Doggone Etiquette—

Body Language

By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:           

Aren’t you amazed at the way your people talk to you? They go on and on in long meaningless sentences, sometimes spoken softly and other times shouting. And you dogs don’t understand 99 percent of it! Of course you do pick up on the occasional word that you’ve learned to connect with, like walk or play or dinner. So it is worth paying attention to the human chat in the long run. But truth be known, (between you dogs) dogs get the general drift of “people talk” simply by watching the body language that goes with it. So let’s see how good your people are at understanding “dog talk.”

A Word to the Dog’s Owner:            

It’s amazing how much time, money, and effort we put into teaching our dogs to react to our spoken language, without ever bothering to learn more about theirs. Dogs begin to learn about body language when their eyes open at around 14 days. By 8 weeks of age they have learned the meaning of authority (from their Mom) and the social aspects of being part of the pack whether their litter consisted of two or ten pups. Unlike their wild cousins, they are also learning about people from those caring for them.

They learn by trial, error, and observation just how to be a dog within the social structure of the canine family, or pack. If a puppy did not learn this basic body language, it would be in danger of survival because it would not be able to communicate with other dogs. Nor would it make a good pet in the pack set up of the human family. That establishes the fact that dogs learn to work with (and for) people primarily by their observation of our body language. The verbal connection we establish with our dogs is secondary to them.

What we learn from observing our dog’s body language is vital to having a successful pet/owner relationship. When Rufus looks you in the eye and cocks his head it may mean he is paying attention and reading your body language. Or he may be asking you to repeat the good part (like “go for a walk”) in case he misunderstood it. (In that case, it’s okay to repeat it a bit more enthusiastically for his benefit.) Then there’s the reverse — ears down and back, with a lowered head and body to indicate total submission to your tirade at his naughty behavior. At least that’s what his body language is meant to tell you. Whether or not Rufus really is ashamed or sorry for what he’s done is questionable. It’s up to you to make your point clearly and to read the dog correctly.

Rolling over on his back, looking meek, is the dog’s way of saying he totally surrenders. Or maybe Rufus is just asking for a tummy-rub. Again, it’s up to you to get it right. How about the one paw up, which practically says “please” out loud? Irresistible!

Watch for the numerous ways your dog communicates with you via his body language. It will help enormously with all training you do, whether your aim is to have a really good dog as a family member, or one that can undertake the rigors of search and rescue.

This is sort of a postscript, but as a result of all this, you may discover that you are watching, reading, and understanding the body language of the people you encounter!

Until next time — BE GOOD!

—Bardi

Bardi McLennan bred, trained, and showed Welsh terriers for 30 years, during which time she wrote a monthly column on canine behavior in Dog Fancy Magazine. In addition to contributing to numerous dog publications, she has written 15 books on dogs; Rescue Me! received the ASPCA Humane Issues Award in 2008.