the movement of the ears is more noticeable. We’ll look at both pricked and floppy eared dogs. Ears Erect or slightly Forward: Erect ears are an indication of attention, alertness, curiosity, prey/play or an offensive threat. Usually in the context of “What’s that?” ,“This is really interesting.”, “I don’t quite understand” or “I’m gonna get it!” depending on the pairing of signals from the rest of the body. In the case of an offensive threat forward ears are usually paired with a flashing set of teeth! A.1 Ollie’s ears in this photo are erect, alert and focused directly on the ball I am holding. This is an example of play or prey alertness, think of it as “I’m gonna get it!” A.2 In this photo Sketch’s ears are erect and focused directly on the person behind the camera making a silly noise. This is an example of curiosity, a “What is that?”. A.3 In this photo Possum’s ears are erect and focused directly on the cookie. This is an example of focus, “This is interesting”. A.4 In this photo Art’s ears are forward, alert and pointing towards the ball at my feet. This is an example of attention, “There is the ball, it’s right there”. A.5 In this photo Triskett’s ears are forward and erect. They are focused directly on another dog. This is an example of alertness as in “Who is that dog!”. A.6 In this photo Bruiser’s ears are forward and focused on the approaching person. This is an example of an offensive threat, “I am ready to bite you so you better consider your next move carefully.” Ears pulled back or flat against head: This can be a sign of anxiety, tension, fear, stress, caution or in certain situations and appeasing gesture or submission as in “I am no threat”. In some circumstances a dog can flick it’s ears back and forth from erect to pulled back. This is usually a sign that the dog is assessing the situation. This is a good example of ears showing stress in a dog. Ollie is stressed and hot, her ears are flattened on her head. Here is another example of flattened ears but in this case they are showing fear that has turned to aggression. It’s a much different look than the dog in photo A.6 though still not a dog to be messed with. This photo is a great example of submission and fear “I am no threat, please don’t hurt me.” The shepherds ears are flattened as far as they will go. In this photo Sketch’s ears are drawn back in a sign of tension and caution. Sketch often gives this signal when approached by another dog. It’s his, “Are you going to be friendly? I am unsure about this situation.” This photo is an example of appeasement and submission. The dog is being approached by an unknown dog and is reflecting “ I understand you are bigger than me, I am no threat”. This is a great example of a floppy eared Dane with his ears pulled back. He is showing the toy dog just out of the picture that he is no threat to her. This is also an example of a floppy eared dog showing “I am no threat”. Eyes There are a few things to consider when we look at dog’s eyes. The direction of the gaze, the pupils, the shape of the eye and the dog’s brow. Direction of the gaze: The direction of the gaze is one of the most important aspects in canine behavior. Eyes, in humans and most all animals consist of the colored area-the iris, and the sclera-the white part of the eyes. Because of this we can determine the direction of the gaze. Why is this important? Dogs tend to turn their heads to follow their eyes or move in the direction of their eyes, it allows us to see their intentions and where they are focused. Fearful dogs display something called “whale eye” where the dogs eyes are focused on the object they are fearful of but the dogs head and body are frozen in place. This causes the sclera of the eye to become very noticeable like in the eyes of a whale. We most commonly see whale eye in dogs that feel threatened and trapped. This is a good warning sign to back up and give the dog some space. Virtually all animals view direct eye contact or staring as a threat. Dogs especially. Direct eye to eye contact in dogs is a sign that trouble is about to happen. It can be used as an expression of dominance, a threat or an on coming fight. This is not to say that your dog sitting next to you while you eat dinner, staring at your with those puppy dog eyes is threatening you BUT they are trying to control the situation. Some dogs, for instance herding breeds use eye contact to threaten and move the large animals they are herding. Just as eye contact is threatening the aversion of eye contact is seen as a submissive gesture or appeasement. Dogs will often avert their gaze when approaching one another to say “No threat here, I don’t want any trouble.” We call this a “look away”, it can be seen in a multitude of situations. Your dog may stare at you while you are watching TV and then when you turn and look at them they casually glance the other way or look at the floor. The Pupils: The pupils were created to expand and contract to control the amount of light let into the eye. In bright sunlight the pupils will contract and in the dark they will expand. They also communicate a great deal about the emotional state of a dog. Large pupils show intense emotions such as fear, excitement or interest. Smaller pupils often are signs of relaxation, drowsiness and boredom. In cases of anger or aggression in dogs the pupils become smaller and then enlarge to almost the size of the iris. Because some dogs have dark colored eyes it can be difficult to see the pupil so we must rely on the areas of the eye to determine the dogs state of mind. The shape of the eye: The shape or outline of a dog’s eye is one of the easiest things to see when it comes to their eyes. It also expresses strong emotions. The wider or more open the eye the more angry or threatening the dog. The more smaller, closed or narrow the eye the more submissive, fearful or pacifying the gesture in canine language. A dog’s brow: Dogs don’t have eyebrows as humans do but some dogs do have distinct color markings along the brow to make it more noticeable. Solid colored dogs without such markings tend to have fur patterns that create a shadow like appearance which distinguishes the brow of the dog. Dogs use their eyebrows very similarly to humans. When dogs become angry the area between the brows contracts and the brows angle downwards. The hair will also raise up to give a more “human-like” look of the eye brows. When a dog is fearful or being submissive the brows are pulled upward in the center and the outside ends are pulled down and out toward the temples. The fur lays flat so this is not as easy to see as an angry dog’s eyebrow movement. Dogs also use their eyebrows to show confusion or concentration, by pulling their brows together and down without any angles. They can even show surprise as humans do by moving their brows up and outward. Ok let’s look at all of these pieces together. Face & Mouth When looking at a dog’s face it is comprised predominantly of the muzzle or mouth area. A dog’s facial expressions regarding the mouth has many similarities to that of a human expression, however, dog’s lack the ability to consciously move their facial muscles so their expressions are more limited. The key areas to look at are the lips, tongue, teeth and area just about the dog’s nose on the muzzle. The shape of a dog’s mouth signals basic information such as anger, dominance, aggression, fear, interest, attention or relaxation. Mouth relaxed, slightly open; tongue visible and relaxed- This is the sign of a happy, content dog. It’s very close to a human smile. The lips are relaxed, mouth is slightly opened and the tongue is visible or laying just outside the dogs mouth. Art is one Happy Dog! Possum happy and alert! Mouth closed, relaxed lips, no teeth or tongue visible- Just simply closing the mouth changes a dog’s expression completely. A closed mouth with relaxed lips indicates attention or interest in something.