Dog language

No two dogs are the same, and the differences between breeds can be enormous. Even so, all dogs share a universal language — with each other, and with their owners.

We all have things in life we have to do that bring a bit of stress with them. You know they need to happen, and once they are done there is often a deep sense of relief. Letting out a long sigh may be figurative for us, but in principle you could do it quite literally.

Oddly enough, dogs do the same. They do it by literally shaking off the stress they have experienced. It often happens as they get out of the car or the van, or after they have met a dog that was just a bit too intense for them. They ruffle their coat, and the stress slides right off them.

This form of releasing tension is entirely natural and healthy. If a dog never does it, you could argue that it is under constant pressure. Such dogs may well have a real problem, because stress does not only shorten a lifespan — it can also produce other behaviour.

Think of lunging, or excessive urinating. Sounds complicated? If you have a worrier on your hands, it may be worth working out what the underlying problem is.

Another example of a dog's non-verbal communication is how it approaches another dog. A dog that runs straight at another dog is, in a sense, challenging it. Sometimes that is about working out where the new dog sits in the hierarchy, but often it is simply because the dog is still young and has not learned how to approach another dog. That takes training, or other dogs who can correct it.

Normal behaviour would be for a dog to approach another from the side. It does this to signal that it is not a threat. They sniff around a little, then suddenly turn towards each other as if they had not seen one another until that moment.

This is a classic example of communication we almost never notice. We just assume the dog is sniffing at something. In reality it is signalling to the other dog that it is open to being approached.

There is a great deal about dog behaviour online — next time, look past the cute, goofy puppy memes and read up on it. You will be amazed at everything your dog is doing that you cannot see.