Cracking the Canine Code: Mastering the Art of Speaking Dog

How to Communicate with Your Best Friend

Everyone wishes they could know what their dog is thinking. While we may never be able to have full conversations with our dogs, we can communicate effectively with them through their universal body language. Dogs use subtle cues, known as calming signals, to communicate with each other and humans. These signals, like eye, ear, and mouth movements, express peaceful intentions, diffuse tense situations, and generally ease stress in themselves or others. Knowing what cues to look for will help you better understand how your dog is feeling. 

Are you Missing the Signs? 

Dogs use calming signals from as young as 7 hours old. However, some dogs seem to lose their language due to being ignored or punished when trying to communicate. This suppression can lead them to stop giving cues like lip curls or snarls, which are actually warnings that they need more space. Understanding these signals helps you better respond to your dog’s needs. 

Commonly Missed Cues: 

Tongue Flick/Nose Lick: This calming signal is a very easy one to miss or misinterpret. The tongue flick is typically a short cue that dogs send to us in an attempt to calm us down or self-soothe themselves. We see tongue flicks from dogs when they are trying to tell us they are overwhelmed, such as at the vet’s office or when someone bends over them. 

If you want to pet a friendly dog, try kneeling down on their level and aiming to pet their chest or shoulders instead of the top of their head.

Head Turn/Body Turn: Dogs consider direct staring rude and may turn their head or body to show peaceful intentions. If your dog veers off instead of coming straight to you, he’s not ignoring you; he may actually be hearing the strain or annoyed tone in your voice and he wants you to ease some of that stress, so he gives you the calming signals he knows. 

A body turn can be understood as the all-caps version of a head turn. A body turn is commonly seen when two dogs greet each other and one seems to not be interested when he is actually being polite. He may also be letting the other dog know he is a little uncomfortable with how the other dog greeted him. Dogs that are particularly good communicators may see these cues and return the cue with a head turn or a different calming signal of their own, letting the first dog know the message was received. 

Softening of the Eyes and Excessive Blinking: Since blinking is a normal bodily function, this set of signals can be hard to see. We usually see these signals showing that a dog is not a threat. Alert, focused, wide-eyed staring will likely make dogs tense or stressed. Softening of the eyes looks like your dog is squinting, even if it is not bright. 

 Excessive blinking can communicate that a dog is very uncomfortable with a situation and is trying to show others he is non-threatening and needs some space. Understanding these cues can help prevent stress or aggravation. 

Sitting/Down: Dogs sit or lie down in the middle of play to signal they need a break. Lying down on the belly is a calming signal; lying down on the back is submission. Lying down is also used by adult or larger dogs when a young or small dog seems afraid or overwhelmed to appear less threatening and intimidating. 

You can lie down yourself to help alleviate your dog’s stress or to show an unfamiliar dog that you are not threatening. If a dog is restless, try lying down on the sofa and see if your dog comes over or settles himself down. 

Yawning: Yawning is one of the most commonly seen calming signals. When your dog is uneasy, nervous, stressed, or worried, they may use yawning as a self-soothing act that helps relieve tension. 

Give Dog Language a Try! 

These are just a few of the calming signals dogs use. By understanding these cues, you can better communicate with your dog and other dogs. Try sending calming signals to a new dog and see how they respond. Dogs are always communicating - are you listening? 

Works Cited: Rugaas, Turid. On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals. Dogwise Publishing, 1997.