BODY ENGLISH - BODY LANGUAGE
Dog training is a science of interpretation, behavioral signs or body english being one of them. The best way to know what's going on inside the dog psychic, is to learn to recognize what they are telling you on the outside. What you read from the following sources you should then put to use by going to your nearest Dog Park [without your dog] and watch the interaction displays between the dogs.
| ARTICLE | WEBSITE |
|---|---|
| Behavior signals | http://www.dvmnewsmagazine.com/dvm/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=94404. |
| Are you fluent in dog in dog? | http://www.dvmnewsmagazine.com/dvm/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=88401 |
| Body Language: Dogs | http://www.hssv.org/LIBRARY/PDF/Behavior/body_language.pdf |
| Intrepret Dog's Body Language | http://www.pawsacrossamerica.com/interpret.html |
POSTURES
The following is meant to define the body signals you will observed when the various behavioral postures occur.
ALERT POSITION |
OFFENSIVE POSITION |
DEFENSIVE POSITION |
SUBMISSIVE |
SUBORDINATE |
| Standing erect | Standing, confident | Crouching | Cowering | Laying on back |
| Ears forward | Ears forward | Ears laid flat on head | Ears down | Ears down |
| Tail straight, wagging | Tail erect, slow wagging | Tail down | Tail tucked | Tail tucked |
| Mouth closed | Muzzle wrinkled | Teeth exposed | ||
| Short, alarm bark | Growling, loud barking | Whining, growling | ||
| Hackles | Hackles | May urinate | May urinate | |
| Teeth exposed | May express anal glands | Belly exposed |
BODY SIGNALS
| Avoiding eye contact | Submissive, fear, stress |
| Direct eye contact | Warning, alert, attention seeking |
| Barking | Warning, alert, attention seeking |
| Howling | Loneliness, elicit social contact |
| Whining | Attention seeking |
| Moaning | Expression of pleasure |
| Growling | Warning to threat or intruder to stay away |
| Yapping | Fear, stress |
| Tail erect | Confident, alert |
| Tail parallel to topline | Alert anticipation |
| Tail lowered | Fear, Stress |
| Tail tucked | Fear, stress, submission |
| Tail tucked on belly | Fear, stress, subordinate, survival |
| Canine teeth exposed | Offensive, confident |
| All teeth exposed | Defensive, stress, fear |
| Licking lips | Stress, anxious seeking reassurance |
| Ears erect | Normal |
| Ears forward | Alert, confident |
| Ears back | Stress, fear |
| Ears laid back on head | Stress, fear, submission |
| Ears vertically dropped | Submissive |
| Body Standing | Normal |
| Body erect, standing on paws | Confident, offensive posture |
| Body lowered, head down | Stress, fear, defensive posture |
| Laying on back, belly exposed | Stress, fear, subordinate, survival |
| Licking mouth of other dog | Submission, deference to their status |
| Placing muzzle on whithers | Dominance |
| Mount withers of other dog | Dominance |
You can Download an Informative Guide here
WEBSITES TO VISIT
| ARTICLE | WEBSITE |
|---|---|
| USPCA. BEHAVIOR OF DOGS | http://uspcak9.com/training/behaviorofdogs.shtml |
| NON-VERBAL SIGNALING | http://www.vin.com/VINDBPub/SearchPB/Proceedings/PR05000/PR00378.htm |
| ASPCA K9 BODY POSTURES | http://www.petfinder.org/journal/docs/CanineBody.pdf |
I am not one to bother with semantics on whether heredity produces 'drives' or 'instincts' in a dog. I prefer to refer the inherited traits as 'drives'. Not everyone agrees that dogs even have 'drives', in fact some animal behaviorists will say that the 'drive theory' fell out of favor forty years ago an opinion you can view at the following website http://www.animalbehaviorassociates.com/pdf/RMN_drive_troubles.pdf. I believe in the 'drive theory' and that dogs inherit trait instincts from their parents. I use it for testing and I believe in it for work.
A 'drive' is an innate response to an outside stimuli. Someone throws a stick, the dog runs to pick it up. He doesn't think about getting, he just does it. It is an action which is not taught but 'native' to their being. Every dog acquires a certain number of 'drives', the relative strength equal to the original genes.
You can make a 'hard' dog harder but you can not make a 'soft' dog harder then a 'hard' dog
The strength of a 'drive', is be classified as high, middle, low or hard, middle, soft. Therefore, if you have a 'soft' dog, one that might be well adjusted but submissive, you can not train him to harder then a dog that you would classify as inherently 'hard', bold or courageous when confronted with challenges.
As we have stated before, statements about 'drive theory' will fluctuate. The following are those which we are most accustom to using, you may find totally contrasting characterization elsewhere. If there is any information which you should absorb into your vocabulary it would be 'drive theory'
| DRIVE | DEFINITION |
| TRACKING | Willingness to follow ground disturbance scent |
| AIR SCENT | Willingness to follow air borne scent |
| HUNT | Drive to search and locate objects/persons/animals |
| RETRIEVAL | Drive to return items thrown back to handler |
| PREY | To chase, bite, kill prey or prey objects |
| FIGHT | Eagerness to engage an adversary in battle |
| GUARD | To warn aggressors by barking, growling |
| PROTECTION | Willingness to protect the pack/handler/property |
| PLAY | Drive for physical contact with the pack |
| PACK | Drive for social contact with the pack |
| HERDING | Drive to gather, circle, |
| HOMING | Drive to return to the pack |
| RANK | Social status within the pack. Dogs high in rank drive would prefer to lead, rather then to led |
| COURAGE | Willingness to confront a threat |
| HARDNESS | Resilency to pain or correction, to shrug off negative experiences |
| SOFTNESS | Inability to accept correction, pain or significant pressure |
| SHARPNESS | Keeness to react to real or imaginary danger |
| SEX | Drive to reproduce, one of the three strongest instincts in animals |
As with any behavior signs, there will be different strengths and weaknesses, no dog is totally balanced.
INVESTIGATIVE BEHAVIOR. Dogs which excel in investigative behavior, could be classified as excessive/complusive if they were humans. They can make an inquistion of the most menial objects. Their nose is a vacuum cleaner on steroids, in new surroundings it sucks in on hyperdrive.
ALLELOMINETIC BEHAVIOR. Pack behavior, like follow the leader, imitating the actions of others. If one dog picks up a stick, another dog tries to steal it away.
EPIMELETIC BEHAVIOR. [Care-giving] Most prominent during infancy when the attention of the mother is critical to the puppies survival.
ET-EPIMELETIC BEHAVIOR [Attention Seeking] Starts as a puppy and if successful will continue for as long as the desired results are achieved. Whining, Whimpering, Licking face or hands of person, attempting to jump up on people.
DOMANINCE. Places muzzle on other dog's withers, attempts to mount the other dog, stands over dog on ground growling, tail will be up or erect. Direct eye contact and frontal position on meeting new dogs.
SUBORDINATE . Also referred to as submissive behavior. Roll on the back, tail down, tail tucked between legs, ears depressed, may urinate if it precepts a real direct threat. Connected to survival instinct.
SENSORY THESHOLD. The amount of stimulation that is necessary to elicted a response. The importance of sensory theshold is critical during aggression training, there is a fine-balance, if taken too far it can become a crisis point which evolves into avoidance behavior.
WEBSITES TO VISIT
- CANINE PSYCHOLOGY http://k9services.com/CaninePsychology.htm
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