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Canine Communication and Body Language
By Stan Rawlinson
A couple of years ago a Japanese electronics company came up with a Gizmo which they claimed
could convert dogs barks, yips and whines into human language, thereby allowing us to
understand “Doggie” speak for the first time. I was on a radio program recently, discussing the
merits and usefulness of a new dog collar that was also a mobile phone. You could ring up and
converse with your dog at any time and enjoy a nice cosy chat. You might as well text your pet for
all the good phoning it would do; the mostly likely outcome of this idea would be to startle and
frighten your pet.
In reality, real canine language is not just verbal; it is a rich visual language, where dogs are able
to converse with each other irrespective of breed or nationality. A Collie from Wales can converse
with an Akita from Japan and a Poodle living in France with a village dog in Ethiopia.
Dogs have a truly universal language that can be incredibly subtle and wide ranging. This
marvellous language is one that we can also learn and understand, and through that ability
communicate with our dogs far more effectively.
However this is a language that needs to be practiced for our dogs to be fluent. That is why early
socialisation, puppy classes, and controlled play with other vaccinated dogs is so vitally important,
especially in the critical periods from 7 to 16 weeks. As a behaviourist I get to treat many of these
animals that are unable to give calming signals or are stunted in their ability to meet and greet
because of the lack of early socialisation.
These are normally the ones that have fear and animosity towards other dogs and sometimes
humans, culminating in the most common aggression of all “Fear”. In many cases, they are unable
to understand or signal their intentions; a classic example is boxers who are often attacked by
other dogs. They have been bred with flattened features that are almost immobile, then we dock
their tail to a tiny useless stub, making them unable to display some of the facial and tail signals
that are so important in the greeting ritual.
I said earlier that we can learn this language, however some aspects of canine language are so
complex, that we cannot even start to reproduce it with our puny two legs, small immobile ears, and
lack of tail.
We are further hampered by the fact that we tend to think that our pets can understand complex
thought patterns; we assume a dog's level of understanding is on a par with our own. This is known
as “anthropomorphism”, the dictionary definition is “The attribution of human motivation,
characteristics, or behaviour to nonhuman organisms or inanimate objects”. It is a bit like saying
that a vine climbed up the tree to getter a better view of the garden.
Dogs and Vocalisation
Dogs do bark and vocalise it is a part of their ability to converse, however this is only one factor in
your dogs language repertoire, effectively when they bark they are saying “Heyyyyy”. This can be
happy, demanding or questioning. They also communicate verbally in other ways the excited Yip
when you get the lead out, the bark they make when someone is at the door, quite different from
the nervous bark when they hear something unusual.
Having said that true communication comes from the glance, the head position, the body posture,
and a myriad of other signals constantly being passed back and forth. Dogs try to converse with
us, but without understanding the subtly of the language we often miss most of what they are trying
to convey. This can cause misunderstanding and confusion and may be one of the main reasons
we get the behavioural problems we see today.
Greeting and Appeasing Signals
We humans are the direct descendants of primates including ape’s chimpanzees, bonobos and
gorillas. That is not to denigrate our unique position on the evolutionary ladder, but our heritage is
none the less, Primate. Dog’s ancestry is intrinsically linked to the wolf, therefore Canids, which
include wolves, coyotes, and jackals, a very different species with very different body language.
Where communication sometimes breaks down is when we greet other species, we tend approach
then as we would humans, face on making full eye contact; we often hug, face to face, putting our
faces close together. Just look at the common greeting of kissing both cheeks. To a dog, this is a
threatening gesture and is deemed rude and inappropriate.
Have you ever seen dogs hug? In the main most of our pets suffer this indignity in silence but not
always. This is one of the reasons people are bitten, especially young children under five, who
tend to cuddle everything they can get their hands on. This coupled with the fact that you cannot
negotiate with a child under five, you have more chance of negotiating with a terrorist. Ask any
mother, this sadly makes the toddler one of the most frequent victims of dog bites.
If you stand over a dog and ruffle the top of its head this can also be perceived as threatening,
imagine someone coming up to you and ruffling your hair every time you met, how would you feel?
Turid Rugaas (1) The Norwegian behaviourist and acknowledged expert on reading the intricate
body language of our canine companion’s states that dogs have a highly developed set of calming
signals that act as diffusers of aggression and conflict. These signals include circling, lip licking,
yawning, sniffing the ground, looking away, moving very slowly and deliberately, the body shake as
if shedding water, distracted sniffing, and either sitting or lying down. These signals are aimed at
other dogs but are also directed at us, who are also perceived loosely as pack members.
Just as we expect our pets to understand our every word, then dogs think we can interpret their
signals, quite often these are the ones we miss when our dogs are stressed or worried. If you can
spot them you can actually signal back calming gestures in response such as yawning, lip licking,
moving slowly, and looking away. This helps to diffuse the situation and relax your pet.
