What Is Your Dog Telling You With Their Body? 🐶

Our dogs are communicating with us all the time.

Not just through barking, whining or pulling on the lead, but through their whole body.

The position of their ears.

The movement of their tail.

Their mouth and jaw.

The way they hold their head.

Their posture.

Their coat.

Their breathing.

Where they choose to stand.

Whether they move towards something — or away from it.

And sometimes, the quietest changes can tell us the most.

Learning to really look

When I work with a dog, one of the first things I do is observe.

I don’t immediately ask them to sit, lie down, look at me or do something.

I want to know:

🐾Who is this dog today?

🐾How are they moving?

🐾What does their body look like?

🐾Are they loose and flowing, or are they holding tension somewhere?

🐾What is happening around their eyes and mouth?

🐾What are their ears and tail doing?

🐾Are they sniffing?

🐾Are they licking?

🐾Are they shaking?

🐾Are they choosing to move away?

🐾Are they able to pause and take in their surroundings?

These observations give us information. They aren’t a diagnosis.

And they certainly aren’t a simple dictionary where one behaviour always means one thing.

A yawn doesn’t automatically mean stress.

A wagging tail doesn’t automatically mean happiness.

A dog who is standing still isn’t necessarily relaxed.

Context matters. And so does the individual dog.

Look at the whole dog

It’s very easy to focus on one part of a dog’s body.

We might see a wagging tail and think, “They’re happy.”

But what is the rest of the dog doing? Is their body loose? Are they able to move naturally? What are their ears doing? What does their mouth look like? Where is their weight? Are they choosing to approach?

Or is the tail moving while the rest of the body is tense?

This is why I encourage guardians to look at the whole dog, rather than trying to interpret one isolated signal.

Sometimes the story becomes very different when we do.

The coat can tell us something too. One of the things I often notice when observing dogs is their coat. Perhaps there is a change in texture. A different pattern.

Hair that appears to stand differently. A change that wasn’t there previously.

I will often ask the guardian:

“Have you noticed this before?”

Sometimes they have. Sometimes they haven’t.

And sometimes, after we have been working together for a while, we notice that something has gradually changed.

I don’t see these observations as something to diagnose from.

They are simply another piece of information.

The more we notice, the more we can begin to build a picture of the individual dog in front of us.

What about licking?

Licking can be another interesting behaviour.

Of course, dogs lick for lots of reasons.

They may be tasting something, communicating, grooming themselves or enjoying food. But licking can also appear to help some dogs regulate themselves.

You might notice a rhythmic licking pattern.

Perhaps the dog’s jaw softens. Their breathing changes. Their body becomes quieter.

Or they choose to lick when something around them feels a little more challenging.

Again, it’s about observation rather than labelling.

What happens before the licking?

What happens afterwards?

And most importantly:

What does the rest of the dog tell you?

Look at movement, not just stillness

A dog who is able to move away from something is communicating.

A dog who turns their head is communicating.

A dog who chooses to sniff is communicating.

A dog who changes direction is communicating.

A dog who moves closer is communicating too.

Choice gives us valuable information.

This is one reason I value giving dogs opportunities to explore and make small decisions

during ACE Free Work and sensory sessions.

Rather than constantly directing the dog, we can sometimes step back and observe what they choose.

Where do they go?

What do they investigate?

What do they avoid?

What do they return to?

How does their body change as they explore?

There is so much information there.

What happens when we slow down?

Sometimes we are so focused on what we want our dog to do next that we miss what they are telling us right now.

We want them to walk nicely.

To greet politely.

To settle.

To cope.

To listen.

But what if, before asking for the next thing, we simply paused?

What if we watched?

What if we became curious rather than immediately trying to change the behaviour?

That doesn’t mean we do nothing. It means we gather information before deciding what support might be helpful. Because behaviour is communication.

And when we learn to listen to the body, we can begin to understand the message behind the behaviour.

Your dog is talking. Are we listening?

The next time you’re out with your dog, try observing them without immediately trying to change anything.

Notice their:

• ears

• eyes

• mouth and jaw

• tongue

• tail

• posture

• coat

• breathing

• movement

• sniffing

• choices

Ask yourself:

What am I noticing?

What has changed?

What happened just before that change?

What happened afterwards?

And perhaps most importantly:

What is my dog choosing?

You don’t need to become an expert in canine body language overnight.

You don’t need to label every movement.

Start with curiosity.

Because when we stop looking only at what our dogs are doing and start paying attention to what their whole body is telling us, our relationship with them can begin to change. We start to see the dog in front of us.

Not the behaviour we want to change. Not the behaviour we expected.

The dog. And sometimes, the most valuable thing we can give them is simply the space to be seen, heard and understood.

At Alba Dogs, I believe in observing before assuming, listening before directing, and giving dogs opportunities to have choice wherever we can.

Because your dog is communicating.

Let’s learn to listen.

If you want to find out more, use the link below to contact us and we would be happy to discuss or assist anyway possible.

Contact Pauline at Alba Dogs

Thanks as always for reading

Pauline

Alba Dogs 🐾🐶