20 Dog Body Language And Behaviors That Every Pet Lovers Should Know

They growl to tell others how they feel or what they intend to do, which might be because of disturbance, fear, and territoriality. It could have been a sign of aggressiveness and frustration for other dogs to step back.

Growling may also be evident when there is an infliction of pain or discomfort on the dog. It is also important to note that growling forms one of those innate behaviors of dogs, which should not at any given time be reprimanded or suppressed.

This mostly refers to the case of fear, anxiety, or even submission when it tucks its tail and the collection of the tail between the hind legs is among the common behaviors for dogs. This may also be a way of signaling in expressing their feelings with other animals or people around them and trying to make it look smaller and less threatening.

Dogs tuck their tails in case of a new, threatening situation, change of environment, or even when exposed to loud noises. This can also be a sign of anxiety and nervousness if this is incorporated with other signs such as head lowered, ears flattened, or crouching.

Whining among dogs may mean different things since it is a means through which they communicate. It may mean that the pup wants attention, or he's communicating some need or want.

Other reasons for dogs whining involve anxiety, fear, and pain, and some do it when they feel frustrated or bored. Whining might be one of the separation anxiety expressions upon leaving the dog alone.

Bowing signifies that the dog tries to communicate or tries to play with an owner or other dogs, and if its front part goes down while keeping its hind up in the air, it bows. The dog is signifying in this posture friendliness, being relaxed, and wanting to play with other dogs or humans.

In other contexts, dogs do it for different reasons, such as, sometimes they just clean their face or mouth. Anxiety and stress are the most common reasons dogs do it.

They also do so when they are apprehensive or anxious, such as at the vet or around new people or animals. It can also be considered a displacement behavior when they are confused or not sure how to react to a given situation.

Dogs also display lip-licking as a form of active submission or appeasement to dominate or avoid a fight.

While in some breeds, erect ears are natural, in some other breeds, the erect ears signal specific behavioral or emotional states of the animal. It usually attests to the alertness and attention of an animal.

Dogs with erect ears tend to be attentive and alert about the events around them. This is more evident in German Shepherds and Dobermans since their erect ears ostensibly hear better.

In this case, erect ears denote vigilance and readiness just in case of threats or incidents.

Dogs sniff other dogs because, most importantly, this is their major means of gathering information and communicating with one another. Their sense of smell is also highly developed: the nose of a dog contains 300 million scent receptors, while ours contains only 5 million.

With one smell, for example, a dog can learn much about another dog's sex, age, health, and diet, let alone its mood and reproductive status. Besides, smelling is one more way dogs create social bonds and fathom hierarchy in a group.

Showing teeth is one-way dogs communicate and show their emotions, and a very common motive, in which the dog reveals its teeth, is aggression or fear. Whenever a pup feels threatened or cornered, it may bare its teeth to give a warning that it may go for self-defense if need be.

On the other hand, dogs also show a "smile" by showing their teeth when they are so happy or excited. This can often be engaged in playing or upon greeting the owner.

Meanwhile, a submissive dog may show his teeth while lowering his head or body to signal that he does not pose any threat.

Nuzzle-to push or bump lightly against someone or something, with one's nose or body. Animals, especially dogs, use nudging to communicate in showing different feelings or wants.

Most dogs do the nuzzling activity to ask for physical contact, or simply be petted, or at least some human attention, and nudging may display affection or attachment, too.

Dogs nudge their owners or other animals in search of some contact or to show love. It is a sign of confidence and the desire for closeness.

A dog can lift its paw while standing or sitting down as a way of anticipation or attention. They commonly raise their paws when they are highly focused on something interesting, wanting to play, or even waiting for instructions.

Although this is to be expected in canines as they regulate their body heat, signs like lethargy, coughing, or rapid breathing accompanying your panting pet could indicate that there's an underlying health issue. He needs to go to a vet.

This may include heatstroke, a lung or heart ailment, and even pain, stress or anxiety, and sometimes medication. Breeds such as Shih Tzus, whose respiratory methods are among the many worst, typically result from their "briefed" face and pants.