If you think about it, these actions are the opposite of the aggressive stance that dogs take as a
prequel to an attack or dogfight.
Aggression
As opposed to the calming signals, this body language is initially easier to read and includes ears
pinned back flat against head, or sometimes pointed forward, hackles raised, hard stare, low head
stance, stiff legged walk, lips skinned back, and tail either upright and quivering or straight out not
wagging. There may be low growling or a snarl. Sometimes the dog gives a whale eye this is when
the head is turned slightly away but the eyes showing the whites are turned towards you. This is
often the look when the dog is guarding something like a bone. All these signals are a threat, the
dog is saying stop what you are doing or there could be violence.
In Wolf packs these threat displays are a way of controlling the hierarchical structure, the breeding
males and females will control their pack position by these overtly aggressive stance . Rarely does
it turn into violence these animals cannot really afford to be injured or hurt in an all out fight,
therefore threat displays normally suffice.
Because of our and sometimes other dogs, inability to read the postures and body language and
give calming signals in return means that sometimes the threats can actually escalate into physical
violence.
Timid Dogs: If you find that your dog is very fearful or timid round strangers get them to walk him on
a lead with you, it calms and gives confidence to the stressed dog, make sure you are walking next
to the dog at the same time
In conclusion, we need to watch and learn from our pets, if you write down the numerous signals
your pet gives and in what context you will gradually build up an understanding of what he is saying
to you.
You can then signal back appeasing signals in return turn your head away, yawn, or lick your lips
at a fearful or aggressive dog and you may just diffuse the situation.
With practice, you should find yourself more able to communicate with your dog with a more
enriched and sophisticated vocabulary. This will benefit both you and your dog and allow you to
have a better understanding and more relaxed relationship with your pet.
Stan Rawlinson
© June 2005
Dog Behaviourist and Obedience Trainer, Stan Rawlinson has owned and worked dogs for over 25
years, starting with gundogs but also specialising in the behavioural and obedience side of training
companion dogs. He now has a successful practice covering Greater London, Surrey, and
Middlesex.
Stan is recommended by numerous Vets, Rescue Centres, and Charities and writes for numerous
magazines including Dogs Monthly, Our Dogs and K9 Magazine he also serves as an expert on K9
Magazine's Animal Advisory Panel.
http://www.doglistener.co.uk
enquiries@doglistener.co.uk
0208 979 2019
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
By Stan Rawlinson
A couple of years ago a Japanese electronics company came up with a Gizmo which they claimed
could convert dogs barks, yips and whines into human language, thereby allowing us to
understand “Doggie” speak for the first time. I was on a radio program recently, discussing the
merits and usefulness of a new dog collar that was also a mobile phone. You could ring up and
converse with your dog at any time and enjoy a nice cosy chat. You might as well text your pet for
all the good phoning it would do; the mostly likely outcome of this idea would be to startle and
frighten your pet.
In reality, real canine language is not just verbal; it is a rich visual language, where dogs are able
to converse with each other irrespective of breed or nationality. A Collie from Wales can converse
with an Akita from Japan and a Poodle living in France with a village dog in Ethiopia.
Dogs have a truly universal language that can be incredibly subtle and wide ranging. This
marvellous language is one that we can also learn and understand, and through that ability
communicate with our dogs far more effectively.
However this is a language that needs to be practiced for our dogs to be fluent. That is why early
socialisation, puppy classes, and controlled play with other vaccinated dogs is so vitally important,
especially in the critical periods from 7 to 16 weeks. As a behaviourist I get to treat many of these
animals that are unable to give calming signals or are stunted in their ability to meet and greet
because of the lack of early socialisation.
These are normally the ones that have fear and animosity towards other dogs and sometimes
humans, culminating in the most common aggression of all “Fear”. In many cases, they are unable
to understand or signal their intentions; a classic example is boxers who are often attacked by
other dogs. They have been bred with flattened features that are almost immobile, then we dock
their tail to a tiny useless stub, making them unable to display some of the facial and tail signals
that are so important in the greeting ritual.
I said earlier that we can learn this language, however some aspects of canine language are so
complex, that we cannot even start to reproduce it with our puny two legs, small immobile ears, and
lack of tail.
We are further hampered by the fact that we tend to think that our pets can understand complex
thought patterns; we assume a dog's level of understanding is on a par with our own. This is known
as “anthropomorphism”, the dictionary definition is “The attribution of human motivation,
characteristics, or behaviour to nonhuman organisms or inanimate objects”. It is a bit like saying
that a vine climbed up the tree to getter a better view of the garden.
