A head held high indicates confidence and in some cases the intent to be confrontational. A lowered head may indicate lack of confidence, or the desire to avoid confrontation. For dogs, a head-on approach can be interpreted as a challenge, especially when paired with direct eye contact. Young children often run up to dogs in this manner. Although it is an impulsive, friendly gesture, many dogs instinctively react with fear. Well-socialized adult dogs rarely approach each other this way. Instead, they approach in an arc, stand side to side, and sniff each other rear to head.
Paws Puppies paw their dams to solicit food and paw their littermates to solicit play. As a pup matures, pawing is used to solicit play and attention. It is also a gesture of deference, appeasement, or sexual signaling. In general, any bending of the elbow and lifting of paws is a friendly or solicitous gesture.
Play Bow One of the most easily identifiable canine gestures is the play bow. A rear in the air and elbows toward the ground signal an invitation to play.
Tails This aspect of canine body language is most commonly misunderstood. It cannot be accurately used to read a dog’s emotional state without evaluating the whole picture. Some tail types do not readily communicate canine intentions, such as very short or tightly curled tails.
When the tail is held in its natural position and wags softly, it generally signals that all is well. A tail carried high and wagging quickly indicates tension and excitement. If it happens to be paired with a stiff, forward-tilting body and tensely closed mouth, this is not a dog you want to approach.
Scratching, Stretching, and Shaking Dogs normally scratch to relieve an itch, stretch to warm up muscles, and shake to remove water from their coats. But, all three of these gestures are also used to relieve stress.
Barking, Whining, and Growling All dogs use their voice to communicate. Barking and whining are often interpreted as threats, which is sometimes true. However, there are many other motivations for barking, whining, and growling. Barking, whining, or growling are used:
• to warn of changes in the environment;
• to express excitement or fear;
• as an outlet for boredom;
• as an invitation to play;
• as an attempt to find pack members;
• to indicate conflict (especially when paired with a retreat and advance body movement when the dog is unsure of the situation but wants to investigate further).
In general, the higher the pitch and the lower the intensity of vocalization the less threatening the intent; vocalizations of high pitch and intensity, on the other hand, are associated with alarm. However, your dog may be expressing multiple intentions, and the best way to determine what these are is to be aware of their overall body language and the context of the situation.
Most growling is meant as a warning. The dog is trying to maintain or increase social distance. The meaning is obvious when a dog growls to prevent someone from taking his bone. But, some soft growls and grunts are intended to be playful. Other cues must be observed in order to differentiate between a playful and threatening growl and bark. For example, if the dog is also play bowing or pawing, the growl is meant to be playful. If his body is stiff, the intent is probably threatening.
In either case, growling should not be punished. This may stop the growling, but it also removes an important early warning signal from your dog’s repertoire. Instead, a warning growl should tell you that you need to work on making your dog more comfortable in particular situations.
Stages of Development
For better or worse, dogs change as they mature in response to new experiences and potential challenges. Behavioral changes are usually most dramatic during transitions from puppyhood to adolescence, and then to adulthood. It can be challenging for owners to cope with these developmental stages. Just when you begin to make progress and feel your dog understands what is expected, he reaches the next stage of his life, and his behavior and response to the world changes. For example, an otherwise mild-mannered and sociable puppy may begin growling at people or other animals when he is six to nine months old.
Recognizing and accepting the fact that your dog will need your continuing guidance and support throughout his life will help prevent frustration and stress for both dog and family. If you have built a good foundation for a trusting and cooperative relationship with your dog, these emerging potential behavior issues should be less challenging.
Understanding the dog’s general developmental stages will prepare you for what to expect and give you the knowledge to properly manage and teach your dog during each phase of his life.
Puppyhood
Puppies, like other young creatures, are naturally playful, inquisitive, and eager to bond and learn. During this period they have the greatest potential for rapid learning, especially when guided by someone they trust. Every pup’s temperament is influenced by genetics, but he is essentially a clean slate; he has few preconceived notions of the world and little experience that could be used to form bad habits. From this perspective, training is simple and straightforward. It can be focused on teaching new, reliable behaviors rather than resolving behavior problems.
Raising a puppy can be a truly wonderful experience, but it also has challenges, including moments of serious frustration (and lack of sleep). Successfully raising a puppy requires a commitment to provide essential training and socialization during his critical learning stage, the first four months of life.
Puppyhood is the time to focus on socialization and instilling the foundation for basic manners. Subsequent training can focus on honing a dog’s skills and applying them to real-life situations.
Watch for certain predispositions in a young puppy’s character. A puppy’s personality forms slowly, but these clues will tell you if he has outstanding temperament traits, such as natural confidence or shyness.
• When encouraged to come, does the pup approach quickly, slowly, or move away?
• When you walk away, does the pup tend to follow you?
• Does the pup tend to relax, get excited, or freeze stiffly when he is picked up?
• When the pup enters an unfamiliar environment does he investigate, pause, cautiously approach, or attempt to hide?
• How does he react when exposed to loud noises?
At this age, extreme personality traits can be most easily modified through proper training and socialization.
Adolescence
The onset of adolescence varies, but as a general rule, smaller dogs reach mental and physical maturity earlier. Therefore, an adolescent Chihuahua is likely to be more mature than an Irish Setter or Great Dane of the same age.
PAWS TO CONSIDER
Dog’s can think logically, reason, learn from experience, and modify their behavior to influence others. For instance, your dog may present you with a toy to elicit a game of fetch.
Although dogs are very smart,