If you spend time on social media, you will have seen videos where somebody has a family dog and a young toddler or a baby in very precarious situations. It’s unnecessarily dangerous as the dog is giving clear information with their body language on how they are feeling! If we live with a dog, we need to understand how they communicate their emotions. We’re covering what to look for in canine body language, so you know what dogs are telling you.
In the episode you'll hear:
- My observations on what an adult Australian Shepherd is saying about interactions with a puppy.
- That a play bow does not always mean a dog wants to play.
- What your dog is trying to communicate to you and what to observe.
- How our dogs have complex emotions and how they tell us what they are feeling.
- Four books about canine body language to have in your library.
- How to really notice what your dog’s tail is telling you, including a left wag.
- About the way dogs use their eyes to express their emotional state.
- How dogs use body language to try and diffuse situations.
- Why to notice what your dog’s tongue is doing and what a dog’s yawn could be saying.
- The signals to look for in your dog’s ears, head posture, and body.
Resources:
- Podcast Episode 25: Why All Dogs Can Bite and How to Reduce the Risk with R.E.A.D.
- Podcast Episode 4: T.E.M.P. (Tail, Eyes/Ears, Mouth, Posture)
- YouTube Playlist: The Emotional State of Dogs with Susan Garrett
- *Book - On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals by Turid Rugaas
- *Book - Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide Interpreting the Native Language of the Domestic Dog by Brenda Aloff
- *Book - Body Posture & Emotions: Shifting Shapes, Shifting Minds by Suzanne Clothier
- *Book - Doggie Language: A Dog Lover's Guide to Understanding Your Best Friend by Lili Chin
- Podcast Episode 121: How To Stop Dogs Jumping Up On People
- Podcast Episode 66: Resource Guarding: Dog vs Dog Aggression
- Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube
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I love the way my beagle plays with other dogs. If she was another dog, and I wasn’t used to it, I may would have thought she was a bit stressed, but she is very much not stressed.
She loves to be chased, and constantly self-handicaps (Especially with smaller dogs), though she rarely chases other dogs (exception of our latest puppy). Her way of playing always seems to make other dogs feel comfortable playing with her.
She bows, and will run towards the dog, generally (not always) breeze past them, and bow on the other side if they don’t chase her. If they chase her, she has a BALL, she will outrun the dog by a million miles an hour, (including outrunning herding dogs, though I don’t know how she does it.) (Though she is starting to slow down a bit now. (she’s almost 8) Not enough for most other people to notice, but I notice just the very slightest bit less speed in her crazy runs.) parkour across whatever space she is in (she knew how to climb a play-set (for kids) ladder, and loved to slide down the slide), and then start over.
She also lays down to play with my mom’s Dachshunds. Either doing bitey-face, or smacking them with her paws. She will be screeching around the yard (or, admittedly, the house), and then suddenly turn, and slam herself into a lay-down to do bitey-face.
With bigger dogs (Her BFF of dogs (we always joked if dogs had true love, it would be these two (the mix is neutered))) she will do the same bow, run, bow, ZOOM routine, and do bitey-face, but she jumps up, and can get sort of rough. (Never enough to irritate the other dog, enough to hold her own with a big, not so graceful, or mannerly, dog.) (and she always adjusts her play, not just to the size of the dog, but the individual she is trying to play with.)
With Wrinkles (Her BFF/true love) a Bloodhound, B&T Coonhound mix, they will get going VERY hard, and when she has to put the brakes on their play, because she is done, he does not always get the hint. (he really does not have the best dog manners, but they know each other very well. (she knew him since he was a pup)) So she will grab him by the lip, or ear (she never left marks, and never really offended him), and walk him for a lap or two around the yard, with this massive (At least 3 times bigger than her.) hound heeling perfectly with my 30lb Beagle. (Yes, she’s big, and no, she’s not fat.)
In the end, they just wind up laying in the yard, or with Rosie walking along the raised wall (my acrobat).
Wow. Popped back to this after your latest podcast. Looking at this video it’s a duplicate for Indy the 6 year old and Jerzy the puppy. We did recognize Indy’s distress. Our answer was to crate the puppy. Never admonished Indy. In fact we would often say just discipline him like the otherGolden would Somehow we are at 6 month old puppy. With kings hot zone more activity poor Indy can get relax sometimes when puppy out of crate we still use Bitter Apple on Indy to dissuade the puppy.
Would love another podcast on this subject, such good info.