Posted on

Body Talk

Stress, anxiety and fear

When you learn their language you may realise that dogs never stop talking…

Signs that may indicate stress, anxiety or fear in dogs include a tucked tail, ears flat and back, licking the lips or nose, whale eye, looking away, raised paw, trembling, a low body posture, yawning, panting, grooming, sniffing, seeking out human comfort, hiding and a stiff or frozen posture. Some of these are also examples of displacement behaviour.

It is important not to focus on just one aspect of the body but rather one should observe the whole of the body whilst also considering the context and environment. An example could be a dog that lunges whilst on the lead. Is it because it is frustrated by the lead and may possibly otherwise be friendly off lead? Or perhaps it’s a genuine fear and the dog is exhibiting the behaviour in question to see off the other dog?

Clients are often unaware that their dog may be exhibiting signs of stress or fear. One study showed that about 30% of dogs in the veterinary waiting room displayed signs of stress which were not noticed by the owners and included panting, yawning and grooming.

Tails

A wagging tail does not always mean the dog is friendly as many people believe. If the dog is highly aroused, either positively or negatively, the tail often tends to be raised high. Tails tend to wag when a dog is emotionally aroused. Dogs may also use their tails as communicative signals which can include threatening displays or appeasement, play, nervousness, confusion, anxiety and fear.

Tense or loose body

A tense body can indicate uncertainty, apprehension or a feeling of being uncomfortable in the environment. When a dog freezes this could be a warning that the dog is preparing for a flight or fight response. If the warning is ignored, aggressive behaviour may happen. Conversely, a loose, soft and flexible body will indicate that the dog is relaxed and comfortable the environment.

Avoidance

Avoidance behaviour is characterised by a dog looking away or walking away and is an attempt to avoid conflict or confrontation. Cut off signals are generally used between two or more dogs and typically during play sessions or greetings. These are noticeable when a dog stops what it is doing and does something different such as yawning, lip licking, sniffing the ground or scratching. Dogs that have been well socialised will respond better to these signals than poorly socialised dogs. Those dogs less versed in this language may become confused and this may lead to aggression. Fearful avoidance is shown by a low head and tail with the body close to the floor as if trying to appear smaller.

Ears

Similar to the tail, what a dog does with its ears will give indications about the internal emotional state. Ears that are back and flat against the head may indicate a submissive feeling, especially in younger dogs. Ears that are back but not quite flat can be a sign of agitation. Perked up ears show the dog is alert and interested or perhaps to make the dog look bigger either to show aggression or as a response to aggression.

Mixed-breed dog, close-up on head and ears
Posted on

As romantic as it might sound, the multiple dogs in your care are not your pack and you are not their pack leader

Words

Words can be powerful and words can have an impact.

Do you cringe in the park when you hear someone describe their dog’s behaviour as ‘she is just showing them who the boss is’ or similarly ‘he thinks he is the alpha male’?

Do you look to the heavens at the notion of a ‘pack’ that runs beyond the scope of the collective noun?

Perhaps those that work in the professional field learn to override the emotional arousal at words and terms like ‘leadership’, ‘dominant’ or ‘nothing in life is free’ and accept that this is just part of dog park parlance and taking exception to this sort of language, while frustrating, is a waste of time.

However, dog professionals should know better and especially those that work within the realms of what has become known as ‘positive reinforcement’. Some might even say, if you know better, then you should do better.

Most trainers these days, when referring to a protocol of ‘nothing in life is free’ (NILF) do not intend to actually implement a boot camp style aversive training programme. Rather they probably intend to train a dog into the habit of taking direction from the guardian along the lines of the ‘Premack Principle’.

If this is the case, then why not use the term ‘Premack Principle’ instead of using words that may imply or suggest something punitive and competitive or some sort of adversarial relationship based on winners and losers?

For many dog trainers there exists an endless cycle of myth busting by continuously bringing forth the facts and evidence against a tsunami of old wives tales. Therefore, the job in hand is made more difficult when professionals (dog walkers, trainers, vets or behaviourists…) continue to use these toxic terms.

I am sure that many use these words simply out of habit but when you know a word is ambiguous of meaning, sits in a grey area or is controversial why not just stop using those words?

Words can have very strong associations and be extremely subjective and some words are so contaminated by inappropriate meaning that they can conjure up completely the wrong impression.

If, in our training of dogs, we are to take the ethical and moral high ground of the ‘Least Intrusive & Minimally Aversive’ then we should apply the same criteria to our language.

Making better choices with the words we use and therefore the consequences they have will create a better and kinder future for all dogs and for the people you influence.