Dog Body Language

Come leggere il linguaggio del corpo del tuo cane

WhatWhat is your dog trying to tell you? Dogs have a language that allows them to communicate their emotional state and their intentions to others around them. Although dogs do use sounds and signals, much of the information that they send is through their body language, specifically their facial expressions and body postures.

Understanding what your dog is saying can give you a lot of useful information, such as when your dog is spooked and nervous about what is going on, or when your dog is edgy and might be ready to snap at someone. You do have to look at the dog's face and his whole body.

To help you, I have created a sort of visual version of a Berlitz phrase book to allow you to interpret the eight most important messages your dog is sending to you.

I always tell my students that by welcoming a dog into their life, they’re obligated not only to provide food, love, and training, but also to learn the native language of their new family member. As humans, we have thousands of words—as well as body language—we can use to express our feelings. Dogs, on the other hand, have only their body parts to help them paint a clear picture of their emotions. Needless to say, it’s not unusual for misunderstandings to occur. But with a little awareness, you can get a good sense of what your pooch is trying to tell you.

Just like people, dogs communicate using body language. Your dog is communicating with his entire body, not just his tail or his voice. If you want to know how he is feeling, you’ll need to learn to read your particular dog’s body language. To get a sense of what your dog is trying to tell you, spend as much time as you can observing your dog and his body posture.

Because each dog is an individual and will express fear, aggression, stress or joy slightly differently, there are no hard and fast rules for interpreting dog body language. Tail wagging, for instance, can indicate several emotions. The important thing is to look at the entire body of the dog. With that said, here are some examples of dog body language and an explanation of what they might mean.

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