Dog body language
Dog body language
Just like humans, dogs communicate in multiple ways, including vocalisation, physical behaviours, and body language. A dog’s body language is a form of non-verbal communication that utilises positioning and movement of various body parts, and the overall positioning of the dog’s body to communicate intentions and convey emotions.
Much of a dog’s body language might be subtle, so it’s important we know how to identify and understand what our dog is trying to communicate to help reduce their fear or anxiety in a given situation.
However, you need to be able to interpret what your dog is feeling and their intentions before they reach this level of fear or anxiety and resort to using aggression to keep away what they perceive as a threat. This could be a person, another dog, or an object that is making an unfamiliar noise, and different dogs will perceive these as threatening at different levels. This is dependent on their previous life experiences, training, and what other stressors they may have encountered that day.
To help you better interpret and appropriately respond to a canine companion’s body language, whether you’re out and about interacting with the local pub rover, or sharing your workplace with a new canine colleague, check out the subtle body language indicators detailed below.
Subtle body language indicators
It's important that we recognise subtle signs that our pooch pals are feeling uncomfortable and unsure, to:
prevent situations escalating
recognise worry or negative emotional states in dogs at the earliest opportunity and remove either the trigger, or the dog, from the situation
to help provide dogs with positive experiences and encounters
to respond appropriately, to keep dogs feeling as safe and comfortable as possible.
To be able to identify these changes in body language it helps to recognise relaxed dog body language as illustrated. We might expect to see a relaxed dog when they are on a familiar, well known walking route with their favourite human, or in the workplace snoozing away in their office bed undisturbed. Every dog is individual, just like humans, and one dog’s normal tail position, posture, or ear placement is unlikely to be the next dog’s ‘normal’.
Likewise, dogs might all show some, none, or a combination of body language signs that they are uncertain, worried or anxious in a situation. As you get to know your canine colleagues better you will be able to interpret their body language more freely, but if you are ever in doubt about any dog’s body language, be sure to give them space and the freedom to choose whether they want to interact or move away.
Body language indicators of fear and anxiety
Lip licking and leaning away
This behaviour may be seen when a person unfamiliar to the dog, such as a new colleague, is reaching out to stroke the dog. They are anxious of the person's approach and trying to avoid the contact.
If you are the person greeting the dog, you should respond to this behaviour by creating distance between yourself and the dog, or, as the dog owner, pointing out that the dog is worried and moving the dog away from the unfamiliar person to give them more space.
Yawning
These behaviours may be seen independently, or the yawning and leaning away may be seen alongside lip licking. It’s important to note that this is not the same as a dog yawning at bedtime or licking their lips after their breakfast.
You may see a dog exhibiting this body language when they are being asked to sit and wait with their owner in an environment that is causing them anxiety due to noise or movement, such as in a busy reception area.
If you are not able to control the environment, for example turning phones onto mute, to minimise the stressors then the dog should be removed from the situation to avoid any escalation.
Appeasement roll
Often a dog will ‘roll over’ to expose their tummy to show that they pose no threat to another dog, animal or human that is interacting with them. They are appeasing the stressor. This is seen in an extremely uncomfortable dog and their behaviours could escalate to aggression quickly so any other animals or humans interacting should move away and give the dog space to recover.
It is a common misconception that dogs lie on their back for their tummy to be tickled, however, more often or not, they are feeling uneasy. Even if a dog appears relaxed, they may be sleeping or sunbathing on their back, and don’t wish to be disturbed. Therefore, it’s best to avoid approaching or interacting with a dog, for any reason, whilst they are on their back to prevent making them feel uncomfortable with your presence.
Appeasement grin
This behaviour is displayed when a dog is trying to avoid conflict, for example, if they have toileted indoors and are expecting to be told off. It’s different to an aggressive display of teeth. You may see this when an owner is approaching their dog to ask them ‘what have you done?’ after they have done something they shouldn’t, the dog is responding to their owner's tone of voice and body language and is trying to diffuse the situation and avoid conflict.
If any canine colleague shows an undesirable behaviour, has an accident, or chews something they shouldn’t have, it’s best to ignore the behaviour, as long as it is safe to do so. Always clean up whilst the dog is distracted to avoid making them feel anxious and show appeasement behaviours as a result. Ensure the dog’s owners are made aware if their dog may have consumed something they shouldn’t have, or has had an accident in the workplace, as they may need to seek veterinary advice.
Crouched body
An unexpected event, such as a fire alarm drill, or an unfamiliar dog running up to them, is an example of when this behaviour may be seen. The dog is trying to communicate that they are worried by something they have seen approaching them, or heard, and does not want to interact.
The best response is to try to identify what may be causing the dog to display this behaviour, stop approaching the dog, or ask others to do so if this could be the trigger, and remove the dog from the situation if necessary to allow them to recover in a calm and safe environment with a familiar person.
Approaching with a low body
Often you will see this behaviour when an underconfident or worried dog is experiencing something new. A new person may be visiting the office, or a new piece of equipment may have ‘appeared’, the dog wants to approach and investigate but is also worried about doing so, resulting in conflicted behaviour. Often it may be combined with approaching and then retreating repeatedly towards, and away from, the new person or object.
Remaining calm and quiet and allowing the dog in their own time to realise that the new person, or object does not pose a threat is the best approach to this behaviour. Giving the dog the choice of whether they interact and explore further or retreat completely can help with a dog who is experiencing this conflict of emotions.
Paw lift
This body language indicator can be very subtle and often missed, so it’s a good one to look out for and will help you identify when a dog may be faced with something unfamiliar or worrying to them, such as a new desk space or office within the workplace that they have not been to before. They are pausing to take in the situation, lifting one of their front paws slightly off the ground, before choosing whether to approach or withdraw backwards.
When confronted with a dog showing any sign of anxiety or fear, we should always be giving them a choice. In this example, if the dog chooses not to approach then allow them to retreat and only reapproach or go further into the room if they choose to do so.
How to respond to anxiety body language indicators
If you identify any of this body language, either independently or in combination with other indicators of fear or anxiety the best way to respond is to take pressure off the dog, by giving them space to allow them to relax.
If you are interacting with the dog, move away calmly and slowly, at minimum to the length of the dog’s lead away and avoid any communication with the dog, including speaking to them, making eye contact, and physical touch.
You may not be the trigger for the dog feeling fearful or anxious, but instead it could be the new environment, an unfamiliar noise, a strange smell, or another dog being close by, but by moving yourself away you are minimising the risk of the dog’s levels of anxiety increasing due to your presence and gives your canine colleague time and space to decompress.
It may be that the dog needs to be removed from the environment, if the stimuli itself cannot be removed. It’s the responsibility of dog owners to identify when the workplace environment may be causing their pooch anxiety or worry.