When dogs roll over, it generally signals submission, trust, invitation to play, or attention-seeking behavior. Rolling on one's back exposes the vulnerable belly and hence is an indication of security within the environment.

Dogs also roll over as a way of showing deference to humans and other animals because they perceive those animals as higher ranking than themselves. Some dogs have learned to roll over simply through training, as doing so pays off with positive rewards.

This sniffing of dogs all the time does not necessarily imply that something is wrong with them as they have this super-efficient sense of smell. Smelling is their way of picking up information in the world and it is how they do exploration and investigation.

Excessive sniffing may be normal for a dog, but if it suddenly becomes the ultimate norm, or any abnormal behavior persists, then it is indicative of some problem. It acts as an anxiety indicator, stress, or fear, and sometimes some medical issues involving infections or allergies.

It can also be a sign of submission or respect if the dog always refuses to make eye contact and looks away. Dogs are hierarchical animals, and in their minds, keeping direct eye contact may be perceived as a challenge or even dominance, in such a way, they look away to show respect and passivity.

Avoidance of eye contact is considered a fear or anxiety. The poor guys might have been placed in an uncomfortable setting or with people with whom they avoid looking.

A normal abnormality in dogs is the action of a dog touching the nose with the tongue as they both explore and act in their environment, their bodies included, by using their tongues.

They do this as part of a routine to either clean their noses or clear off whatever might have attached itself to the nasal area. In addition to these, a dog licks his nose as a calming behavior when he is either excited or stressed.

You must take into consideration the other body language that exists along with the context in which it occurs when trying to read the dog's behavior.

Dogs flick their tongues for various reasons and the most recognizable or common would be to cool down. While humans sweat through the skin, for dogs, panting and tongue flicking are applied in the regulation of body temperature.

Besides this, dogs also flick their tongues when they're nervous or anxious which is a signal for stress or discomfort. Dogs also use their tongues to clean up themselves, their fur, and even their wounds which is a natural canine behavior with various purposes in the dog's life.

The reasons behind dogs yawning are said to be very much like those in the human species. It is said to perform several functions that include regulating the temperature of the brain and its levels of oxygen, signaling relaxation, and decreasing stress.

Dogs often yawn to slow down whether they are tired or bored. Like humans, yawning in dogs can be contagious at times and is social bonding or empathetic. It also signals dogs' non-aggressive intentions in social interactions with other dogs or humans.

Tail wagging forms a mode of communication for a dog to show its feelings and emotions and, by the same token, its intention with other dogs and even people.

A very exciting and jubilant canine will always make this known by the rigorous wagging of the tail. On the other hand, a slow wag or tucked tail may denote fear or submission.

Tail-wagging behavior in dogs is brought about by their brain mechanisms, mainly the limbic system. It sends messages down to the muscles of the tail as it moves depending on how it is feeling.

Cowering means, in dog language, a pattern of behavior answering to an animal because of a place of fear, anxiety, or weakness.

Lowering body postures, tucking in the tail, and flattening ears against the head characterize the dog as it cowers. It may try to show evasive behavior, such as trying to hide or run away.

That is a sure sign your dog is scared or insecure when confronted with any one of the situations. It can be brought on by any one of several stimuli such as loud noises, new environments, displays of aggression from other animals or humans, past traumas, or even correction-based training.

Amazing is the range within which there exists a great number of identifiable postures and related verbal/vocal cues.

When a dog stands with its hair up, it normally indicates aggression or fear. When the hair follicles of the dog's body contract and raise the hair upwards, it is a reflex of the dog.

It is a defense mechanism that makes the raised hair appear larger and sometimes more threatening. In threat displays, the dog will stand tall and raise its hair to make it look intimidating or dominant.

It's one way they can make themselves look more dangerous to an impending threat or opponent. On the other hand, piloerection in dogs can be induced in a dog through fear or anxiety.