{"id":1313,"date":"2016-06-28T13:53:33","date_gmt":"2016-06-28T13:53:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thegooddogguide.com\/blog\/?p=1313"},"modified":"2018-07-27T11:41:54","modified_gmt":"2018-07-27T11:41:54","slug":"five-top-tips-reading-your-dogs-body-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thegooddogguide.com\/blog\/five-top-tips-reading-your-dogs-body-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Top Tips: Reading Your Dog\u2019s Body Language"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>They say dogs are a man\u2019s best friend and incredibly loyal animals, but do you know what\u2019s really going on with your dog?<br \/>\nIn theory, it can be hard to know what an animal is feeling or thinking, as they can\u2019t communicate with speech, but in fact dogs reveal their emotions a lot more than you may think. As with humans, we can tell a lot from their body language.<br \/>\nHere, we put together a helpful list of signs that your dog may be using to show you just how they are feeling. When you know what your beloved pet is trying to say, it becomes a whole lot easier to ensure they remain happy and healthy.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1316\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thegooddogguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/1-2.jpg\" alt=\"Dogs\" width=\"340\" height=\"292\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>If Your Dog Is Happy<\/strong><br \/>\nHappiness is probably one of the easiest emotions to decipher, and as we want our dogs to be as happy as possible, it\u2019s one we\u2019re sure you\u2019ll endeavour to maintain. Once you know what makes your dog happy, it\u2019ll be easier for you to replicate this feeling and keep your pooch content. It\u2019s especially important to understand when your dog is happy because if you confuse this with another, less positive emotion, you could be causing more problems for your pup.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Some signs to look out for<\/strong><br \/>\n&#8211; Happy expression<br \/>\n&#8211; Relaxed body<br \/>\n&#8211; Panting<br \/>\n&#8211; Lying with one paw tucked under<br \/>\n&#8211; Enthusiastic tail wag<br \/>\n&#8211; Playful bow<br \/>\n&#8211; Rolling over<br \/>\n&#8211; Inviting belly rubs<\/p>\n<p><strong>If Your Dog Is Aggressive<\/strong><br \/>\nBehaviours associated with aggression are easily misconstrued, but as it\u2019s one of the most difficult emotions to understand and explain, it\u2019s important to keep your eyes peeled for if your dog begins to turn aggressive. This can help you keep them under control and stop aggression leading to any kind of physical attack.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Signs include<\/strong><br \/>\n&#8211; Freezes, suddenly becomes stiff<br \/>\n&#8211; Stands up with front legs splayed<br \/>\n&#8211; Head low<br \/>\n&#8211; Curls lip<br \/>\n&#8211; Shows teeth<br \/>\n&#8211; Gnarls<br \/>\n&#8211; Aggressive barking<br \/>\n&#8211; Biting<br \/>\n&#8211; Raised tail<\/p>\n<p><strong>If Your Dog Is Fearful or Stressed<\/strong><br \/>\nWhilst stress is part and parcel of life, it\u2019s not an emotion that any of us particularly enjoy experiencing, dogs included. Our canine friends can show stress and fear in a multitude of ways but it\u2019s usually environmental influences that cause your dog to be afraid. When you understand how your dog is feeling, you can look to remove some of the factors causing this and alleviate the negative emotions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Signs to look out for<\/strong><br \/>\n&#8211; Barking or whimpering<br \/>\n&#8211; Running around or pacing<br \/>\n&#8211; Crouching<br \/>\n&#8211; Shaking<br \/>\n&#8211; Change in appetite<br \/>\n&#8211; Pinned ears<br \/>\n&#8211; Avoidance<\/p>\n<p><strong>If Your Dog Is Excited<\/strong><br \/>\nSeeing a dog run around full of glee is a joy to watch and ensuring that your dog stays positive and enthusiastic is part of fostering their playful personality. Once you identify what makes them excited, it\u2019s easier for you to ascertain that if they\u2019re running around, wagging their tail and barking, it\u2019s not in a negative or intimidating way.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Signs include<\/strong><br \/>\n&#8211; Playful behaviour<br \/>\n&#8211; Ears forward<br \/>\n&#8211; Mouth open<br \/>\n&#8211; Tail high<br \/>\n&#8211; Fast tail wag<\/p>\n<p><strong>If Your Dog Is Sad<\/strong><br \/>\nThis is an emotion we\u2019re sure you\u2019d never want your dog to feel as most dog owners go out of their way to ensure their canine companion is as happy as can be. However, dogs can experience feeling down in the dumps just as humans can. It\u2019s vital for you, as a dog owner, to recognise these signs in order for you to help your pooch feel happier again.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Signs to look out for<\/strong><br \/>\n&#8211; Loss of appetite<br \/>\n&#8211; Lethargy<br \/>\n&#8211; Avoidance<br \/>\n&#8211; Changes in sleeping habits<\/p>\n<p>Good communication can show a mutual sign of love, respect and trust, so keep your eyes peeled for the different types of body language your dog is showing \u2013 chances are they are trying to tell you something.<\/p>\n<p>Created by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeforpaws.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Time for Paws<\/a>, an online pet store for dogs and cats.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1315 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thegooddogguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/1-1.jpg\" alt=\"time for paws\" width=\"326\" height=\"135\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thegooddogguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/1-1.jpg 326w, https:\/\/www.thegooddogguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/1-1-300x124.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 326px) 100vw, 326px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>They say dogs are a man\u2019s best friend and incredibly loyal animals, but do you know what\u2019s really going on with your dog? In theory, it can be hard to know what an animal is feeling or thinking, as they can\u2019t communicate with speech, but in fact dogs reveal their emotions a lot more than [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[29,15],"class_list":["post-1313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dog-training-behaviour","category-health","tag-dog-training","tag-pet-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thegooddogguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thegooddogguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thegooddogguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thegooddogguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thegooddogguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1313"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.thegooddogguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1313\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1833,"href":"https:\/\/www.thegooddogguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1313\/revisions\/1833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thegooddogguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thegooddogguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thegooddogguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}