Dogs and Vocalisation
Dogs do bark and vocalise it is a part of their ability to converse, however this is only one factor in
your dogs language repertoire, effectively when they bark they are saying “Heyyyyy”. This can be
happy, demanding or questioning. They also communicate verbally in other ways the excited Yip
when you get the lead out, the bark they make when someone is at the door, quite different from
the nervous bark when they hear something unusual.
Having said that true communication comes from the glance, the head position, the body posture,
and a myriad of other signals constantly being passed back and forth. Dogs try to converse with
us, but without understanding the subtly of the language we often miss most of what they are trying
to convey. This can cause misunderstanding and confusion and may be one of the main reasons
we get the behavioural problems we see today.
Greeting and Appeasing Signals
We humans are the direct descendants of primates including ape’s chimpanzees, bonobos and
gorillas. That is not to denigrate our unique position on the evolutionary ladder, but our heritage is
none the less, Primate. Dog’s ancestry is intrinsically linked to the wolf, therefore Canids, which
include wolves, coyotes, and jackals, a very different species with very different body language.
Where communication sometimes breaks down is when we greet other species, we tend approach
then as we would humans, face on making full eye contact; we often hug, face to face, putting our
faces close together. Just look at the common greeting of kissing both cheeks. To a dog, this is a
threatening gesture and is deemed rude and inappropriate.
Have you ever seen dogs hug? In the main most of our pets suffer this indignity in silence but not
always. This is one of the reasons people are bitten, especially young children under five, who
tend to cuddle everything they can get their hands on. This coupled with the fact that you cannot
negotiate with a child under five, you have more chance of negotiating with a terrorist. Ask any
mother, this sadly makes the toddler one of the most frequent victims of dog bites.
If you stand over a dog and ruffle the top of its head this can also be perceived as threatening,
imagine someone coming up to you and ruffling your hair every time you met, how would you feel?
Turid Rugaas (1) The Norwegian behaviourist and acknowledged expert on reading the intricate
body language of our canine companion’s states that dogs have a highly developed set of calming
signals that act as diffusers of aggression and conflict. These signals include circling, lip licking,
yawning, sniffing the ground, looking away, moving very slowly and deliberately, the body shake as
if shedding water, distracted sniffing, and either sitting or lying down. These signals are aimed at
other dogs but are also directed at us, who are also perceived loosely as pack members.
Just as we expect our pets to understand our every word, then dogs think we can interpret their
signals, quite often these are the ones we miss when our dogs are stressed or worried. If you can
spot them you can actually signal back calming gestures in response such as yawning, lip licking,
moving slowly, and looking away. This helps to diffuse the situation and relax your pet.
If you think about it, these actions are the opposite of the aggressive stance that dogs take as a
prequel to an attack or dogfight.
Aggression
As opposed to the calming signals, this body language is initially easier to read and includes ears
pinned back flat against head, or sometimes pointed forward, hackles raised, hard stare, low head
stance, stiff legged walk, lips skinned back, and tail either upright and quivering or straight out not
wagging. There may be low growling or a snarl. Sometimes the dog gives a whale eye this is when
the head is turned slightly away but the eyes showing the whites are turned towards you. This is
often the look when the dog is guarding something like a bone. All these signals are a threat, the
dog is saying stop what you are doing or there could be violence.
In Wolf packs these threat displays are a way of controlling the hierarchical structure, the breeding
males and females will control their pack position by these overtly aggressive stance . Rarely does
it turn into violence these animals cannot really afford to be injured or hurt in an all out fight,
therefore threat displays normally suffice.
Because of our and sometimes other dogs, inability to read the postures and body language and
give calming signals in return means that sometimes the threats can actually escalate into physical
violence.
Timid Dogs: If you find that your dog is very fearful or timid round strangers get them to walk him on
a lead with you, it calms and gives confidence to the stressed dog, make sure you are walking next
to the dog at the same time
In conclusion, we need to watch and learn from our pets, if you write down the numerous signals
your pet gives and in what context you will gradually build up an understanding of what he is saying
to you.
You can then signal back appeasing signals in return turn your head away, yawn, or lick your lips
at a fearful or aggressive dog and you may just diffuse the situation.
With practice, you should find yourself more able to communicate with your dog with a more
enriched and sophisticated vocabulary. This will benefit both you and your dog and allow you to
have a better understanding and more relaxed relationship with your pet.
Stan Rawlinson
© June 2005
Dog Behaviourist and Obedience Trainer, Stan Rawlinson has owned and worked dogs for over 25
years, starting with gundogs but also specialising in the behavioural and obedience side of training
companion dogs. He now has a successful practice covering Greater London, Surrey, and
Middlesex.
Stan is recommended by numerous Vets, Rescue Centres, and Charities and writes for numerous
magazines including Dogs Monthly, Our Dogs and K9 Magazine he also serves as an expert on K9
Magazine's Animal Advisory Panel.
http://www.doglistener.co.uk
enquiries@doglistener.co.uk
0208 979 2019
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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