Animal Behaviour Essentials Part III: Everything Else

Welcome to Part III of Animal Behaviour Essentials! In Part I, we covered the various vocal sounds your dog might make and what they could mean. In Part II, we tackled understanding the tail, and the various ways in which dogs use their tail to tell you what they are thinking. Part III will handle exactly what it promises: “everything else”. So that’s those aspects of a dog’s body language you may not have thought of or may not know how to interpret.

If there is one thing we hope this blog series has shown you, it is that dogs have expressive body language that is an excellent cue into what is going on in our canines’ minds. Understanding your dog’s body language is the key to unlocking what they are telling you. If you have ever felt like you and your dog share a telepathic bond, well, it is because you are naturally good at reading their body language and they are good at reading yours.

This blog won’t be able to ensure a telepathic bond with your dog—we’re not that good—but it will cover the basics of what you need to know to understand your pet. Sound and the tail are crucial indicators of your dog’s state of mind, but your pet also uses their ears, eyes and mouth to communicate. Here’s what each says.

Ears

Because a dog is so sensitive to sound, the position of their ears is a great window into what they are thinking and how they are responding to the environment around them. Of course, remember a dog’s ears come in all shapes and sizes, and how your dog uses their ears depends on their breed. So dogs with long and floppy ears won’t use their ears the same way as dogs with pointed ears.

But in general, when your dog’s ears are pointed forward, this means your dog is attentive; they’re listening to something. Your dog’s ears are usually pointed forward when they are in exploration mode or when they have heard a new sound that surprises them.

When your dog’s ears are pulled back or are pressed flat against their head, then that means something has scared your dog. They are fearful or they could be nervous—they are just a bit wary of everything around them. A dog also pulls their ears back against their head when they are feeling sad, so if you see them do this when you leave the house, you know why.

If your dog’s ears are in a neutral position, well then, they are at ease with themselves and everything is absolutely fine.

Mouth

Your dog’s expression can tell you a lot about what they are feeling; this is especially true for the position of their mouth. A relaxed mouth will mean that it is usually slightly open, you can see a bit of your dog’s tongue and the dog is generally at ease with themselves. If your dog’s mouth is tense, however, and you can see the tightness around their muzzle, then your dog is anxious or upset, and it is best to try and de-escalate the situation.

An aggressive dog will show you their aggression. Their lips will be pulled back, showing their gums and teeth, and they will often be growling or snarling. This is a dog that is close to snapping or biting. If this is your pet, you will need to deescalate the situation and try and remove them from the stressor. If it is a stray, give the dog their space and don’t interact with them.

But, just to make matters slightly confusing, there is also the submissive grin. A submissive grin looks an awful lot like aggression: the mouth is pulled back to show gums and the teeth. Dogs often get into trouble for a submissive grin with their pet parents because pet parents think they are showing aggression and they need to be disciplined. But the submissive grin is actually the opposite of aggression. It is your dog’s way of fending off aggression—their way of saying look at my useless teeth, I am so harmless . Dogs often use the submissive grin when playing with dogs they are scared of or when meeting new people they are nervous around. A submissive grin can be identified with a whole host of other body language: the dog’s posture is usually lower than normal, they may lick you after a submissive grin, they may lick their lips or back away. To tell the difference between a submissive grin and aggression, you need to look at the whole picture.

Eyes

We all know what it means when your pup looks up at you with melting brown eyes—it means they want something. We know this because that look is difficult to resist, and you have to battle with yourself not to give them the world. But do you know your dog gives you other signals with their eyes?

A dog’s eyes are an expressive part of their body and they use it to speak in many ways. If a dog is staring you down with concentration, then that’s aggression and a precursor to a fight or violence. If a dog refuses to meet your eyes, however, they’re feeling shy and uncomfortable. When a dog is refusing to meet your gaze, don’t take offence—they’re not ignoring you, they are just feeling anxious. Be gentle with them.

The clearest sign, of course, that your dog is uncomfortable is the whites of their eyes. Dogs show you the whites of their eyes when they are feeling anxious or stressed. This means they look sideways, to show you the white of the eyeball around the pupil (this is also known as the whale eye).

If your dog is relaxed, then they will squint so that you can see none of the whites of their eyes.

Yawning and Panting

Both yawning and panting are such natural processes, we don’t really think much about them. A yawn means your dog is tired, and panting means they’re feeling hot—right? Isn’t that all there is to it?

Not quite. It is true that your dog yawns when they’re tired and pants when they’re feeling hot, but both actions can indicate other things as well. Panting is usually a sign your dog is trying to regulate their temperature, but dogs also pant when they are excited. Panting can also indicate your dog is overly hot or is suffering from excessive thirst, both of which can be symptoms of a more serious illness. Keep an eye out for how often your dog is panting and in what circumstances to judge whether it is something you need to look into.

Yawning can be a calming activity for a dog. This could mean various things. It could mean they are stressed and they are trying to calm themselves down. As pet parents, you could interpret a yawn as your pet telling you: I’m not a big fan of this activity and it’s trying my patience . A yawn is also a way to handle nervousness, and sometimes it is even a way for your dog to control their enthusiasm. As always, the best way to know what a yawn means is to look at the situation. If you are hugging your dog a lot and they yawn, then that might mean: This isn’t great for me, please stop. But if you’re about to take them on their favourite walk and they yawn, and their body language is otherwise enthusiastic—well then, they just can’t wait to get going. Circumstance is crucial to understand what precisely your pet is telling you.

We hope you have enjoyed this blog series on Animal Behaviour Essentials—we’ve definitely enjoyed writing it! Learning to communicate with your dog is a beautiful thing, as is gaining an insight into their thoughts. Our best friends are complex and intricate creatures, and we hope this series has given you a foundation with which to better understand them.