Why Does Your Dog Do That?

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     Has your dog ever acted a certain way or did something, but you are unsure what it meant? Often, your dog may be trying to tell you something, but because you do not understand the canine body language or behavior, you may miss the meaning entirely. Therefore, it is vital that you know the basic reasons why your dog does what she does and what it means when you see her panting, shaking, or sniffing around your home or outside.

Stress in Your Dog

If your dog is stressed it is fairly easy to pick up on because he or she will be panting heavily, pacing, and possibly shaking. Dogs tend to calm themselves down by yawning, circling, slow-moves, licking their lips, sitting, or laying down. These are all signals that a dog in a pack would do to show others that they are showing all the common calming signals to the rest of the pack. Even if your dog is the only canine in the home, they see you and the rest of the people in your home as a pack.

Confidence

If your dog feels good about himself and his environment, he is confident and this is easy to spot because your dog will stand on all four legs, head high, ears up, and his tail (if there is one) will be up high. When your dog is confident, he or she gives off a friendly demeanor that is easy to see from afar.

Fearful

Just like with confidence, the fearful dog is easy to spot by his or her body language, they tend to crouch nearer to the ground, tail is tucked between her legs, may whine, and his or her ears are back. This is often due to sudden changes in the dog's environment, such as when you move to a new home, or you are taking a road trip. Dogs are creatures of habit and when their routine is disrupted, it can cause fear.

Happy

A happy dog looks very much like a confident dog except their tail is wagging like crazy, they tend to prance around, wiggle, and are very excited. When your dog is happy, sometimes he will bark, but the bark is a playful bark rather than an aggressive bark, you can easily tell the difference.

Aggressive

The posture of an aggressive dog is what you need to be most in touch with because if it is a dog you do not know, it might help you get away from the dog quickly. First, he or she will have all four legs on the ground and stand still as if to say, "I'm challenging you!" The hair on the dogs back may rise, his head will be held high, but can be in a lowered position at the same time. His ears will be back as if they are pinned to his head, he will be snarling and growling, and his eyes will fixate on you or whoever it is they are showing aggression to.