![]() ![]() A dog’s sense of smell is much more powerful and important for them than their sight. Dogs tend to sniff a lot because that is how they interpret the world. It’s a great coping mechanism we want to encourage our dogs to use when they are feeling too amped up!ĭogs sniff for a myriad of reasons. ![]() If you have a dog who is easily aroused, it’s not a bad idea to reward them for shaking. I’ll also witness my own reactive dog shake himself down after an encounter with another dog, as he tries to self-soothe and calm himself. It’s his way of saying “wow, I’m so excited to go for a walk! Let me just reign in my crazies for a second!”. I’ll often see my dog shake right after I clip on his leash. ![]() Similar to stretching, a dog will often shake to physically release pent up excitement or nervousness. I’m sure even humans can appreciate the relaxing sensation that follows a nice big stretch!Ī shake-off is another classic calming signal. Many times as I go to get his food or get up to grab his leash, he will begin stretching to transfer his excited energy into an acceptable physical action. It’s his favorite way of calming himself down. Stretching is a calming signal I see in my own dog all the time. Nervousness has a similar energy as excitement, which is why several behaviors such as yawning can be used to indicate anxiety as well as a tool your dog uses to calm himself. Yawning also acts as a calming signal, which is a behavior your dog uses to calm themselves.įor example, when I tell my dog we are going for a walk, as I gather my treat pouch and put on my shoes, he will often yawn as he tries to control his excitement. While a dog may lick his lips when he’s awaiting a mouth-watering bowl of dog food, a lick lip or tongue flick is more commonly used as a calming signal.Įxcessive yawning is another classic stress signal showing your dog may be uncomfortable or anxious. Initially, I made jokes about this behavior as Remy wanting to eat the smaller dogs, without realizing what Remy was really saying, which was Woah – another dog!! I’m not sure how I should feel about this.įor humans, we often equate lip licking to hunger. When I first got my own dog Remy, who is dog reactive, he would often lick his lips walking near other dogs. Lip licking is a common but often misinterpreted calming signal. Your next steps with calming signals might depend on whether or not your dog is also displaying fear indicators, discussed in more detail below. If your dog is being surrounded by children petting him, it might be time to move on and disperse the kiddos. Or – if your dog’s playmates back off – you can leave it at that. If your dog is playing with other dogs and displays calming signals, you could call your dog over to help them take a break. If your dog is excited to go on a walk and is displaying calming signals, there’s no reason to freak out. They can be performed when a dog is anxious about a situation and is trying to stay cool, or when a dog is extremely excited and trying to keep himself calm.ĭogs might also use calming signals during dog-on-dog play, signaling that they need a bit of a break from the action.Ĭontext is very important for understanding how to take action when witnessing a calming signal. Calming SignalsĬalming signals are actions and movements dogs used to try to relax themselves. They deserve to be heard and we can exercise our empathy powers by studying the dog body language manual. It’s the polite, responsible thing to do for these creatures that live in our homes. Our job as dog owners and care providers is to take the time to learn our dog’s language. We just aren’t taking the time to translate! Why did he snap like that? It came out of nowhere! But a dog communicating with body language has likely already made it very clear he’s unhappy or nervous about the situation. Many of us find ourselves perplexed by a dog’s response to a situation. These queues seem subtle to us humans because we rely on verbal language more than body language to communicate (and the rise of internet use and texting has made body language even less relevant for modern humans). However, dogs communicate primarily through body posture and positioning.ĭogs signal their feelings through their: Dog Body Language Quiz Dogs Don’t Communicate Verbally They Do It with Body Languageĭogs have different kinds of barks that can indicate a handful of moods (such as an alert bark, excited bark, a territorial bark, etc). ![]()
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