Orlando Veterinary Clinic

Dog Body Language

As social animals, dogs have developed the ability to express a wide variety of messages and emotions with their voices, tails, eyebrows, postures, and more. This is a quick guide to some of the most common forms of dog body language.

The Tail

Dogs’ tails are one of their most fundamental tools of communication. Messages that can be expressed with a tail include, but are not limited to:

• Uncertainty. If a dog’s tail is moving in slow wags, he may be questioning the environment or the people he is meeting.
• Eagerness. Quick and wide wags of the tail are the sign of a happy pooch.
• Fear. A dog with her tail between her legs is expressing fear. This is often interpreted as a display of guilt, but dogs are not quite capable of that emotion.

The Ears

Dogs with short or pricked ears can use them to show many things, including:

• Interest. A dog with her ears pointed forward is basically telling you “Yes? Please go on.”
• Fear or submission. Ears laid back flat against the head are an expression of timidity.
• Contentment. Certain breeds descended from wolves will hold their ears in a horizontal position, but still pointed forward. This is known as the “wolf smile.”

The Mouth

Thoughts that a dog can express with the position of his mouth include:

• Irritation. When a dog wants to be alone, she may lick her lips or yawn repeatedly.
• Happiness. Every dog lover is familiar with this look: panting with an open mouth, looking very similar to a human smile.
• Play or aggression. When dogs growl, their mouths can be important clues about whether or not they are playing. Bared teeth indicate aggression, while growling with a closed mouth is often playful.

Visit an Orlando Veterinarian Clinic

For more information about caring for your dog, contact your local Orlando veterinarian clinic.