Reading Your Dog

http://animal.discovery.com/guides/dogs/dog-training/behavior/reading-dog.html

 

Learning to read a dog is much like studying a
foreign language. It requires concentration and recognition that
communications can have quite different meanings in different cultures
and depend on the context within which they are sent. Dogs bark, whine
and growl
, but mostly they "speak" via a body language designed to be
understood dog-to-dog. The meaning may not be intuitively
obvious to
humans; decoding
requires some practice. To understand "dog"
successfully, we must stretch beyond ourselves into canine
culture.

What are the rewards of making this effort? Clearly a better reading of
unknown dogs can prevent the occasional nip
. But far more importantly,
we gain the chance to interact more fully with the dogs that share our
lives. We can reach more of an "inter-species
" understanding and deepen
our bond
by our ability to communicate. It seems only fair. Over the
centuries, dogs have become very adept at interpreting human body
language and even at learning spoken words and hand signals. Now it's
our turn.

Communicating Soundlessly

A dog's tail, ears, eyes and mouth speak
v
olumes
without making a
sound. Everybody recognizes a rapidly wagging
tail as a sign of canine
excitement, but the tail also is a primary conveyor
(傳達者) of social standing
(社會地位)
and mental state. Don't make the mistake of automatically interpreting
tail wagging to mean friendliness. Generally, a tail held above and
away from the body or curled
over the back denotes
（指示） dominance
（支配） and,
especially if accompanied
by bristling
of the hair, threatens（威脅，預示）


aggression
（侵犯）.

However, some dogs, such as the Siberian husky
(西伯利亞雪橇犬), have tails that curl up
naturally, and would appear perpetually
dominant based solely on a tail
reading. A relaxed dog, comfortable in its surroundings, generally
holds its tail lower and away from its body. On the other hand, a
frightened or submissive
dog holds its tail close to its body, tucked

between its legs. But be aware that some breeds
— greyhounds
and
whippets
, for instance — naturally carry their tails between their
legs, whether submissive or not.

A domestic
mixed-breed mirrors the aggressive posture
of his
gray-wolf counterpart
. Whether displayed by a small domestic dog or a
wolf in the wild, this body language means business. Note the
similarity in appearance: In each, the hackles
are raised; the lips are
pulled back in a snarl
showing the large canine teeth; and the stare is
intent on the subject of aggression. You can almost hear the growl. Few
canines, or humans either, would misread the signals: "I am ready to
bite!"

Knowing Your Dog

A dominant
dog walks on its toes, often leaning forward, with a stiff

gait
. Ears and tail are up, the head is high, and the dog meets your
gaze
confidently. If it senses a challenge, its hackles rise and it
stares more intensely
. Your return stare, regardless of how sincerely
and kindly meant, may be seen as a challenge and could elicit
a bite.
When meeting a more submissive
dog, the dominant dog may attempt to
place its muzzle
or paws
across the subordinate
's shoulders or back. If
a dog is highly dominant, it may respond to your touch on or at the
back of its head with a growl or snap
, reading into your hand position
an attempt to express your dominance.

When they're feeling playful, dogs assume
the easily recognized
"play box" — with tail up, front legs on the ground and an expectant
,
alert
look. The dog may bark, but the context shows it is an excited,
not a threatening, bark. An interested dog also exhibits
this alert
look, standing with mouth partially
open, often with his head cocked
to
one side.

The fearful dog recoils
, its ears flat
and tail tucked
, but it may
also show signs of aggression with raised hackles and bared
teeth. When
confronted with mixed signals like these, always heed
the ones from the
"sharp end." This dog could bite, although out of fear, not to show
dominance. The submissive dog crouches
down with its ears back, eyes
averted
, tail low or between its legs. In a more extreme submissive
display, the dog gradually rolls over onto its back, exposing the
belly
. The animal may even urinate
a few drops, perhaps a throwback
response to the first authority
figure in its life, its mother, who
stimulated
her pups to urinate and then cleaned them up. Submissive
urination
is easily misunderstood, especially if produced in response
to the owner's anger over some infraction
. From a human perspective,
the dog may seem defiant
, even spiteful
. But far from committing
an act
of defiance
, this dog is trying to placate
the angry owner by showing
extreme submission.

Barking Talk

While dogs' primary communication is via body posture and position,
they also do some vocalizing. Many dogs seem to enjoy a good bark —
especially combined with howling — often to their owners' frustration.
A bark can express many things, from sheer joy at the thought of a game
of ball to celebrating your arrival home or warning of an intruder.
When a gentle bark accompanies a nosing of the leash or a tentative paw
on your lap, it may even be a question or suggestion. Dogs will also
growl when threatened, whimper and whine when seeking attention, and
yelp in fear or pain. In each of these situations, a combination of the
dog's body language and an understanding of context are vital to
understanding your dog's message.

Body Language

With wolves, as with domestic dogs, body language can easily be misinterpreted.

In a display of dominance, a dog will stand over another dog, with
raised ears and tail, staring intently. Another dog, lowered into
submissive position, averts its eyes and holds its ears and tail down.
While similar to the posturing of wild canids, this body language
usually occurs in play with domestic dogs, and in most cases ends up
with the two frolicking together.

The combination of selective breeding and cosmetic surgery molds
dogs to suit human tastes, but such modifications can have an
unexpected consequence: miscommunication among canines.

When dogs are bred for heavy, long coats, for example, other dogs
have difficulty seeing their eyes, ears, mouth and raised hackles and
the messages they normally convey. Surgically altering a dog's ears to
remain erect and forward means that it will look perpetually alert and
dominant, regardless of its true personality. And docking a dog's tail
eliminates one way of conveying its feelings to fellow canines.

The Vocal Dog

Most dog owners can easily differentiate between "I want to go out,"
and "Somebody's out there," as well as other barks conveying happiness,
annoyance or even fear.

Small dogs, such as the toy fox terrier, are usually the most vocal
of domestic canines, seeming to make up with volume and persistence
what they lack in size.

The wolf emits a howling whistle to communicate with its brethren
while they circle prey in the undergrowth, enabling the group to
coordinate the attack.