Reading Dog Body Language

Most dog bites are described as coming without warning. Almost none of them do. The warnings were given in a language the person did not read.

The tail is not the message

A wagging tail means arousal, not friendliness. Read the speed, height and the rest of the body. A high, stiff, fast twitch-wag over a rigid body is a warning. A low, loose, whole-body wag is a friendly dog. A tucked tail with a low fast wag is fear, and fearful dogs bite.

Early stress signals

These come long before a growl and are the ones worth learning:

• Lip licking when there is no food.
• Yawning when not tired.
• Turning the head away or looking away deliberately.
• Whale eye — the whites showing as the dog holds its head still and swivels its eyes.
• Shaking off as if wet, when dry. This usually marks the end of a stressful moment.
• Scratching or sniffing the ground suddenly and out of context.
• A tight closed mouth after previously panting loosely.

A dog doing these is asking for space. Give it, and you will never meet the growl.

The escalation

Stress signals, then stillness and freezing, then a hard stare, then a growl, then a snap that deliberately misses, then a bite. The freeze is the most dangerous moment and the most commonly missed — a dog that goes completely still over a bone or a bed is about to act.

Never punish a growl

A growl is information and it is a gift. Punishing it teaches the dog that growling brings trouble, so it skips that step next time. That is precisely how "he bit with no warning" dogs are made. When a dog growls, remove the pressure, then work out what caused it and address that.

Play versus real

Play has bouncy exaggerated movement, play bows, self-handicapping by the bigger dog, and role reversal. Both dogs take turns. Pauses happen naturally. If one dog is always on the bottom, if the pauses stop, if the movement becomes straight-line and stiff, or if one dog is trying to leave and cannot, interrupt cheerfully and separate.

Teach children this

Most bites to children happen at home with a known dog. Teach them: no hugging, no faces close to faces, leave a dog alone when it is eating or sleeping, and always let the dog come to you. Then supervise anyway.